Ableton Forum

Hi!

In Live 7.01, I can pick an external instrument as a compressor sidechain input but it doesn't have any effect.

I do get side chaining to work if I choose an ordinary audio track as the side chain source, otherwise using the same settings.

Bug, by design or user error?

/Jonas

Hmmm... you can select an "External Instrument" plugin as the side-chain input, or the Audio Track that contains the "External Instrument" plugin?

I assume you've connect an actual piece of audio hardware, via audio cables, to your soundcard and this is producing sound that then comes into the side-chain input of Live's compressor plugin?

laird wrote:Hmmm... you can select an "External Instrument" plugin as the side-chain input, or the Audio Track that contains the "External Instrument" plugin?

I assume you've connect an actual piece of audio hardware, via audio cables, to your soundcard and this is producing sound that then comes into the side-chain input of Live's compressor plugin?

I've selected the audio track that contains the external instrument, yes. That's the only option, just like with any other instrument (native Live or VSTi).

The external instrument is certainly producing sound. Its sound is fed through dedicated inputs (ASIO 5 & 6 as it happens) and it's playing back just as it should via its audio track. I can mix it as usual and also (realtime) freeze it.

Also, the sidechain input selector's 'mini meter' shows audio activity for the audio track in question. Still, no effect on the compressor.

It would be nice if someone with an external audio source could test this.

Thanks
/Jonas

After a reboot, loading the same live set with the same settings, sidechaining now works as expected with the external instrument.

I've actually noticed this twice before, with ComboSister 1.40 (VSTi) and Amplitube 2.1 (VST f/x). So it seems that sometimes when you tweak parameters, they don't change even though it looks like they've changed, in the UI.

Possibly, this has something to do with the Novation Zero SL and its Automap features? I do believe I've had the Zero SL physically disconnected but still selected as a control surface in Live's MIDI/Sync preferences when I've had this issue. It's intermittent though, so it's difficult to track down.

Anybody else experience this?

/Jonas
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Live 7.01 Suite, Emu 1616m PCMCIA w/2.0 driver and patchmix, Novation Zero SL w/4.1 OS, Korg Legacy w/MS-20ic controller, LG M1M2FTV laptop Core2Duo T7200 2.00 GHz, 2 GB dual channel RAM, nVidia Go7600 w/256 MB dedicated RAM, 200 GB Hitachi Travelstar 7200RPM 16MB cache. Win XP SP2, fully patched. Various VST instruments and f/x, Casío DH-200 digital horn MIDI controller, Roland TD-12 V-drum kit and various 'real instruments'!