Hello everybody !

Im kinda new to this forum.
Im a music technology student in The Netherlands.
And i also developed myself a small handy VST plugin. And I was just wondering what other people think of it.

It's a sidechain (for use in a groupchannel L=sidechain R=mono source).
I made this because there isn't (or atleast i couldn't find) such a plugin for Cubase. And i really needed a simple plugin to do this.

So this is really focussed on CUBASE and PC users

- Make a groupchannel (bus) where u select the Sidekick as an insert

- Make a drum kick and use a send to send the audio to the group you made. (its best to select pre fader and send it at max vol.)

- And send the main output of an instrument i.e. a bass-line, panned hard to the right, to the group.

The output of the group is the sidechained instrument in mono over the L and R channels. (so you won't hear the kick in het groupchannel)
Play around with the volumes of both the instrument and kick.
It's best to put the slider (release) of the plugin to 0.25 or so (default is 1)

If all go's well, you'll hear the kick pushing the instrument away.

You can download it here: at this page and just put it in your VSTplugin folder.

Only thing in return, i ask of you is a post on if u like it or not (and why).

Thanks !
Jorn Lemon
The Netherlands

It's not working in Orion as far as I can tell. The kick drum can't be heard and the bass doesn't duck.

thanks 4 your post.

I changed the 3 step manual above.

Make shure the output of the kick is really loud. And adjust the slider of the release the plugin to a small amount i.e. 0,25 or smaller.

greetinks

I've never understood what a sidechain effect is exactly - I think you can do this in Logic but its an area I haven't really got to grips with. So what is a sidechain VST/effect and when/why would you use one?

(sorry if this is a dumb ?- trying to learn stuff again)

Not a stupid question at all.
I didn't even knew what a sidechain was till 6 months ago.

A sidechain comes with some (more expensive) hardware compressors and is already available in logic (in stereo).
And is often used in drum'n'bass or other electronic music.
The thing it does is basicly just lower te volume of an instument (the bass)when there is a loud signal at the sidechain. (the kick).

The sidechain (the left input of the plugin) is only a indicator for the plugin to lower the volume or not of the instrument (right channel).
That's why you won't hear the kick in the group channel. (unless you didn't pan it hard to the left).

BTW. I'm aware that there can be a click in the signal with some kicks with a very hard attack. i'm still programming a solution for this.

Because the kick drum and bass share similar frequencies, using a sidechain to duck the bass when the kick sounds gives the kick more sonic space just for that moment. I haven't experimented with the technique enought to decide if I like it/when/how far it's appropriate.

Haven't tried it yet, but THANK YOU! I was just wishing for something like this to doctor a live kick drum in a Cubase track. Welcome, and what a great way to introduce yourself!

Oh, OK so this needs doubling up the kick drum/having a host that allows those routing possibilities.

The only software comp I know that can do this is DB's directx compressor.

Yes, its working in Tracktion. It's a little grainy - could do with smoothing out somehow, but it's a good idea and works.

working in cubase 5.1
never really understood the use of sidechain before, and still don't understand what I would use it for, but I tried your method and it works!

Bluedad: Sidechains can be set up to perform many useful functions. The most common is for a "triggered ducking" effect. Say you want to have a music part automatically reduced in volume when a spoken word comes in...you would use the spoken word to trigger that gain reduction on the musical tracks...does that make sense?

scot sez:

Quote:

does that make sense?

as a matter of fact, scot, it does!
thanks.

cool it works..

i sidechained amtosphere and stylus (just like the logic guys )

thx for the plug!

don't forget you can do the opposite of ducking: Keying. That's when you use the sidechain to make one sound's volume rise in sync with another sound's. Maybe not quite the bread & butter technique that ducking is, but you can do some neat things -- EG make a bass that pulses in sync with your kick drum, or key your guitar to a 16th-note hihat pattern to get a nifty tremolo that stays in time with the song. Okay, a tremolo that stays locked in sync with the drums is no big deal nowadays, but back in the hardware era it was tits!

Well for the fun of it, peel. After reading your last post.
I made a inverted Sidekick. should work 2.
Download it here:

Sidekick_Inverted.dll

Have fun !

I also made these 2 small audio examples here.
After the Sidekick i used the Northpole plugin (it's a ampltude following filter). Always works great on a sidechain.

[url=www2.hku.nl/~jorn0/temp/sidekick.mp3] Sidekick [/url] ducking
[url=www2.hku.nl/~jorn0/temp/sidekick_inverted.mp3] Sidekick Inverted [/url] keying
Quality is very poor but it gives an idea.

And thanks everybody for your replys ! (more are alway welcome)
I'll try to develop it further to a smooth easy to use plugin.

I remember reading in a Computer Music review that the new TC Native bundle has a sidechain compressor but I didn't know what it meant then - now I do, thanks.

Now I've got to figure out how to make Logic's compressor do this for me - what do you do exactly - do you load up two plugins as inserts one below the other; the main compressor then the sidechain bit or what?

We'll i know i can't stand logic...
Cu's i think it's the most sarcastic name for that piece of software.
but thats my opinion.

There should be a comressor plugin in logic that has a knob for turning the sidechain on and off. And then you need to route te 2nd instument (kick in my examples) to that sidechain.

Then again i'm no logic expert....

thank you
have d/l both and look forward to torturing/trying them

I still waiting for a sidechain compressor that works on STEREO signals!!

Forever,




Kim.

With Logic I often use a compressor on the bass sidechained to the kik drum. This way when the kik comes in the compressor kills the bass a bit and so therefore you don't get that horrible sound of too many things trying to occupy the same frequencies!!!

Please don't take any of this offensively, but when I read through topics like this it makes me happier as I realise I know more about fx and mastering than I thought I did!!!

Cool plug Soliloquize. Very useful.

Things I like: It works!

Things I dont like: I get a small pop with the kick, it might have to do with the attack maybe? Im not sure what it is.

But it really works excellent. Thanks .

Oh and as far as suggestions, I think it would be cool if you could input the release by typing it in also. It seems more accurate that way to me.

Have you posted it at cubase.net? I'm sure everybody would love it.