Issue T8 using VSTs w/ sidechain - delay/phasing when enabled !

[Mr Coffeehouse]

Greetings Tracktion Gurus -

I recently purchased WaveArt's Trackspacer VST which makes use of sidechaining, and is similar to a ducker receiving it's control from another track.

I actually hadn't used sidechaining before in Tracktion to any great degree, though I've used Tracktion since v2.

I noticed some delay and flaming/ phasing sound on the track that had Trackspacer placed on it. I then tried similar scenarios, with NOVA Dynamic EQ being sidechained, and also Waveform 8's own native compressor being sidechained. All exhibited the change in sound to the source which added weird delay, and flaming/phasing.

So, I was able to deduce that this is a Tracktion issue (in my system..) having to do with sidechaining, and not an issue with WaveArt's Trackspacer VST. The VST versions I was using for Trackspacer and NOVA eq were the VST2 versions.

Is this a known issue? Are any others of you experiencing this? Is there a fix?

My system's specs are listed below.

Thanks, Michael at The Coffeehouse

[HansP]

That's a difficult one.
I tried a "poor man's trackspacer" with TDR Nova.

1. you probably can never mix the output of such a dynamic EQ system with something else that has the same basic source tracks. It will create strange phase issues.
(not saying you did this but it is one more caveat)

2. if corrective activity hits too hard and fast anyway, you need a linear phase tool for this, which has its own can of worms with the smearing and dispersion of transients. Do no more than 1-2 dB.
Eg. Nova is not linear phase. Thus, the "mix" knob will introduce phase problems when serious compression kicks in, and also parallel action with a send bus does not really work.

3. Latency correction works only in very limited ways. Racks should not hold plugins with latency and have internal parallel routings at the same time.

4. Because it is difficult to tune latency, signals with slow changes will work much better than some sidechaining that is controlled by transient drum signals. I am using test signals to try to check out what is going on in such a complex net of routings.

[Mr Coffeehouse]

That makes perfect sense Hans, and yes, I was using Trackspacer and NOVA on the acoustic guitar of a live vocal & guitar performance (keyed by the vocal). I will do some tests with Trackspacer and NOVA where it's, say, a di bass keyed by a kick drum, and things like that. I'll report back to wrap this up.

Thank you -!

[HansP]

great!

try Nova on the mix bus, set up a low and a high mid-range, tuning to most used pitch ranges of the melody,
experiment with Q (if there is feedback ringing in the mid ranges, then make it more narrow),
have that do only soft compression, with quite fast release time.
mix the vocals a bit louder, to make up for this compression.
it's good for acoustic understanding of the lyrics also.

[Mr Coffeehouse]

I love the NOVA, and have the 'Gentleman's Edition', which always makes me feel a bit classy cheers