KVR Audio

SparkySpark · Post by **SparkySpark** » Sun Jul 01, 2018 1:19 pm

Hi,

I have vocals competing with strings and want to apply sidechain compression to the strings to duck them when the vocals set in.

I have tried following online tutorials, but the problem is that I don't understand the sidechain part of my DAW's compressor, so I can't follow the tutorials.

Could someone please either tell me what figures to use for the compressor pictured below, or tell me the settings of a free compressor with sidechaining possibilities?

(I can hear results if I crank everything up to 100, so it seems I've gor the routing correct, it's just the settings that I need help with.)

Thanks a lot!

compressor.PNG

RichieWitch · Post by **RichieWitch** » Mon Jul 02, 2018 3:37 pm

If those are the settings you're using, the problem could be your filter setting. Assuming that's a low-pass filter, the side chain channel is not actually hearing the vocals (unless it's a bunch of throat-singing monks).

You're cutting off anything above 97 Hz, which for vocals, is probably nearly everything.

Since you're working with vocals, I would just turn the filter off and try working with it that way. The filter allows you to sidechain just certain frequencies, if for example, you want the kick drum to drive the side chain, you could filter out the rest of the drum track.

Based on the controls you're showing, I would also assume that the "ListenSidechain" adjusts how much of the sidechain signal is being fed into the compressor. If that's true, you'll need to turn that up as well, since it's showing 0.0% right now, that is, none of the sidechain signal is actually being mixed into the trigger circuit of the compressor.

Maybe someone else here will recognize your compressor and give some better tips.

SparkySpark · Post by **SparkySpark** » Mon Jul 02, 2018 5:33 pm

Many thanks for your reply. No monks this time.

I linked to this question from the MuTools forum and hope for additional help. (I thought the settings were more generic than they obviously are, hence the post in this forum. )

Scrubbing Monkeys · Post by **Scrubbing Monkeys** » Mon Jul 02, 2018 5:41 pm

RichieWitch wrote: Based on the controls you're showing, I would also assume that the "ListenSidechain" adjusts how much of the sidechain signal is being fed into the compressor. If that's true, you'll need to turn that up as well, since it's showing 0.0% right now, that is, none of the sidechain signal is actually being mixed into the trigger circuit of the compressor.

This is incorrect.

The side chain listen is there for you to verify that your side chain signal is what you want it to be. Merely a convient monitor.

Scrubbing Monkeys · Post by **Scrubbing Monkeys** » Mon Jul 02, 2018 5:44 pm

Hey Sparky..

Turn up the Int/ext signal of the sidechain. That controls how much of the vocal signal affects the compressor.

RichieWitch · Post by **RichieWitch** » Tue Jul 03, 2018 5:09 pm

Scrubbing Monkeys wrote:
RichieWitch wrote: Based on the controls you're showing, I would also assume that the "ListenSidechain" adjusts how much of the sidechain signal is being fed into the compressor. If that's true, you'll need to turn that up as well, since it's showing 0.0% right now, that is, none of the sidechain signal is actually being mixed into the trigger circuit of the compressor.

This is incorrect.

The side chain listen is there for you to verify that your side chain signal is what you want it to be. Merely a convient monitor.

Probably... my confusion is from Ableton Live. Sidechain monitoring in Live's native compressor is a button; you're either listening or you aren't. Why would you have a knob with percentage "listening"? Just seems weird to me.

SparkySpark · Post by **SparkySpark** » Wed Jul 04, 2018 9:55 am

Thanks for helping me. I have now continued investigating this matter and am putting together a video on how to use it. It is very cool actually.

Thanks again!

simon.a.billington · Post by **simon.a.billington** » Thu Aug 23, 2018 9:33 am

You could put a Gian plugin on the timeline and automate it. That could be a potential pain in the ass.

There is Zip by Unfiltered Audio
https://www.plugin-alliance.com/en/prod ... o_zip.html

Unfortunately it's not on sale at the moment, and I did a brief DSP test on it, among a few other compressors and discovered it require ALOT of cycles comparatively. In Logic at least. If you can get past that you can use its modulation features to automate its characteristics so that hopefully you can get it triggering when you need to.

There is also Metafilter by Waves
https://www.waves.com/plugins/metafilter

In this instance you'd set it to "dB" mode where it will act as a slicer or a ducker. Either set the modulation or the Sequencer feature up to trigger when ever you need it to activate, it may even offer more flexibility the way.

These are the solutions I know anyway.

SparkySpark · Post by **SparkySpark** » Thu Aug 23, 2018 5:34 pm

Thanks Simon! (Unfortunately my computer just died so the video is no more.)

Ducking strings using sidechain compression