Hallo!
I was looking for some nice plug-in compressor for cubase sx with external (meaning - one that use separate audio track for input) sidechain option and then I realize that explanations on this issue are kind of a mystery in most of available user manuals.
I know what is sidechain and I used it with the db-audioware dynamic processor.
But lately I checked Waves Renaissance Channel then Kjaerhus Golden Audio Channel and older TC Works Native Bundle.
All this respected plug-in designers promise and advertise the external side chain function in their compressors but when it comes to explaning on how to actually put this to work in Cubase SX they all say nothing. Waves Renaissance channel manual has only this: "Consult the readme file for more information on the availability of external sidechain." and....There is no such "readme file" anywhere.... Kjaerhus Golden Audio Channel is also very short and practically useless in explaining it. They explain theory around sidechain but they say nothing on how to connect their plug-in in a host. TC Works Native Bundle : they have extra sidechainer plug-in that works as a signal send but is very unstable and often just stop working so you are not sure is the compressor still receiving input or not and it crashed Cubase every now and then.
Db-audioware dynamic processor has nice options for a sidechain that works fine but I was trying to use something new and more sophisticated like Kjaerhus Golden Audio Channel. Anyone know how to put it to work in Cubase SX 3?
Thanks!
Sidechain Mystery
-
- KVRist
- 297 posts since 30 Dec, 2003 from Denmark
You can check out this video tutorial which demonstrates how to hook up sidechain compression in CubaseSX using our Compadre Beatpuncher VST/PC.
Download Here
The technique demonstrated here with Compadre, is pretty much the same with all the "external"-sidechain plugins used in CubaseSX.
/Rune
Download Here
The technique demonstrated here with Compadre, is pretty much the same with all the "external"-sidechain plugins used in CubaseSX.
/Rune
Thanks..that was fast..I will try it.-
- KVRer
- Topic Starter
- 6 posts since 28 May, 2004
Here is reply from Kjaerhus Audio.
Thanks for this explanation Torben.
I hope that somebody else can also use it so I post it here.
Here is an example for Cubase SX 3.
Best Regards
Torben
The following example will use a kick drum track to duck/compress a bass
line track:
1) Create a Quadro group (L,R,LS,RS).
2) Route the bass track to the Quadro group.
a) Open the SurroundPan window in the bass track by double-click on the
pan-view in the mixer.
b) Here you must set the Mode Mo./St to Y-Mirror (By default it is set to
Mono-Mix).
c) Set the grey panning balls in the SurroundPan window to 100% left and
right
and pan it to L/R. This means the L-ball sits at top-left, the R-ball sits
at top-right in the SurroundPan view.
3) Route a send-slot of the kick track to the Quadro group.
(Of course you can route the kick track directly to the Quadro group,
but you won't hear the kick drum at the stereo output bus in this case)
a) Set Pre-Fader switch to ON (the "at" symbol).
(It is necessary to retain the control over the volume slider for the kick
track)
b) Set the Send-Amount slider to 0 (CTRL left click on the slider).
c) Change the view of the send-slot to "Routing" (little window above the
send slots).
d) Open the SurroundPan window by double-click the (now visible) pan-view in
the send slot.
e) Do the same as in 2b)
f) Set the grey panning balls in the SurroundPan window to 100% left and
right
and pan it to LS/RS. This means the L-ball sits at bottom-left, the R-ball
sits
at bottom-right in the SurroundPan view.
4) Insert plugin in an insert-slot of the Quadro group
5) Activate Side-Chain in plugin
You can do this the same way with 2 mono tracks, although I think you could
leave
the Mode Mo./St in the SurroundPan views to "Mono-Mix". Experiment a bit !
Addition: There's also another "quick" way to do side-chaining with Quadro
Output-Bus instead of Quadro-Group:
1) Define a new Quadro Output-Bus and there 2 child/sub-busses ("Stereo" and
"Stereo (Rs Ls)").
2) Route Bass track to "Stereo" and Kick track to "Stereo (Rs Ls)".
3) Insert plugin in the Quadro bus.
You don't have to fiddle with Pan-Settings with this method but has its
disadvantage in SX2
that you don't have further routing possibilities with the Quadro bus.
In SX3 you can define child/sub-busses also for groups (problem solved
here).
Thanks for this explanation Torben.
I hope that somebody else can also use it so I post it here.
Here is an example for Cubase SX 3.
Best Regards
Torben
The following example will use a kick drum track to duck/compress a bass
line track:
1) Create a Quadro group (L,R,LS,RS).
2) Route the bass track to the Quadro group.
a) Open the SurroundPan window in the bass track by double-click on the
pan-view in the mixer.
b) Here you must set the Mode Mo./St to Y-Mirror (By default it is set to
Mono-Mix).
c) Set the grey panning balls in the SurroundPan window to 100% left and
right
and pan it to L/R. This means the L-ball sits at top-left, the R-ball sits
at top-right in the SurroundPan view.
3) Route a send-slot of the kick track to the Quadro group.
(Of course you can route the kick track directly to the Quadro group,
but you won't hear the kick drum at the stereo output bus in this case)
a) Set Pre-Fader switch to ON (the "at" symbol).
(It is necessary to retain the control over the volume slider for the kick
track)
b) Set the Send-Amount slider to 0 (CTRL left click on the slider).
c) Change the view of the send-slot to "Routing" (little window above the
send slots).
d) Open the SurroundPan window by double-click the (now visible) pan-view in
the send slot.
e) Do the same as in 2b)
f) Set the grey panning balls in the SurroundPan window to 100% left and
right
and pan it to LS/RS. This means the L-ball sits at bottom-left, the R-ball
sits
at bottom-right in the SurroundPan view.
4) Insert plugin in an insert-slot of the Quadro group
5) Activate Side-Chain in plugin
You can do this the same way with 2 mono tracks, although I think you could
leave
the Mode Mo./St in the SurroundPan views to "Mono-Mix". Experiment a bit !
Addition: There's also another "quick" way to do side-chaining with Quadro
Output-Bus instead of Quadro-Group:
1) Define a new Quadro Output-Bus and there 2 child/sub-busses ("Stereo" and
"Stereo (Rs Ls)").
2) Route Bass track to "Stereo" and Kick track to "Stereo (Rs Ls)".
3) Insert plugin in the Quadro bus.
You don't have to fiddle with Pan-Settings with this method but has its
disadvantage in SX2
that you don't have further routing possibilities with the Quadro bus.
In SX3 you can define child/sub-busses also for groups (problem solved
here).