MautoDynamicEQ/Cubase - Can't get MADEQ to respond ONLY to side-chain

[alexis1]

Hi -

I've never used Cubase's side-chain option before, so I don't know if I'm expecting something that is not meant to work that way.

Set up:
1) I've inserted MADEQ into an audio piano track, and activated the side chain.
2) I set up MADEQ so there was a large amount of dynamic gain reduction.
3) I've sent a vocal track to MADEQ's side-chain.
4) I then muted the piano track itself.
5) I then played a section of the song that had no vocal, just piano, and observed the behavior of the node's dynamic envelope (the downward "bouncing" action of the gray "envelope").

What I observed:
1) Even in portions of the song where there was no vocal to be sent to the side-chain input of MADEQ inserted on the piano track, there was still dynamic gain reduction occurring, as evidenced by the dynamic node envelope behavior (the dynamic downward "bouncing" of the gray envelope).

What I infer:
1) Even though the side-chain is active, MADEQ is still "keyed" by the audio on the track it is inserted on. In other words, the side-chain input (the vocal track) does not prevent MADEQ from being triggered by the audio of the track MADEQ is inserted on (the piano track, in this case). I infer this from the dynamic node behavior at points of the song where there are no vocals.

What I expected (in my inexperience using side-chains ever before):
1) That once the side-chain was activated, MADEQ would be keyed *only* off the side-chain (the vocal in this case), that the amount of dynamic compression would not be affected by the audio on the piano track that MADEQ was inserted on. In this situation where there is no audio playing, I expected there would be no dynamic gain reduction occurring of the piano track by MADEQ.

Is that a silly expectation? Is there no way to have MADEQ (inserted on the piano track) respond dynamically *only* to the voice track that is entering it via the side-chain?

Or conversely, am I misunderstanding what I'm observing?

Thank you for helping me understand!

Cubase 9.0.20, Melda 10.07.

[MeldaProduction]

Please send me the testing project to info@meldaproduction.com, I'll check it out.

[alexis1]

Please send me the testing project to info@meldaproduction.com, I'll check it out.

PM sent, thx.

BTW, what is expected behavior with MAutoDynamicEQ - is the side chain the *only* signal that triggers compression?

Thanks!

[jmg8]

Correct

[dmbaer]

Did you enable the Sidechain option in the band setting panel? You need to do that as well as enable side-chain globally for the plug-in and it's somewhat easy to miss.

Cf. pages 18 and 19 in the PDF doc. if you need more info.

[alexis1]

Did you enable the Sidechain option in the band setting panel? You need to do that as well as enable side-chain globally for the plug-in and it's somewhat easy to miss.

Cf. pages 18 and 19 in the PDF doc. if you need more info.

Thank you dmbaer and jmg8 ... that was indeed what I wasn't doing, turning side-chain on in the individual bands as well. \embarrassed but grateful\

Mr. Melda ... I will hold off on sending the project as problem is fixed - thank you for kindly offering to take a look!