If you find that a long reverb or feedback delay tail is swamping the track element generating it, simply insert a compressor into the return channel of the offending effect and key it off the source material. Do keep that ratio low, though, as you want your feel-enhancing undulations to be almost subliminal, not overt. Taking this concept a step further, interesting cross-rhythms can be introduced by using a silent duplicate of the drum track (as described in the previous tip) as the sidechain key, and making subtle alterations to its dynamic profile through the repositioning of MIDI notes or audio slices. If the drum pattern is particularly busy, thin it out by adjusting the sidechain filters and compression threshold. Gently keying a compressor on a melodic or chordal part – synth, strings, guitar, vocal, etc – off the drums at a low compression ratio can really enhance the overall groove of a track. Tweak the compressor/gate attack and release to shape the modulation, and play around with MIDI FX plugins on the sampler track to embellish the pattern. Now set the compressor or gate to a high ratio or range, and program or record a sequence on the sampler track to rhythmically modulate the volume of the pad, ‘trance gate style. Strap a compressor or gate over a synth pad and key the sidechain input of a sampler hosting any percussion sound – a hi-hat, say – but keep the sampler itself muted in the mix. This one’s a classic but warrants inclusion for those yet to try it. The noise gate is another well-known sidechaining processor, but sidechain-enabled auto-filters and dynamic EQs also make for powerful creative allies and some effects plugins – such as those by FabFilter – feature expansive onboard modulation systems that facilitate sidechain control of delays, distortion and more. Beyond the compressorĪlthough sidechaining is generally discussed in terms of compression, any plugin that incorporates an envelope follower and exposes its sidechain input to the host DAW can be keyed off an external signal to utilise that signal’s dynamic profile as a modulation source. While this won’t be as impactful on the broader clarity and definition of the mix as modifying the kick/bass relationship, since clashes in the low end are more destructive than excess energy in the highs, it can help the snare to punch through synths and guitars, and lock in the rhythmic shape of the hi-hats. But what about at the other end of the percussive frequency spectrum? Overly bright melodic parts can sometimes obscure the snare drum and/or hi-hats, and while EQ is the first port of call for mid/high-end masking, low-ratio sidechain compression (with the compressor on the melodic part, keyed off the snare or hats) can be a more effective and natural-sounding solution, depending on the parts in question. Keying a bass channel compressor off the kick drum, to duck the former when the latter hits, is such a ubiquitous technique that many producers keep the required routing set up in their template DAW project.
Here are 7 tips to help you get more from it. Sidechaining was once regarded as a purely functional mixing tool, now sidechain compression has become a key weapon in the creative arsenal of producers across all genres.
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