#sidechain compression

[chris-ostkreuz]

Sidechain Sorcery: Crafting a Pumping Mix Without Magic!

Welcome to the whimsical world of audio mixing, where we’ll delve into the craft of "Sidechain Sorcery." No, you don’t need a wizard’s hat or a cauldron bubbling with mysterious potions to create a pumping mix. Instead, we’ll conjure up some sophisticated mixing techniques that will elevate your sound to euphoric heights. Buckle up, because we’re about to unlock the secrets of sidechain…

[notswush]

it has become obvious that you people can't be trusted with anything

[bmpmp3]

I really love making vocal synth duets and trios and other group songs but there is nothing worse on this earth than attempting to balance the audio levels

[liure00]

Mixing Stuff Masterpost for Vocal Synth Users

i'll say a few things here and there on how i approach mixing based on a set of guidelines i've been giving thru learning. i won't go 100% and i encourage you research further on your own as everyone has a different perspective of certain concepts. whats important is that you understand the concept so that you are able to interpolate on it with your own liberties. yeah. please read the links before looking at my commentary or you won't understand what im saying.

Some DAWs, Their Guides, & Some Freebies: One of the first things you should do is pick a DAW and learn how to use it and its functions to streamline your mixing process.

Free DAWs: The Best Available in 2023 by Produce Like A Pro

Audacity / DarkAudacity (i like darkaudacity): has a section of the site dedicated to tutorials on using Audacity!

Reaper: has a 3 hour course FREE course on mixing!

FL Studio: has a demo version you can pretty much use forever with a few.........exceptions. I won't be linking any cracked versions though. Here's a manual for this program since many people use it!

Free VST Plugins by Bedroom Producers Blog

37 Best Free Mixing VST Plugins by hiphopmakers

ORDER IN THE COURT!: The order of plugins is more important than you think. These links should also introduce some terms we use in the audio production world (like "gain staging" or "EQing")

WHAT'S THE BEST EFFECTS CHAIN ORDER FOR MIXING? by Icon Collective:

The Order Of Things: Audio Plug-ins by AskAudio

Plugin order is viewed from "top to bottom". BASICALLY... most like to gain stage -> EQ -> compress -> saturate -> MORE EQing -> whatever else at this point, but i do my process a bit differently. don't be afraid to bend the rules a little bit. but the guidelines are there for a reason.....based on what they do

Basics: I'll link to some tutorials to elaborate on what was listed by Icon Collective's list.

Gain Staging: Gain Staging Like a Pro by Sweetwater

Saturation: Saturation in Mixing – Instant Warmth, Glue and Fullness with One Plugin by Tough Tones (soundgoodizer fans make some fucking noise i guess)

EQ: SUBTRACTIVE VS ADDITIVE EQ (WHEN TO USE EACH & WHY) by Producer Hive

Compression: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO AUDIO COMPRESSION by Icon Collective + Audio Compression Basics by Universal Audio

Modulation: Modulation Effects: Flanging, Phase Shifting, and More by Universal Audio

Time Based Effects: Reverb Vs. Delay: Complete Guide To 3D Mixing by Mastering.com

Audio Busing/Routing/Sending Tracks: Your guide to busing and routing audio tracks like a pro by Splice

Limiters: 10 BEST LIMITER PLUGINS FOR MIXING AND MASTERING by Icon Collective

Sidechaining: Sidechain compression demystified: what it is and how to use it by Native Instruments (i dont know anything about this lol)

Automation: Mix Automation 101: How to Automate Your Sound For a Better Mix by Landr (p.s learn how to write automation in your respective programs)

Last note: great. these are the main things you should focus on understanding in mixing. now you are FREE my friend!

Bonus: Tempo Mapping in Reaper (if you want to learn how to midi songs with bpm changes!!!)

[kushblazer666]

yknow. im a big fan of incorporating acoustic instruments into newer, electronic focused genres. and i think it can sound really cool. but damn if you’re doing that you gotta be reeeeeeeeeal careful with sidechain compression if you do that because one false move and you’re making fucking electroswing

[mokeymokey]

One thing i love abt brazilian scary music is how they use like nested layers of sidechain compression to make it sound like each element in the mix is like ten times louder than the thing under it so the whole thing sounds like unbelievably supernaturally loud and by "love" i mean it kinda hurts to listen to but i respect it for its realization of a vision

[alexglower]

Deepchord Presents Echospace - Liumin (2010)

backlit airport LCD, up while everyone's asleep, neon sign behind some fog, modern techno travelogue

Ring the bell! We have another Alex-approved ambient classic on our hands. Numerous field recordings flatten urban Japan to little sonic Polaroids---trains rattle and pipes hiss and rain falls and crowds of people murmur in the background like relaxed spectators---that are then stacked so high as to become skyscrapers again, reconstructing the city like one of those digital mosaics where every piece is its own tiny photograph. On top of all these crackly sounds are the requisite "minimal techno" synth pads, thick in the middle and low ends so as to further muddy the already-impressionistic image.

This resulting huge mass is cut down to size by some unassuming yet powerful kick drums. They slice through the field recordings like God's knife through the Grand Canyon, laying bare the constituting layers so clearly that the whole sonic assemblage feels as minimal as any individual piece.

"Sidechain compression" is the name of this specific process, wherein one instrumental track (typically the one reserved for the kick drum) is used to periodically lower the volume of another track. Whenever the volume of Track A rises above a certain threshold, the volume of Track B quickly dips out, then fades back in.

Ambient music often utilizes fades, either to transition between sections of a song (as Éliane Radigue often did), or to fade in and out of the larger track itself. This latter use of fading positions the track as existing outside the listener's periphery, with the fade in being the moment the track happens to enter their view, and the fade out being the moment it leaves.

With sidechain compression, this fading process happens multiple times a second, as if the listener is being constantly reintroduced to the same track. That repetition, aside from easing the listener into a trance-like state, also encourages a person to see the composite parts of a track as they slide back into place. It's sort of like The Disintegration Loops, where layers of a sample are slowly stripped away through repetition, except much faster and in reverse: the track is rebuilt from the ground up over 120 times a minute.

The trance-like state is far from incidental. Liumin, being a sort of travelogue, makes extensive use of train noises, in particular the rattling of train tracks. This rhythmic shaking and thumping is like a non-techno techno song, and is utilized across Liumin as a rhythmic anchor. Like all techno, the driving force of the kick drum makes the listener feel like they're going somewhere, with the various train noises of course accentuating this. But Liumin doesn't offer much of a destination, instead luxuriating in that liminal space of travel.

I'm reminded of the seminal early ambient techno piece E2-E4, which Manuel Göttsching made on the fly and listened to on a personal trip. And I'm thinking of The KLF's Chill Out, which is like Liumin but for the English and American countrysides instead of Japan, complete with various train noises and throbbing techno beats.

Liumin is particularly fascinating to me in that it charts a clear progression from its stylistic predecessors. Techno is a genre beholden to technological progress. It is rigidly simple, and this simplicity is enhanced by new audio editing software in the way digital photography is enhanced by new cameras that can take pictures in 800k or something. Every new audio effect Ableton adds lets producers make their kick drums and synths even more specific, lets them carve out a space within the small niche that is four-on-the-floor minimal dance music. Liumin is a lot simpler than Chill Out, but it feels so much clearer for it.

"Pure" ambient, on the other hand, has been making lateral moves for many years up to this point. It's largely idea- and vibes-based, so the only barrier to making something "new" is coming up with a new idea, an idea that typically could have been realized had it come about any time in the past decade. Ambient music released in 1990 and ambient music released in 2000 can sound very different, but that doesn't mean the music from 2000 sounds more "advanced," just that the two pieces are based on different ideas.

So all of this is to say that Liumin is an amazing album. It's futuristic and liminal and all the other buzzwords. Listen to this if you love trains or Place, Japan.

[ourstarsystem]

going back to older music tracks has you saying shit like "why the fuck did i make 5 separate tracks of this sample and give them their own reverb and sidechain compression"

[vyl3tpwny]

if you're still answering questions - in response to ur previous answer abt ur favourite plugins, what makes fabfilter compression and eq specifically better for you than just like generic stock plugins? :0

sound quality is overall better, no cramping at nyquist, lots of oversampling options, resizable - well designed interfaces, many more options than the average stock counterpart, cpu efficient, best dynamic eq there is, cleanest compression (on clean mode, setting fastest attack and release with hard knee produces virtually zero distortion which is practically unheard of) but also doesnt skimp out on vintage sounding sensibilities too, robust customizable modulation options including envelope followers for creative fx, most intuitive controls of any processor of its type (pro q3 especially is about as good as an eq can ever get in terms of intuitive workflow), lots of qol utility options like band splitting and m/s l/r processing, multiband crossovers on all multiband products sound immaculate even on zero latency settings, things that take 20 clicks in other processors take 2 in fabfilter's, sidechain referencing and spectrum readouts absolutely stellar and clean, unobtrusive designs <3

[gooserecordingstudio]

Week 12 - White Noise, Risers/Fallers and Final Touches

Oh man, this semester went by so fast, I would have loved to spend more time on the actual production aspects of this piece (rather than getting so lost in the composition), but thankfully, I had one final week to really add some finishing touches, I spent some time in serum making a few white noise risers which I placed around the build-ups. Some of them were automated using a compression sidechain. Basically, I got a kick drum, assigned it to a channel, disconnected that channel from the master, and then used a fruity limiter to the sidechain so that every time the kick hit, it would disrupt the white noise, adding some rhythmic pulses. These certainly aren't perfect and sound a little sloppy, but I wanted to include them just to give the listener a sense of what I was trying to achieve. I also added some minor tweaks to the arpeggio leads, playing around with the filters to enhance the thematic transitions (opposed to just having sounds appear suddenly)

[roastie]

sidechain compression

[elmalo8291]

Let’s get to work! Here’s the breakdown for all three components:

1. Score Sheet for "OOZE DAY" (Music Structure)

2. DAW Project Map for “OOZE DAY”

Here’s how to set up the project in a DAW like Ableton, FL Studio, or Logic. Each section represents a different layer of sound:

Track Setup:

Track 1: Bass

808 sub bass (looped)

EQ’d for rumble and depth

Sidechain compression to kick drums

Track 2: Kick Drum

808 kick (slightly distorted) for wet effect

Double kick pattern with staggered velocity

Light reverb (to simulate wet ground)

Track 3: Hi-Hats

Glitchy hi-hat rolls with random velocity

Automation to pan left-right for chaotic movement

Track 4: Percussion (Broken Glass, SFX)

Broken glass sample slowed down and pitched

Chopped and stuttered using automation

Track 5: Synths & Melodic Layers

Dissonant synth arpeggios with modulation

Delayed piano stabs, filtered to create tension

Dark, ambient pads (slowly evolving)

Track 6: Vocals

Main verse (processed with auto-tune for dissonance)

Layered crowd vocals, distorted (both normal and reversed)

Whispered, buried vocals during bridge

Vocoder FX on final chorus for monstrous sound

Track 7: SFX (Ambience & Background Noise)

Tape hiss, analog radio-style static

High-pitched static building in the intro

Pulse heartbeat during the bridge

Track 8: Final Touches (FX)

Heavy distortion/feedback during outro

Sudden silence for final glitch stop

Automation:

Volume automation to control intensity during transitions.

Reverb/Delay used for dynamic, space-filling effects, especially during vocal breaks.

EQ automation on vocals and synths to shift tone/texture, giving life to verses and choruses.

3. Music Video / Scene-by-Scene Storyboard

The music video for "OOZE DAY" should reflect the chaotic, multidimensional themes of the song while blending anime aesthetics with experimental cinematography. Here’s the concept for how it could unfold in a Taz-themed universe:

Scene 1: The Breakthrough (Intro)

Setting: A surreal, wet urban landscape. The camera moves through puddles that shimmer unnaturally, as if looking through glass.

Animation: Taz's silhouette forms from the dripping ooze, shifting between human and abstract forms, breaking the fourth wall. We see whispers of his name across the screen in glitchy text.

Mood: Unease, dissonance.

Scene 2: The Drip (Verse 1)

Setting: A ruined, dystopian cityscape where the very air crackles with unstable energy.

Animation: Taz floats above this city, fragmented pieces of his body making up the shattered sky, moving in chaotic patterns. His face morphs and breaks apart into different forms, signifying the shift in identities.

Visual Effects: Water rising from cracks, swirling as portals open beneath the ground, sucking in people and objects.

Mood: Pressure, fragmented reality.

Scene 3: The Chant (Chorus)

Setting: Taz’s twisted version of a throne room. The walls pulse with ooze, and strange, insectoid figures bow before him.

Animation: A large, shadowy crowd chants “OOZE,” their faces distorting and shifting into one another, faces turning into abstract shapes and crawling back into the ooze.

SFX: Vocal chops and chants echo in the background.

Mood: Haunting, powerful.

Scene 4: The Descent (Bridge)

Setting: A dimension-breaking portal appears. Water floods the world, and landscapes begin to crumble.

Animation: Taz is now fully formed but constantly breaking apart. His hands touch the portal, causing the landscape around him to deform and twist. Shadows of other “versions” of Taz appear in the portal.

Mood: Uncertainty, loss of control.

Scene 5: The Flood (Final Chorus & Outro)

Setting: Complete collapse of time and space. Taz is absorbed into a massive ooze that engulfs the entire city.

Animation: Final chaotic clash between multiple timelines, where Taz and his manifestations collapse into the ooze. Everything begins to blur together — people, memories, names.

Final Image: Silence. The screen flickers off like a malfunctioning television set. The water continues to ripple.

This setup creates an immersive experience, combining avant-garde animation, hard-hitting sound design, and a story arc that flows perfectly with the chaotic spirit of the track.

What do you think? Ready to start drafting the visuals and sounds? Let me know if you need further breakdowns on any specific part!

@Comcast

[bamsmuzic]

🅵🆁🅴🅴 🆅🆂🆃 & 🅰🅿🅿│🅰🅿🆁4-2025 "🅻🅸🆅🅴"

– – – Vocal Compressor Dve: Bertom Audio ▼Download▼ Vocal Compressor is a simple compressor plugin optimized for speech and singing voice. It is heavily inspired by how mastering limiters work and features the same kind of lookahead (about 1ms) and program dependency but in a soft knee compression context. Additionally, the “HF Sens” sidechain filter allows you to fine-tune the…

[bmpmp3]

Learning about mixing because of vocal synth covers is so funny I'll be like trying to look up instrumental-vocal clashing solutions and the fruityloop tutorialmen will be like "well if it clashes just make a better instrumental" and I'm like my friend I am trying to insert a baritone robot into a pre-mastered offvocal from a song created for Hatsune Miku gender factor alllllll the way down from the year 2010. It's the only instrumental I got boss.

[plugindad2]

Download Plugin Alliance – Kiive XTComp 🎧

Looking to add professional-grade compression to your audio toolkit? Plugin Alliance – Kiive XTComp is here to revolutionize your sound. This cutting-edge plugin combines the best of vintage analog warmth with modern digital precision, making it a must-have for producers, engineers, and musicians alike. Whether you're working on punchy drums, smooth vocals, or a polished mix bus, XTComp delivers unparalleled versatility and character.

Why Kiive XTComp Stands Out

🎛️ Multiple Compression Styles: From the smooth transparency of an LA-2A to the aggressive punch of an 1176, XTComp offers a range of compression flavors to suit any track. 🔥 British Mode: Unleash the iconic "All-Buttons-In" aggression for drums, bass, and vocals that cut through the mix. 💥 Advanced Features: With sidechain filtering, mid/side processing, and a built-in saturation module, XTComp goes beyond traditional hardware limitations.

Key Features You’ll Love

✅ 8 Unique Ratio Settings: Tailor your compression with precision. ✅ Parallel Compression & Saturation: Blend dry and wet signals for dynamic control. ✅ Gain Link Function: Easily compare settings with level-matched A/B testing. ✅ Stereo Width Control: Enhance your mix's spatial depth.

Perfect For Every Genre

From EDM to rock, hip-hop to jazz, XTComp is your go-to tool for:

Drums: Add punch and energy to your beats.

Vocals: Smooth out dynamics while maintaining warmth.

Mix Buss: Glue your tracks together with pro-level compression.

Lo-Fi Effects: Crank up the saturation for gritty, analog textures.

Download Kiive XTComp Today

Ready to transform your mixes? Download Plugin Alliance – Kiive XTComp now and experience the perfect blend of vintage vibe and modern flexibility.

👉 Download Here: Plugin Alliance – Kiive XTComp

[hennethgalad]

MUSIC TUMBLR!

help! i want a 90s jungle remix of the Dune 2 sound effects, thumpers, ornithopters, Sardaukar etc, so i asked chatgpt who said the below. i mean i have the musical ability of a brick, so many of these words are meaningless to me, plus i have no PC, only an ipad, and this stuff looks PC level.

can you help, fellow humans?

chatgpt: "That sounds like a cool concept! Dune II has some iconic, retro sci-fi sounds that would pair well with jungle’s heavy bass and fast breakbeats. Here’s how you can approach it:

1. Extracting and Sampling Sounds:

• Use tools like Audacity or OpenMPT to extract sounds from the Dune II game files (they might be in formats like .voc or .wav).

• Alternatively, you can find existing sound packs or record audio directly from gameplay.

2. Sound Processing:

• Clean up and normalize the samples to get rid of noise.

• Use EQ to accentuate the more metallic or sci-fi qualities of the sounds.

• Time-stretch or pitch-shift the samples to match the tempo and key of your track.

3. Jungle Bass and Drums:

• Layer classic jungle breaks like the Amen Break or Think Break over your Dune II samples.

• Add a deep, rolling bassline using a synth like Serum or Massive, and keep it syncopated to give that jungle groove.

• Chop and re-sequence the breaks to keep them dynamic and energetic.

4. Arrangement and Effects:

• Place the Dune II sounds as stabs, risers, or fills to complement the drums and bass.

• Add reverb and delay to create an expansive, sci-fi atmosphere.

• Use filters and phasers to give a more spacey vibe.

5. Mixing and Mastering:

• Balance the levels, giving the bass some room to breathe without overshadowing the sci-fi sounds.

• Sidechain the bass to the kick to maintain clarity.

• Use compression on the drum bus to make the breakbeats punchy.

Let me know if you want tips on specific aspects or ideas for the structure! Would be awesome to hear the final product!