Hiow To Sidechain Compress Nuendo
Contents.What is Sidechain Compression?You might be wonderingWhat is sidechain compression? How is it used in music and mixing?Compression, in its basic form, is a tool that allows us to control the dynamics of a source.In essence, it’s an intelligent volume control. You are telling the compressor to turn something down once it goes above a certain level.Now, sidechain compression is exactly the same as regular compression. You have a threshold, ratio, attack and release timesBut there is one key difference.With regular compression, the plugin will monitor the level of the channel and control the volume of the same channel.However, when you engage the sidechain, you can tell the compressor to monitor something else. A different channel or instrument, for example.So the compressor is monitoring one thing, and controlling another.When the other channel (sidechain) gets louder, the compress clamps down on the channel that it is applied to.Let me give you a basic use case. Sidechaining first became popular among DJs.
They would load up a compressor on the channel that was playing the music but sidechain it to the.Now when they talk through the microphone the level of the music automatically drops. No need to manually ride the fader.Of course, there are far better applications, which you will learn about later in this guide.How to Sidechain Your CompressorThe exact process will vary depending on your DAW, but it should be relatively simple.Step #1: You need a compressor that supports sidechaining. I use Pro Tools and Logic Pro X mostly, and they both have a stock compressors that have a sidechain.Of course, you can apply this technique in most DAWs, including Ableton, Cubase, Reason and FL Studio 12.Just check if your stock compressor can do it, and look for a new sidechain compressor if it can’t.Step #2: Add the compressor to the channel that you want to compress (more on this later).In this example, I want to compress the bass guitar when the kick drum hits. So I apply the compressor to the bass guitar.Step #3: Now engage the sidechain on the compressor and select the channel that you want to control the compressor. In this case, it’s the kick drum.Depending on your DAW, you might have to create a new bus or send to do this. Make sure to label it clearly (e.g.
‘Kick Sidechain’).Step #4: Everything is set up now, so it’s time to adjust the settings. Start with a ratio of 2:1 and lower the threshold until you have the desired amount of gain reduction.
Let’s go for 2-3dB in this example.Notice how the compressor ducks every time the kick hits (or whatever else you are using as a sidechain), NOT when the bass hits.Step #5: Adjust the attack and release time to taste. In the majority of cases, you will want a fast attack (under 2ms)But the release time depends on your intention.Time it to a quarter note for obvious pumping (common in dance music), or make it faster for subtle ducking to make room for the vocals or kick drum. You will learn more about release time in the following section outlining the main use cases.That’s it! It may seem hard at first, but it’ll become easier and easier the more you practice.Now let’s check out these 5 tricks for making your mix even better with sidechain compression.Trick #1: Sidechaining to Create Room for the VocalsAs a mix engineer, using sidechain compression on vocals is the technique that I find myself using the most.By sidechaining the vocal and compressing guitars, keys, backing vocals – or even the everything EXCEPT the vocalsYou can subtly create more room in the mix for the vocals to cut through.Add a compressor to whatever is interfering with the vocal. Sidechain the vocal, start with a ratio of 2:1 and adjust the threshold until you see 1-2dB of gain reduction. Apply 1dB of makeup gain.A super-fast attack time is required for this to work.
How To Sidechain Compress Nuendo 1
Start with the attack as fast as it will go. If this sounds odd, or you hear clicking, slow down the attack time until these artifacts disappear.A fast release time also helps to make this subtle. Start around 30ms and go from there. You want the instruments to return to their level pretty fast after the vocal stops.It only needs to be subtle. If you are doing this on an individual channel, you can be more aggressive. Try applying 3-5dB of gain reduction.Trick #2: Sidechain the vocal to the whole mix??The other option is to create a new stereo aux/group channel and call it ‘All Instruments’.
Change your outputs so that everything except the lead vocal is going through this channel.Load up a compressor and repeat the process. This time, though, keep it subtle (below 2dB gain reduction).For the advanced mixers out there, you can take this one step further.
If you have a multiband compressor that permits it (like the ), sidechain a band across 800Hz-6kHz to the vocal. Ears are better than a calculator, as is common sense;-) you only need it when you have a specific question about a particular conversion.
There is a better site for the calculator that is an actual calculator but for all things music. I don’t know if there is a direct linking policy here but just google: “music calculator website” and you’ll find it, very useful, tried to find an app that did the same thing but they were all either too much money or had way too many adds and free useage restrictions.the main point I am making is using your ears as you are tweaking the knobs. Take note of what tends to work best to your taste all this shit is mostly subjective. On my old hardware compressors i would ink in notches where my fave settings were using colored grease pencils but now you just save a preset have at it. Thank you so much Sir. An incredibly concise explanation.I’ve been mentally wrestling with Side Chain Compression for a couple of years now as the descriptions of it and how to use it are often totally baffling.And thank you for the link to the calculator.
Bookmarked that one instantly as it will come in quite handy as I work with this.Only question though since you use Pro Tools. I’m a Studio One guy myself and love the DAW. It’s not just got a built in Side Chain for the compressor, but the entire DAW channel view has the option of side chain built in. If I click to the effects/sends pop up window one of the options listed (besides the list of effects available) is side chain. When I click arrow, it lists all the tracks I’m working on in a given project.So if I’m understanding correctly the pop up lists of available tracks would be the “Trigger” for wherever I place the compressor for side chaining? If so can I make use of this in my submix bus where I already send all my instrumentals tracks?
If I’m understanding correctly then I would be able to make use of subtle ducking of the instrumentals for vocal track to come through more clearly? Am I getting this right?Thanks again a truly helpful tutorial even without a YouTube Video. You are right, he did not use compression, because he balanced the volumes manually during mix process, but that is in the end the same result as using a compressor, only difference is that a compressor is an automated volume tool and takes over the manually handling from the past. That is exactly why it has been created, to save time and bring the quieter and louder parts closer to each other in an automated way. The only reason music sounds lifeless is because they use a compressor in a wrong manner, but you definitely need one!
Compression has been around for a long long time and can be useful, but into days world it over used most of the time. I have been doing this for 40 years and having Learned from the best of the best, the guys who wrote the book on recording and who’s techniques are the vary foundation and still in use today. I can tell you there are better way of getting what you want to hear with less. And you will have more than enough compression when you get to the mastering stage,One way to make your vocals stand out is to start with the RIGHT MIC FOR THAT SINGER, and it doesn’t need to be a $2000 one remember Michael Jackson’s mic was a $350 sure SM7I have made and have heard recording that had very little pressing and they sounded fantastic.I compere recording today to food. If you ask any older person (especially if they grew up on a farm) about the teats of food today is not the same but you wouldn’t know that if you never had the real thing, you’re going to think what your eating is the way it is supposed to teats and you would be dead wrong. And if you had a chance to eat food grown from air loom seeds you’re going to know the difference right away and that something is defiantly missing from what you have today. Adanga maru full movie hd download tamilrockers. There is no doubt that un-compressed music has better fidelity.
But without compression you’re limited in how loud you can make the final track without clipping the peaks. The bits of your song in between the peaks will remain quiet by comparison. Net result, your music will be noticeably quieter compared to songs by other contemporary artists.
This will make it less likely to be included in mixes and playlists. If you’re interested in having your music heard and shared, then this is something to take into consideration. Ducking is different. A noise gate opens when the signal presented to it reaches a certain threshold, then it opens (used for getting rid of ambient noise on a track for example).
Ducking is just the opposite of that – when the threshold is reached, the gate CLOSES rather than opens.Sidechaining is more about how the threshold is reached – you can get the gate to open (or close) when a DIFFERENT signal reaches a certain point – so the gate is no longer listening to the thing it’s opening or closing the gate for, it’s listening to something else entirely.Does that make sense?CheersMat.