Nice write up. 

Obviously Side-chaining is most commonly used with a kick to 'duck' out the sub-bass, so you don't get a muddy low-end mix.   But as you mentioned in your email...  it is not limited to the kick > bass... you can be creative with Side-chaining.  

If you listen to this track of mine -  https://soundcloud.com/kasio/kasio-mint    I actually used the bass-line to 'duck' out all the high-end synths. You can hear all the high elements 'sucking' in and out around the bass, thus making the bass-line the main focus of the track.

Would be great to hear some other ideas around side-chaining.

Cheers,
Steve KASIO

On Thu, Sep 26, 2013 at 5:42 PM, McKay Garner <[address removed]> wrote:

Someone asked a question at the last Meetup that was left dangling a bit due to the time available. The question was "Is sidechaining the same thing as ducking?" I answered with "They are in the same family but not the same." Maybe clarifying an answer with a bit more detail could be useful to someone? This is not every bit of information on the subject but here are some of my thoughts on the topic. Maybe you'll share yours, too?

The term "Sidechaining" has been used the last several years particularly in dance music in reference to an effect that is either exclusively or partially using a compressor technique of "ducking." This can be confusing to some who may think sidechaining overall is actually ducking. This confusion may be similar to how the phrase "making beats" does not only mean "programming drum parts" these days in some circles like it did back in previous days of drum programming :-) 

So what is ducking, then? Ducking is a technique that often uses the technique of sidechaining in order to have the volume of one signal reduced when another is playing, or for special effects that relate to the volume envelope of one signal in relation to another. One popular application for ducking is using a vocal as the key input for a compressor that is placed after a delay effect. The compressor is only triggered by the key input, in this case, the vocal. The delay is attenuated in volume when the vocal is present, but is restored in volume when the vocal part has stopped playing. This way, the words are more intelligible when the singer is singing, but the delay effect adds a nice trail of repeats or such when the vocal line ends. "Sidechaining" in dance music currently often refers to a ducking effect that can often be heard on instrument parts and or effects  that swell in volume on the off beats of a track (quite often the "ands"). The kick drum is often the key input. The other instruments have a compressor on their track or bus (group) with an attack and release set to pump rhythmically and noticeably with the tempo of the music. When the kick drum is played, the compressor is triggered and the synths are "ducked" in volume while the kick audio is playing, but then return to a chosen volume based on the attack and release of the compressor settings. Prime examples of this effect include the kick on beats 1, 2, 3, and 4, otherwise known as "four on the floor." The amount of ducking depends on several settings of the compressor including the threshold and/or input of the compressor, the ratio, the attack and release, and potentially other settings.

So what about the term "sidechaining" as a technique overall? Sidechain techniques can be used for many things that don't have to be ducking per se. It simply refers to using one audio source or track to tell a device, often applied to another track, when to go into action. The source audio that acts as this switch is referred to as the "key input." Many devices with sidechain capability look for this audio signal before processing the audio for certain functions.  

A de-esser uses a technique of ducking using a sidechain's key input to attenuate audio when certain frequencies cross the threshold. Some use full bandwidth compression to attenuate all of the audio when the threshold is reached at the key input, often using a hi pass filter as its "listening range" for the key input. Some use more complex multi-band compression/dynamic eq to lower the volume of specific frequencies when the threshold is reached of the input. The latter often has a different tone than the former, but both are useful tools.

Sidechain techniques are useful when using a gate as well. Perhaps you want a low frequency boom track to be audible only when the kick drum hits? Or maybe you want to have a blast of a keyboard track's audio to come through only when the hi hats hit? There are a lot of creative and utilitarian uses for sidechaining. Heck you could gate a synth's reverb return with a rhythm track as the key input for some simulated edited-sample sounds. 

As always, the disclaimer goes that I don't know everything about everything, but maybe this will help someone know something more about something? 

How do you use sidechaining techniques in your productions? Would you like to add something to this tip?

--

McKay Garner
My new solo music now appearing at:
http://soundcloud.com/mckaygarner

New doppio single at: 

http://doppiotheband.com
My audio engineering work site:
http://www.mckaygarner.com
E-mail:
[address removed]

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