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 вЂ“ synth, strings, guitar, vocal, etc вЂ“В 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, вЂtrance gate style. Strap a compressor or gate over a synth pad and key the sidechain input of a sampler hosting any percussion sound вЂ“В a hi-hat, say вЂ“ but keep the sampler itself muted in the mix. This oneвЂ™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 вЂ“ such as those by FabFilter вЂ“ feature expansive onboard modulation systems that facilitate sidechain control of delays, distortion and more. Beyond the compressorДЄlthough 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 signalвЂ™s dynamic profile as a modulation source. While this wonвЂ™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 wasВ 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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