live side chaining help

[home alone]

Wait... what if I split the kick drum signal sending one to the side chain insert on my compressor, then go out of my fx send into the compressor, then back in through the stereo return?

that way i'd have parallel compression on whatever channel i turned the fx knob up on...

hmmmm but i'd want to compress in stereo... would it be crazy to split the kick drum again to sidechain both channels?

edit: wait x2. I don't need to compress the vocals or other drums, why don't i just process my synth (access virus c in multi mode - luvit) before it goes into the mixer?

still the same damn problem of a mono kick drum out... ooooo what if i use the insert in send only mode (no signal interruption to master), and then split that to use both channels on the compressor?

edit: wait x3... stereo couple... so much face palm

[Reptil]

yes..
some compressors have one input (mono) for sidechain. (mostly the left channel)
you're on the right track, draw a flowchart if confused.

[jetam]

Actually it is much easier to do sidechaining with analog gear than in a computer.

You have to engage stereo link and feed a split of the kick drum into the first SC input.
Insert the compressor where you want to process the signal. If it's just a synth, insert it there.

And enable sidechain on both channels. Probably you'll have to insert a jack into the second SC insert connector to disconnect the original signal from SC.

[home alone]

thanks for the help/encouragement gang. a flow chart really helped me visualize everything.

going to hop in the studio tonight to see what i can get working for me!

hoping that if I find a sweet spot where the sidechained compression is felt more than heard, my mix will be a bit cleaner.

[Reptil]

IMO test with really obvious things if you're not quite sure..
first use the sidechain in the compressor, and put the compressor controls at "hulk smash!".
listen to what it does. you must familiarise yourself with that compressor's behaviour. flip "automatic make up gain" on or off so ou're not fooled by loudness, but also hear the dB reduction in dynamis.
then feed the sidechain white or brown noise, and use a narrow bandpass filter to hear the "hulk smash" shift through the frequency spectrum of the audio.
you'll start to recognise the compressor characteristic and how it "clamps down" or "grabs". then change the envelope controls (attack decay).
Only then, when you got an idea what to listen for, turn the threshold up gradually, and repeat the shift through the spectrum, envelope etc.

[home alone]

Originally Posted by Reptil

IMO test with really obvious things if you're not quite sure..
first use the sidechain in the compressor, and put the compressor controls at "hulk smash!".
listen to what it does. you must familiarise yourself with that compressor's behaviour. flip "automatic make up gain" on or off so ou're not fooled by loudness, but also hear the dB reduction in dynamis.
then feed the sidechain white or brown noise, and use a narrow bandpass filter to hear the "hulk smash" shift through the frequency spectrum of the audio.
you'll start to recognise the compressor characteristic and how it "clamps down" or "grabs". then change the envelope controls (attack decay).
Only then, when you got an idea what to listen for, turn the threshold up gradually, and repeat the shift through the spectrum, envelope etc.

This is an awesome tutorial! I'm no stranger to compression, but if someone had explained it to me this clearly in the beginning, I'm sure I would have been policing transients from the start.

My main issue was figuring out the signal flow puzzle, since I'm kind of a noob to full hardware setups (and my mixer is... economical). I did get into the studio last night and got everything sorted though!

I used the kick drum channel insert in send only mode to go into the sidechain insert on my compressor. Then since the only thing I really wanted to sidechain was my synth, I plopped the compressor right between that and the mixer. Once the flow was established, then I had no trouble setting the compression to taste.

It did immediately clean up my mix. The "magic zone" seems to be right at the threshold of the effect being audible, but felt more than heard.

Its not parallel compression, but if i'd used the fx send/stereo return to achieve it, I'd essentially have to not use the built in effects on my mixer (that shitty hall reverb is glueing my mix together man).

In retrospect, I wish I'd coughed up a little more money to get a mixer with more channels and sends, but that's the problem with hardware setups: they keep bloody growing.