What is Sidechain Compression?

This is like trying to stop an oil tanker
I'll say it again. What you are all describing is "keyed or Triggered" compression. Also known as "Ducking"
Side Chain compression is nothing more than compressing a side chain of a signal then mixing it back with the original. It has nothing to do with plugging anything into the "Side Chain" input of a compressor. Everyone on the net has this wrong. The fact that a compressor has a socket marked "Side Chain" hasn't helped with your confusion.
I've been using Side Chain compression also known as parallel or New York compression since I first read about it in 1977.
If you try to tell me that all you guys are correct just because there's a lot of you, I'll refer you back to my comment about Galileo. He had a whole world of "Flat Earthers" to deal with. You are all wrong. As Galileo said. "It takes only one stallion to pass a lot of carthorses."
gregg jackman
 
Except Galileo asserted a fact of nature instead of an arbitrary thing like a name.

Excuse me, I have to take care of a bit of howlround in the foldbacks.
 
Excuse me, I just have to go and change a motor car. Oh sorry, they used to be called light bulbs. I got confused because they both have glass in them.

Ok I'll roll over and let the error win.
Don't say I didn't try. It was a brave effort.

I'd better not ask what they call a triggered gate these days. I'd probably get upset.
Gregg Jackman.
 
I could prbably have given some good advice about the howlround in your foldbacks by the way, but attempted ridicule will get what it deserves. Howlround is an old fashioned term, but to my knowledge has not been "borrowed" for any other use. Foldback is not such a legacy term actually, many still use the term, and again it's not been "borrowed" for incorrect use. Those in USA have usually used the term "Cue System" for it.
I won't do battle anymore. I need to spend a bit of time today changing my name from Gregg Jackman to Karen Wycombe today anyway. (well a name is just so arbitary!!!)

Karen Wycombe
 
Gregg, I respect where you're coming from but you gotta understand, this isn't a "1 in 10 people think" scenario.
They're teachin this in colleges and universities!!

Now Ok, that doesn't make it right, but it makes it incredibly hard to be the guy who cares, as you're finding out in this thread.
 
"Side chain" is a good description of any parallel path like parallel compression or a compressor's detector circuit. "Side chain compression" is as good a term for parallel compression as any. It would be useful to distinguish between side chain (parallel) compression and using the compressor's side chain.
 
gregg jackman said:
I could prbably have given some good advice about the howlround in your foldbacks by the way, but attempted ridicule will get what it deserves. Howlround is an old fashioned term, but to my knowledge has not been "borrowed" for any other use. Foldback is not such a legacy term actually, many still use the term, and again it's not been "borrowed" for incorrect use. Those in USA have usually used the term "Cue System" for it.
I won't do battle anymore. I need to spend a bit of time today changing my name from Gregg Jackman to Karen Wycombe today anyway. (well a name is just so arbitary!!!)

Karen Wycombe
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I haven't seen one comment on here from you that wasn't angry...
Maybe if you tried explaining your point with a little less sarcasm and were less condescending, people would be more likely to work with you on this.
 
MrWrenchey said:
I haven't seen one comment on here from you that wasn't angry...
Maybe if you tried explaining your point with a little less sarcasm and were less condescending, people would be more likely to work with you on this.
Click to expand...
^^^^ this ^^^^^^

who wants to listen to some guy ranting about how we're all stupid?
We get enough of that in the Cave.
 
now wer'e getting to the nub of the problem. The first part of the first sentence you wrote makes sense. A Side Chain is simply a parallel path or secondary path. The compressor's "side chain" socket is simply incorrectly marked as far as I can see. It is not a parallel of anything to do with the compressor. It is an entirely seperate input to the detector circuit. People plug all sorts of foreign material into it. (I wouild be interested to know what might happen if you do plug a parallel of the compressor output into this socket. It might be a very interesting effect.) I have personally no idea why it's marked Side Chain. It would help if it were mared "Key input" just like a gate

Karen Wycombe
 
It's marked key input on mine.
It's says to turn sidechaining on, select a key input.


I don't think we're getting to the nub of the problem at all. The nub of the problem is you're right but no one cares.
Sorry.
 
Side chain is a pretty good description of the detector circuit most of the time because it usually just carries a copy of the input signal. A common variation is simply adding eq to the signal going to the detector, which is still a parallel arrangement. Only in a pure ducking type situation where a totally different signal is injected is it no longer parallel. Side chain doesn't describe that use very well.
 
I don't need a grammy award winner to tell me I know nothing about recording, I tell myself that all the time :)

Actually, thanks for the clarification...I've seen these terms used interchangeably and distinctly for as long as I've been involved in music.

I always thought side-chain was feeding an external input to a compressor or whatever, and parallel compression was NY compression. You seem to be right about how these terms originated, however, nowdays if you mention NY compression it's parallel compression, and feeding a signal is side chain. You're right...but everyone uses these words differently than you describe. I think fighting a lexical battle here (or anywhere) is a losing battle. Embrace the new terminology!
 
aaronmcoleman said:
I don't need a grammy award winner to tell me I know nothing about recording, I tell myself that all the time :)

Actually, thanks for the clarification...I've seen these terms used interchangeably and distinctly for as long as I've been involved in music.

I always thought side-chain was feeding an external input to a compressor or whatever, and parallel compression was NY compression. You seem to be right about how these terms originated, however, nowdays if you mention NY compression it's parallel compression, and feeding a signal is side chain. You're right...but everyone uses these words differently than you describe. I think fighting a lexical battle here (or anywhere) is a losing battle. Embrace the new terminology!
Click to expand...

You know what, Maybe that's the way I should have said it, cos that's pretty much what i mean.
Cheers Aaron.
 
Side Chain compression

guinsu said:
Ok, this probably sounds dumb, but I couldn't turn up much on google and I see this phrase get tossed around a bit. What is it and where would a ME use it?
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This from Wikepedia via JD :

Side-chaining
The sidechain of a feed-forward compressor

When side-chaining, the compressor uses the volume level of an input signal to determine how strongly the compressor will reduce the gain on its output signal. This is used by disc jockeys for ducking – lowering the music volume automatically when speaking. The DJ's microphone signal is routed to the compressor's sidechain so that whenever the DJ speaks the compressor reduces the volume of the music. A sidechain with equalization controls can be used to reduce the volume of signals that have a strong spectral content within a certain frequency range: it can act as a de-esser, reducing the level of vocal sibilance in the range of 6–9 kHz. A de-esser helps reduce high frequencies that tend to overdrive preemphasized media (such as phonograph records and FM radio). Another use of the side-chain in music production serves to maintain a loud bass track without the bass drum causing undue peaks that result in loss of overall headroom.

A linked stereo compressor without a sidechain input can be used as a mono compressor with a sidechain input. The "key", "trigger" or sidechain signal is sent to the left input of the stereo compressor while the signal that is to be compressed is routed through the right channel.

This technique is not to be confused with Parallel compression, which was referred to as "side chain" compression in a 1977 Studio Sound article by Mike Bevelle
 
what compressor setting do y'all use?

I usually use:

Attack time of 1 ms or so...really short. - Any one use anything different? trying to shed some light on this.

Release time: varies, the longer the release time, the more pronounced the effect. < care to comment?

Threshold: depends

Ratio: usually 3-4, < care to comment?

Anything else y'all do to do this? I use the Ableton Compressor, but I'm thinking about experimenting with some other side-chain compressors...any recommendations?

Love!
T
 
language evolves and the usage of it changes.

We old guys may not like it but that's the fact.

Gay used to mean happy ....... now it doesn't ...... no matter how much you want it to it now means gay .....

I had a guy ream me because I referred to an amp without adjustable bias as 'fixed' bias. Technically it's not .... it's a specific way of biasing a tube circuit ...... but the fact is .... LOTS of techs, and some really good ones, very often use the term interchangebly with meaning that or a non-adjustable bias.

To someone who wants to be a stickler for original definitions of words it's upsetting but there's no escaping the evolution of language no matter how hard you fight it.
 
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