Dumb side chain question ??

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rxkevco

rxkevco

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What exactly is " side chain ",,,,???????
Been looking at getting a compressor and have seen references to side chain on some of the items i am looking at.
Could anybody try to explain what it is,,
cheers,,,
 
It's an extra input that lets you control the compressor with something else besides the audio passing through it. Commonly used for de-essing and ducking.
 
I would highly advise getting a comp with sidechain inserts. You will use them for alot of applications and wont regret ya got 'em.


Take 'er easy,...
Calwood
 
Hi guys,,,,
Thanks for the info.
I have just got hold of a TC Electronics, Triple c stereo compressor.
Has sidechain available so suppose i will learn a bit more when it arrives in a day or two.
If i understand what you are saying !!!!! i should be able to connect my parametric eq via the sidechain ???? Is that right ???

How does that differ from just putting the compressor in the effects loop of my rack as i intended ?????
 
The sidechain is just a trigger. Whatever goes into the sidechain doesn't get compressed. It replaces the program audio (hooked to the inputs and outputs) as the signal that triggers the compressor.

Here's an example. Paging/music systems sometimes use what is called a ducker. It drops the volume of the music when someone makes an announcement. You can used a compressor with a sidechain as a ducker. The music goes through the compressor. You split the announcer signal, by taking an aux send, or whatever. This part of the announcer signal goes to the sidechain of the compressor. You then set the compressor controls so that when the announcer talks, it triggers the compressor, lowering the music volume.

If you want to use both the eq and compressor on a signal, run them inline,like you were going to, don't connect them through the sidechain.
 
Calwood said:
I would highly advise getting a comp with sidechain inserts. You will use them for alot of applications and wont regret ya got 'em.
Click to expand...
What are some examples? I get the idea about ducking audio in a Public Address system. What else?
 
I would say the classic example is to use the signal from a kick drum to reduce the volume of the bass during kicks (or the other way 'round, if you prefer), increasing the possible level of the compressed signal.
 
somehow you can make it into a multiband compressor by adding an eq to the sidechain...........I don't know exactly how it works though.
 
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I duck a beater-side kick drum mic off the snare, so that the kick drum mic gets significantly quieter whenever the snare is hit, and thus making the snare bleed into that mic quieter.
 
You can use the sidechain as a de-esser. By running an eq through the sidechain, you can control the 'sibilance' caused when singing "s" or "z" sounds without affecting the rest of the signal. You'll get the hang of it by experimenting. You'll probably need a TRS/2phono cable to hook it up.
 
Hey guys,,,,,
Thanks for all that,,, i sort of get the idea now,, the public address system comparison did it for me !!!
So in theory !!!!! (taking a stab here),,, it could be used to bring a guitar solo out, whilst making the rest of the tracks quieter,
to accentuate the solo !!!! ????

Also,,, can i ask,,,, i have a pair of DBX 263A de-essers (unused as yet),,,
do i actually need a behringer 4 band parametric eq ( not yet in my system ),, behringer jokes aside,,,if i already have de-essers ??
Should i get rid of the de-essers and keep the parametric,, or vice versa,,,

My home studio setup is being re-arranged at the moment so i am adding and selling off all sorts of gear,,, a lot of it is new to me,,, being a stompbox sort of guitarist up until recently ( cubase bug bit me !!)
 
rxkevco said:
So in theory !!!!! (taking a stab here),,, it could be used to bring a guitar solo out, whilst making the rest of the tracks quieter, to accentuate the solo !!!! ????
Click to expand...
Two ways to approach this. One is the more typical ducking setup with the compressor on the mix only, the key track (guitar in this case) goes to the side chain. A similar result can be had where the guitar is part of the mix going through the comp, but it is 'hot in the mix. Either pushes everything else down for the same reason, but in this case no sidechain is needed.
Wayne
 
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