voice ducking

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longken

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Hi, I am a new member and am a bedroom recording hobbyist. I have a problem that I cannot get my head around. I have a soundcraft folio spirit mixer which I use to record to computer. My problem is using a compressor to duck music when using the microphone for doing voice overs. I plug a stereo lead into the insert point of the mic channel on the mixer and stereo on the other end which goes to the side chain of the Alesis 3630 compressor.

Now this does indeed duck the music when I speak into the mic, but--I cannot then hear my mic back through the mixer. I have tried all different connection methods but to no avail. The compressor side chain has a send and return on a single socket. I have read the manuals on both mixer and compressor and soldered various leads but nothing seems to work.

I am hoping you knowledgeable people can help me out. Thanks in advance.
 
Just to clarify, you're using an insert point to feed the compressor, right?
Unless the compressor has a dry output or a passthrough, don't use an insert point.

Try setting up the mixer so it just sends your vocal out properly, then try to send your vocal to an aux out or a subgroup out as well as the main output.

That aux send or subgroup out would be used to feed the compressor.

This keeps everything separate; You can adjust the vocal output level without interfering with the compressor input level.
 
Thanks for the speedy reply. On the sidechain socket of the compressor, it says: tip=return and ring=send. Do you think this is passthrough or is it compressing the voice as well. My mixer has 3 aux sockets out but no returns. Also are the aux outs a stereo plug or mono? This is all so confusing to me.
 
longken said:
Thanks for the speedy reply. On the sidechain socket of the compressor, it says: tip=return and ring=send.
Click to expand...

That's most likely so you can use it with an insert point on a mixer to audibly compress your vocals.
Ie. mixer sends on tip, compressor receives on tip, compressor sends on ring, mixer receives on ring, audio carries on to the output/speakers.


longken said:
My mixer has 3 aux sockets out but no returns. Also are the aux outs a stereo plug or mono? This is all so confusing to me.
Click to expand...

That's what you want. When you use an aux send for this kind of thing you don't want it to return. :)

They way I described is like splitting your signal in two. One is audible; It's your main output.
The other is not audible; It's sent to the comp as a trigger.


longken said:
Also are the aux outs a stereo plug or mono? This is all so confusing to me.
Click to expand...
If you're trying to duck a stereo mix (both channels of alesis) then you'd need to run two sends or look for a button on the compressor that makes it work in joint stereo.
I'm not sure that exists.
 
Many thanks again steenamaroo. I'm off now to try the aux route. Will keep you posted.
 
Great stuff.

I should add, there are plenty of guys around here with bucketloads more 'live' mixer experience than me.

What I said should work but maybe they'll chime in with something more elegant.
Best of luck.
 
Steenamaroo said:
When you use an aux send for this kind of thing you don't want it to return. :).
Click to expand...

Explain that one to me, Steen. What do you mean by "you don't want it to return?" Where does the output of the compressor go? Into it's own channel the way one would return a reverb to it's own channel(s)?
 
RAMI said:
Where does the output of the compressor go?
Click to expand...
I'm not sure, but he said the music does indeed duck, so it's going somewhere. ;)
I suppose the comp outs could return to the desk on two new channels like you say.

I figure his voice is going to the sidechain input and no futher since he can't hear himself.
He wants a path to be going to the sidechain input and another to carry on to the mixer main outs or wherever.
 
Just tried the aux method and it is the same. the compressor is ducking the music okay but the mic signal is being lowered as well. When I remove the nisert or aux jacks, the mic signal is great but not when connected up for ducking. I am obviously being a bit thick here.
 
Ok, maybe Rami is on to something.
Tell us your full signal path.
Describe the music chain from start to finish and the microphone chain from start to finish, if you wouldn't mind.

This image is what I'm picturing/suggesting.
img1.webp
 
music source --stereo input of mixer

Mic--mic input of mixer

Monitor from mixer --input of compressor

Aux post fade --to sidechain of compressor

output of compressor--to amp & speakers

hope this helps.
 
That clears it up.

You have the compressor after the mixer.
That means it'll compress everything that comes out of the mixer, including your vocal.

Take a look at my picture. It's basically the same except the compressor is before the mixer and the mic doesn't go through it.

Another way to do it is to have your music on (Say) channels 1+2 of the mixer and have the compressor in their insert points.
Mic still goes straight to 3, bypassing the comp.

Same thing but slightly different. Either way your mic can carry on to the main output unmolested.
 
music source--to stereo in of mixer

mic --mic in of mixer

monitor--input of compressor

aux 1-- to sidechain of compressor

output of compressor ---amp & speakers or computer
 
okay. Have just tried your suggestion. music source into compressor--compressor to mixer. aux to sidechain. Bingo. it works. But-- I was hoping to duck any mixer channels using the one compressor. Is this possible? thanks for your replies.
 
Hmm, that's a tricky one. I guess you could have the 3630 after the mixer.

Everything except the mic would go to an aux send which you'd return to two spare channels.
Maybe that's where you were coming from before?

The mic and the 2 spare channels would be the only ones that go to master output.
I don't know if your mixer is capable, but does that make sense?
 
many, many thanks for your help. I have to go out now but will try again tomorrow.
 
what about just riding the fader?
That's what I used to do when doing live commercials on the radio.
 
Hi, I am back again. I think I will give up on this ducking lark. which ever way I connect compressor to mixer, I cannot get what I am after. Here is what I have noticed. With nothing connected to mixer apart from microphone, when I turn up the aux send, the volume of the mic decreases. when I connect compressor up via the side chain, it does indeed duck the music but as the mic volume is lowered by turning up the send, I can't get loud enough with voice. Hope this makes sense.

The side chain of the compressor is a single TRS with a send and return.
 
you can always clone the track and send one to the master and the other to the sidechain and do the ducking post.
 
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