what is side chain??Hoe do you use a "real" compressor

[raindogred]

This might seem like a dumb question but I,m toally confused about this. I have pretty much done all my recording using DAW with external preamps. Never owned a mixer or had little or no experience with them.

A while back I bought this twin channel compressor that I don,t really know how to use. The main purpose for this is to use the gate function on snare and kick drum recording.

I use Hoontech C-port rack device with 3 twin channel mic preamps(2 x dmp3s and a Alto tube) and record into cubase sx.

Is it possible use the compressor in the same manner that I use the built in cubase dynamics plug?? Whereby I record flat, straight into cubase and then apply the amount of gate that I require later on.

Have tried a couple of recordings with the mic pre going straight into the compressor and the results are pretty dismal.

I notice that there is a side chain connection on the back of the compressor. How do I us this function -what is side chain??

These probably seem like pretty basic questions. But I have done DAW recording for years and never owned any "hardware".

Main reason I want to try using this hardware compressor is that it should give me an extra track or 2 if I'm using less in the software. If I can figure this out then may opt for 8 channel compressor or something to offset the load on the CPU.

cheers any info greatly appreciated.

 

[mattamatta]

The purpose of a side-chain is to use one sound source to modulate the compression of another....

For example, it's used a lot in stuff like voice-overs. The music will run through the compressor, and the voice-over will go into the side-chain. Properly adjusted, the compressor uses the levels of the voice, but squashes the music instead. So the end result is that the music "ducks" under the voice.

It's not as often usefull in music production, at least as far as I'm aware, but there could always be a use for it to get a particular sound in a particular situation.


On the topic of using outboard compressors while recording into the computer, one downside to it is that you have to make settings choices during tracking, and dont really get to put everything in context first, so you're kinda stuck with what you've got, just like using any affects straigth to "tape".

If you want to use it as you always have, but just want to take some load off the cpu, maybe something like the UAD-1 would suit your fancy.

http://www.uaudio.com/products/digital/projectpak/index.html

 

[raindogred]

yeah pretty much as I suspected. I really like the choices you have with software compressors and would not like to have to commit an effetct to "tape".
The "ducking" thing. Again my only experience with that is in the plugin drumagog that that uses this feature to "duck" drum hits from tracks.
I can't figure I'll ever really need a harware version of that for my purposes.
UAD-1 looks awsome.
might sell the compressor and upgrade the computer.
cheers

 

[reshp1]

I still trying to wrap my mind around this one too, but don't you use the side chain, in conjunction with an EQ, to do de essing and other frequency dependent compressing too?

 

[Farview]

I still trying to wrap my mind around this one too, but don't you use the side chain, in conjunction with an EQ, to do de essing and other frequency dependent compressing too?

Yes you do. Basically, the side chain is what the compressor listens to to determine the amount of reduction. If you turn the sidechain off, it listens to the normal signal. You can also feed a kick drum to the sidechain when you are running a bass through the compressor. That way the bass backs out of the way of the kick.