Sidechaining

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1

I’ve got into the habit of sidechaining absolutely every instrument to the kick now and it makes my mixes sound very clean but nnow that i went back to an older track and tried that on a fast bass i had (trance) it kinda just made the bass a lot less prominent, should i always be sidechaining or just occassionally? and how do i compensate for this (volume?)



Edit: same question also applies to low cutting everything but the bass and kick, good idea?

2

there are 2 main reasons to sidechain.


  1. for the pumping effect on strings, pads lead sounds etc.


  2. so 2 sounds fighting for the same frequency space dont clash (normally bass and kick)



    If your not looking for the pumping effect and your pass and kick are sitting well together theres no real need.



    As always its really about how you want it to sound and what sounds good in the context of the rest of your track.
3

This is what I do.

I usually fiddle with the attack & release until I find the sweet spot. Stick both to the max & start pulling them back til the attack has presence, or starts pumping, and the release does the same. Do them individually. You’ll know when you hear it. You can fine tune it when you have them ballpark.

My ratio is usually about 2 to 5, depending on what I’m doing.

I just reduce the threshold if the bass is evaporating…

Its all about settings. Make a kick & a bass and spend 10mins fkkn about with that & you’ll be able to do whatever you need to do Mate, forever :slight_smile:

EQ’n?

I’ll take the lows out of most stuff that doest need it - however, I’ll try & choose sounds that sit in their own space in the mix (like the keys on a piano). With fewer clashes & more room, I dont have to be as severe on everything. SO its about where you cut. I’ll still take the real low stuff out that might affect the kick/bass - but depending on what is going on / playing at that time… I’ll probably try to leave a fair bit in if I can.

If I have to take something out - I’ll take out all the lows… then sweep it back until I can start to feel the main character of the sound coming through.

4

ok thanks guys :smiley: