how to duck?

[drewcilla]

i'm trying to find a plug in to duck music when voice over is present. I'm currently using the protools comp with a sidechain, but this isn't great, as the comp reduction fluctuates with the level of VO. I'm trying to gate in reverse if you know what I mean...ie. when the sidechain crosses a threshold, the plugin drops level by say 4 db continuously until the sidechain drops below the threshold. any ideas? any ducking plugins anyone knows about?

[ChrisRenshaw]

just copy the M+E to a new track (making sure you don't move it out of phase and that you've got the same plug in delay - if any - on the duplicated track for the same reason) - then assign both the duplicate M+E track and the V/O track to the same protools 'Voice'. Position the v/o track higher on the arrange page than the m+e track and it will then have priority on that voice, muting the m+e duplicate... (nearly there) - now cut the v/o tracks during silences and the m+e track will automatically 'pop through' when there is no audio present in the v/o track.

[ChrisRenshaw]

....I should add....

...alternatively, draw in the fades (it's surprisingly quick and easy to do) or do the fades by hand, on a desk.

[Bill of the Top]

Normally I use the Focusrite d3 plugin for ducking but the ProTools Limiter plugin can do the same thing.
Making the release time in the plugin longer reduces the rapid level fluctuations (I sometimes go up to 450 ms).

This works faster than drawing the level changes in the music track. And it is more convenient cause when you move a VO region you don't have to move the level change on the music track as well.
Not sure whether it works for you but I work this way all the time.

Cheers,

Bill

[Brent Hahn]

Another approach is to compress your mix buss. Set the comp's threshold just slightly higher than the level of your mix minus the VO (so the comp isn't doing anything). When the VO comes in, the comp will reduce the gain of the overall mix, ie the VO sounds like it's at the right level and everything else ducks.

[davip]

If you haven't already, try using a copy of the VO that's super squashed as your side-chain input.

[dstagl]

I have a preset I made for a compressor plugin that ducks. I think I used Compressorbank. I just sidechain it to the VO and use a long release. Generally I hate doing this, though. I prefer to usually scoop the VO frequencies out of the music track with an EQ and keep the music level consistent throughout the track. If I had time to do it, which I usually don't, I might try using a multi-band compressor on the music to duck those frequencies instead of EQing for the entire track.

Dave

[jho]

From the waist, bend your upper torso down and forward, horizontally. For additional ducking, bend knees at same time. This motion is particularly useful for when client throws ashtray at you for erasing his best take.

images/icons/grin.gif happy friday!

[T A P]

Quack... images/icons/tongue.gif

[drewcilla]

thanks to everyone for their suggestions, but unfortunately, I'm still no closer to an answer.

The objest is to get away from a compressor or limiter style reduction as a) it fluctuates level too much, and b) when the voice over level drops away, so does the gain reduction on the track I'm trying to duck, which kind of defeats the purpose. I DO ride the music fader constantly, but the we have an extremely high volume of work (about 80 promo spots per day) and a ducker would make my life pure joy.

What I'm after is like the ducker on a yamaha O2R, or on a radio jocks console.

Any ideas anyone?

[bluemt]

compressor on music track with sidechain input triggered by voice channel

[Ben Jenssen]

Here’s an idea:

Duplicate the VO track.
Use strip silence, and add a pad of a second or so at the front.
Now, use audiosuite Signal Generator to replace all the regions on this track with a sinus tone.
Send this track as a sidechain to a compressor on the music track.

Now you can use the threshold, attack and release to fine tune the in/out fades and attenuation.

Only downside is the extra sinus audiofiles on your disk.

[Jules]

You know how to make a soul singer out of a duck dont you?

Just put it into a hot oven
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Until it's Bill Withers!

images/icons/grin.gif

[drewcilla]

thanks uno1234!

finally the magic reply. the drawmer is just what i was looking for, and it works a charm

[uno1234]

The Drawmer plugins have a duck switch on them, it works really well. Full control of attack, hold, decay, and range.