Side Chains!
 

I'm fairly new to prootools, so this question may be basic knowledge to some. I have read the manual front to back, and on the matter of side chains it is kind of vauge in my opinion. My question is, can someone give me a basic example of how to set up a side chain, where I can actually see what it is doing. All I need is the foundation, nonthing over the top, I just want to see it visually working in the most basic aspect, and I can build on it from there. Also if someone can give me a brief explanation of why you would want to use a side chain, and in what situations does it work best for you! I'm not asking you guys to let your secrets out of the bag, I am just trying to get a general idea.

Thanks for any replies recieved!

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Power Mac G4 (DP) 1.25ghz
(OS) Panther 10.3.4
Digi 002r/Protools 6.4

Re: Side Chains!
 

The most common use of sidechain is to marry a bass track with a kick drum track, thru a compressor, or gate...the idea being that the bass doesnt sound untill the gate or compressor opens making a tighter performance sound.(50's and 60's country used this alot). To try it make your bass track send to...lets say 11 or 12, then make a aux track and set the input to trk 11/12 out to master usually 1/2. now put a compressor on this track and set the sidechain input to your kick drum track...it will trigger from the kick NOT the bass but will only effect the bass not the kick.
Have fun man

Re: Side Chains!
 

Another fun thing to do is to record a keyboard pad (drony chords playing along with a song) then sidechain a gate on the keyboard track to a kick or snare or maybe a strummed acoustic (anything with a pulsing rhythm). This will give you a rhythmic harmonic element that is perfectly in time with another element in the mix. I've also used a sidechain on a compressor to duck a loud guitar part behind a lead vocal...

+=G=+

Re: Side Chains!
 

To set up a side chain:

STEP ONE :Send the track you want to use to control the dynamics processor (the one that will trigger the processor on another channel) into any bus.

STEP TWO: :On the track which is to be compressed (or gated or whatever), call up the dynamics plug in. Set the key input on the compressor to the bus used in step one. The key input button is in the upper left of the digirack compressor. Click on that and choose the bus.

STEP 3 :Turn on the side chain function by clicking the "external key" button at the bottom of the compressor.

Re: Side Chains!
 

this is good, but i think your first instruction is probably the same spot where the poster is feeling the manual is vague.

i.e. if you "send the track you want to use" into a bus you lose that track. of course, that may be what you want, but most of the time i find it isn't. you may not have meant it that way, but it's still sort of vague for a novice.

as in the example above of the bass compressor being keyed by the kick drum, you want to send the kick's signal to the side-chain while keeping the original signal intact.

a couple of ways to achieve this (there are more, but i think these are the easiest and most economical):

create a pre-fader aux send on the kick's channel, which is routed to whatever bus your side-chain input is set to; alternatively, select the dropdown menu for the kick channel's output routing, hold down the 'Control' key and select the bus your side-chain input is set to. this should send signal to both destinations simultaneously. of course, the signal at your side-chain would then be post kick fader.

also, if you wanted to process the side-chain send for whatever reason, you could route your aux (or what have you) to a bus feeding an aux-input channel in your mixer, then insert EQ or what-not, then set the buss output of that channel to the bus your side-chain input is set to. it would eat up two busses and in most cases i can't think of a need to do it really. i guess if you were unhappy with the available de-esser plug-ins and wanted to experiment with your own set up. it would also be useful for doing a high-pass filter in the side-chain of a compressor ala the handy feature on the Distressor™.

anyway, hope that clears out the cobwebs a little

Re: Side Chains!
 

[QUOTE]
Transducr, thanks for the explaination. I tried this today, but somehow I didn't get it right.
1. How do I create a pre-fader aux send on the kick's channel? (Do you mean, I should create a new aux track?)
2. Why is it nessecary to hold down the 'Control' key while selecting that bus? (I did, but I noticed no effect on selecting the bus.)

Thanks for your help.




I

Re: Side Chains!
 

I think what Transducer was trying to explain was two seperate ways of sending a sognal to your sidechain whilst keeping your initial signal intact

QUOTE--1. How do I create a pre-fader aux send on the kick's channel? (Do you mean, I should create a new aux track?)

A>>just clik on your sends section(if this is not visible then go to the Display(i think, maybe windows) drop down menu and clik on your sends(AUX) to be visible. then send your aux to the input on your siechain(ie BUS1), bring the fader up and then click on the pre box.

QUOTE--2. Why is it nessecary to hold down the 'Control' key while selecting that bus? (I did, but I noticed no effect on selecting the bus.)

A>>I believe he was referring to the second method for sending an AUX(which i was previously unaware of(Q)Transducer, is this send prefader?) where you clik on the actual output, not the AUX sends.

Jus tryin to help.

LUD

Re: Side Chains!
 

Hi!

on the first point, you're absolutely right. basically you just set up an aux send on the channel fader you want to key from, just like you would if you were sending to a reverb or delay, then hit the "P" or "Pre" button (depending on what view of the aux send you're looking at)...essentially your aux is set up as it would be if you were creating a headphone mix...then send that aux into your side-chain. easy.

as far as Ctrl clicking in the output window of the channel you want to key from, this should allow you to select more than one destination for that channel fader. i.e. your stereo buss *and* your side-chain. the output display for that channel should display an asterisk to indicate that it's outputting to more than one destination.

this type of routing would give you a post-fader send. it would be delivering the same signal to your side-chain as it is your stereo-buss and any other destination you add. this is a useful function for many different types of situations.

hope this helps!

take care!

Re: Side Chains!
 

Hello transducer,

Could you please elaborate a bit on the possible uses of the Ctrl clik on the output window.

It sounds useful but im just tryin to think of exactly what fro and to expand my PT knowledge.

LUD

Re: Side Chains!
 

I'm not sure what you mean here. There are five aux sends on every channel, and you can send any track out all five if you want without losing the track. Click on a send, choose the bus you want from the drop-down menu. The only way you'll lose the track is if you select the bus on the channel's output, which is totally different than a send.

Franchise, to see it "visually working," call up the compressor on the channel the side chain is being sent TO, , and you should see the gain reduction corresponding not to the audio on that track but rather to the audio on the track it is being sent FROM