Sidechain Compression Delay When Bounce to Audio

[Obe1]

I'm currently making an EDM track, and as you know they use a lot of sidechain compression with the kick being the key input. I'm on a Macbook Pro and the session is rather large so I'm trying to bounce a few of the instrument tracks to audio to free up CPU.

I'm bouncing the instrument tracks to audio with none of the plugins enabled, then copying the plugins onto the audio track (so I don't bounce processing I can't later remove). Problem is, when I copy the compressors over to the audio, then play the track, it sounds as if the key input is delayed.

For example, I bounced a synth bass track then copied the compressor over, however when I play the track the pumping isn't on time.. it's as if the key input is delayed and the bass sound is coming in late. I cannot think of any logical reason this would be happening. The input level going into the compressor isn't any different from the instrument track or audio track, so I know it's not just a threshold issue. The amount of plugin delay is reads the same on both tracks (although I don't know how that's possible since the instrument track should have more of a delay than the audio). Nothing changes on the key input so I don't know how that could be the problem.

This is really racking my brain. I tried switching from samples to ticks on the audio track but that didn't do anything. Although I did it after the audio was recorded so I don't know if that makes a difference. I just don't know where to go from here. Any idea what could be wrong? I hope I explained it clearly enough.

[Obe1]

Wait a sec I think I see what happened. Like I alluded to before, I though the plugin delay might be the problem but they showed the same when they are both routed to the master track I have set up. However when I change the output of the instrument track to an audio track I have setup to bounce the file down to, the plugin delay changes from 64 to 2112. I guess I just have to reset all the compressor levels on my bounced tracks.

[JFreak]

AFAIK, that is ADC'd only on HDX

[Wall2Wall]

Originally Posted by JFreak

AFAIK, that is ADC'd only on HDX

HDX only is ridiculous. Even Fruity Loops has sidechain ADC.

It's getting harder and harder to find reasons for those not on HDX to use Pro Tools. Logic at $199 gives you so much in the music arena. What it's lacking in comparison to Pro Tools can be worked around or overlooked for $199.

[demodigi]

Originally Posted by Obe1

However when I change the output of the instrument track to an audio track I have setup to bounce the file down to, the plugin delay changes from 64 to 2112.

Why are you changing you're routing path to make your instrument's bounce?
-> Activate solo on your instrument track and simply right-click on your track's output (a "true" right-click, NOT "ctrl+clic" which has a different behavior).

After the bounce is done, you have the option to automatically import your bounced file to a newly created audio track or to the clip list (if the audio track is already there).

Audio should line up properly after this process.

Originally Posted by JFreak

AFAIK, that is ADC'd only on HDX

I don't have Pro Tools HD (only vanilla) and sidechain ADC works fine (at least with Avid plug-ins).

I also heard, that in some cases, ADC on sidechains doesn't work but never been able to reproduce it on my system (and I never knew if it was a plug-in issue or a PT issue).

[Wall2Wall]

Originally Posted by demodigi

I don't have Pro Tools HD (only vanilla) and sidechain ADC works fine (at least with Avid plug-ins).

I also heard, that in some cases, ADC on sidechains doesn't work but never been have to reproduce it on my system (and I never knew if it was a plug-in issue or a PT issue).

That's all I've ever used were zero latency Avid stock plugins for sidechaining. Even on HDX/HD. But I never knew PT did not have sidechain ADC across the board. It's such a simple feature that the lowest priced daws have.

[demodigi]

Originally Posted by Wall2Wall

That's all I've ever used were zero latency Avid stock plugins for sidechaining. Even on HDX/HD. But I never knew PT did not have sidechain ADC across the board. It's such a simple feature that the lowest priced daws have.

Sorry if I was not clear but I didn't mean sidechain ADC wasn't working (plus, I made a syntax error in my last sentence).

So I rephrase :
Sidechain ADC is supposed to work even on Pro Tools vanilla (maybe I didn't understand what JFreak meant ?). I've never had such an issue but I don't use SC that often and mostly with Avid stock plugins and Waves (C1). But I read some people complaining about that in other forums. If we don't know which comp plug-in the OP is using, it very complicated to reproduce/confirm.

Some 3rd party plug-ins are not 100% compliant with AAX format in many points (like some shortcuts) and some plugs don't even have SC capabilities whereas they should (ex : IK T-RackS Comp plug-ins).

But I'm pretty sure OP's issue is not an ADC issue but a routing issue. To be sure ADC can calculate the proper delay, you must be sure that every virtual busses are "terminated", meaning busses must be routed, at the very far end, to a physical output.

If you route an audio/aux/instrument track to a bus that is going to nowhere, it leads to long/odd/unpredictable/wrong delay comp value.