The ultimate guide to sidechain compression in ableton live 9. Im no expert, but as i understand sidechaining, you use one signal say a bass drum to trigger an effect here, compression on another signal like your bass. The bass would have to be reduced to about 10db to have no impact. Time to sidechain by strategically using a key input and sidechain you can have your kick. Side chain compression is an easy way to balance the base and the drums. Next, you can load up the presets, located on the side bar list, one a bass, and, then a basic kick drum by. Were ducking the bass or the pad whenever were playing a kick sample. Mar 11, 20 part 11 of 31 struggling to get your kick drum and bass guitar to both be heard in the mix. Learn the difference between a regular compressor and a sidechain compressor, and how to use sidechain compression in ableton live.
A little hack that many producers employ is to use sidechaining to quickly duck the subbass out whenever a kick triggers. Then i eq it so i get rid of the clicks due to the gate opening and closing quickly. In bass heavy music such as dubstep and drum and bass, the kick drum and subbass play dominant roles in the makeup of the mix. The earliest form of sidechaining was done by djs who wanted their voice to cut through a complete instrumental mix. By strategically using a key input and sidechain you can have your kick drum triggering a compressor on the bass guitar, turning it down just a hair every time the kick drum hits. Sidechain compression explained what is sidechain compression. Sidechaining is a great techniquethat allows you to create more space in your mix. A common scenario involves compressing a bass track sidechained to the drums. A compressor set up for a track to duck a 909 kick drum in live 10. There are 2 different types of compressors in the audio effects section of ableton live s browser. How to use sidechain compression in ableton black ghost audio. Working with lives auto filter, nalepa uses sidechain compression triggered by a kick and snare to automate the frequency range of the filter to create a rhythmic synth sound.
The ultimate guide to sidechain compression in ableton. That is really fascinating how the pad turned into a pattern that was synced with the bass drum after you set up the side compression. The following guide uses fabfilters promb multiband compressor inserted on a sub bass track. Hi guys ive just upgraded from reason 4 to 10 and have never really done sidechaining before with reason. The filter frequency can also be modulated by an envelope follower andor an lfo to create moving filter effects.
A quick look at how to use sidechain compression technique to make your bass pump with the kick in ableton. I made a tutorial showing how to make 808 style bass sounds using operator. These patterns can be thrown straight over the top of your programmed kick triggers, helping to give your sidechained parts a dose of human or mechanically swung feel. When this happens, the basslines volume is lowered temporarily. Part 11 of 31 struggling to get your kick drum and bass guitar to both be heard in the mix. Max graham studio quick tip 006 sidechaining bass in ableton. From pop to hiphop to sound design to heavy techno, sidechaining is an essential tool for modern production. How to sidechain to kick in ableton with compression. Create two new midi tracks making one for side chain bass and one for side chain kick. Discover how to sidechain a bass synth sound to a kick using abletons drum racks and a drum loop utilizing the sidechain eq setting. The reason im using ableton s glue compressor instead of ableton s compressor is that i like the sound of the glue compressor more. Heres how to use sidechain compression in ableton live. Just about any two sources can be used for this technique but i have gone for the traditional kick drum and synth combo.
Oct 10, 2018 the following guide uses fabfilters promb multiband compressor inserted on a sub bass track. Then i switched the monostereo switch on the bass track and voila, the compressor started pumping with the kick drum. Mar 16, 2016 working with lives auto filter, nalepa uses sidechain compression triggered by a kick and snare to automate the frequency range of the filter to create a rhythmic synth sound. Traditionally, sidechaining is using the signal from one source as the input for an effect on another. How to make techno 2015 with vince watson in ableton live.
Abletons compressor, gate, and auto filter all have side chaining capabilities. Head over to the audio effects and drop an instance of the compressor into your bass track. Many daws include a frequency stock plugin of some sort allowing you to be as precise as possible with which frequencies need to be balanced. Kick and sub bass sidechain with fabfilter proc2 mixing and mastering tutorial duration. Many people have a lovehate relationship with it due to the fact that its often overused, especially by newer producers. Sidechain compression is a cornerstone technique for producers in a wide range of genres, particularly dance. No matter what you try, sidechaining allows you to finish your project with your kick and bass in the perfect place. If you are completely inexperienced in compression, here is an excellent article on the topic.
Sidechaining effects and adding atmosphere to a synth in ableton live one of the most important techniques to learn in music production is sidechain compression. The reason im using abletons glue compressor instead of abletons compressor is that i like the sound of the glue compressor more. Its most often employed on basslines, automatically ducking the volume of the bass to let the kick drum through without muddying up the low end. And the bass guitar really melded into the track with the bass drum as the machine did all the work to sync the notes and highlight what you wanted to. Without question, the most popular application of sidechaining involves having other instruments fall in line behind the awesome power of the kick. Daft punk and their peers such as motorbass and cassius. Tailor the compressors release time to taste, then render this signal to a new audio region and chop out the best sections to isolate immense openings and rising. In this lesson a puppet discusses how to make your kick drum sit better with your 808 or sub bass in your. Ableton s sidechain compression pane is hidden behind a sidechain toggle button. Jul 19, 2018 hi guys ive just upgraded from reason 4 to 10 and have never really done sidechaining before with reason. How to sidechain with 3rd party plugins in ableton live. Insert guitar rig and the vintage or solid bus compressor on the basslead track. Sidechaining i was wondering if someone could help.
I also gate my sub to a midi signal that acts as the kicks ghost. Taking us through the setting up of your project, programming and grouping processing the drums, modulating the stab and arps to create real movement through to. The deesser preset in live 10s compressor notice the eq portion. Ill be using ableton live 10 to show you how to set everything up, but the same principles translate to your software of choice, as every daw has a compressor thats capable of sidechaining. Click the black triangle at the top left of the compressor plugin. Edit subject hi, is there a way to sidechain a bass sample to a kick drum or other pad within the mpc live to make the bass duck out. How to use sidechain compression in ableton live mmmmaven. Sep 26, 2009 properly sidechainingsub basskick relationship. Dont just kick it the kicking sidechain effect is perhaps a little overused now, so dont just stick to it. The resulting effect is also called ducking and in this twopart tutorial we are going to explore its uses and demonstrate how his method can assist and enhance.
Click this button to display the sidechain circuitry options. Remember, the effect is about letting a certain instrument cut through the mix. Try experimenting with different audio material as the external sidechain source. If you are new to the technique or just have no idea what it is then read on and all. When this compression is applied to another audio signal rhythmic gain reduction can be heard. Sonic academy proudly presents how to make techno 2015 with vince watson in ableton. Ill be showing you how to sidechain your kick to your bass using abletons glue compressor. How to do basic sidechaining in ableton wonderhowto. With the bass solod, you can listen specifically to the kick coming into the sidechain by pressing the sidechain monitor button in the dyn3 plugin. Synth sidechaining and adding atmosphere in ableton. Now lets turn on sidechaining for the chords, lead, and bass. Give the subbass enough attack so it doesnt affect the kick, and the release so it drops off just in time for the next kick.
To sidechain the bass to the kick, we will need to first put a compressor on the bass track. How i finally learned to mix kick and bass landr blog. Sidechaining is one of those techniques that just keeps popping up. Which is the best vst plugin for side chain process. Better sidechaining with autopan in ableton live adsr. Sidechain compression will save your bass beat production.
The most classic example is the use of a kick drum to duck other sounds like a pad or a bassline. It allows you to mix your kick drumsand basslines in together without muddying the mixor creating too much bass. Thats the easiest way to see the sidechaining in action. How to get that perfect to kick to sit with your perfect bass. Is there any advantage to choosing the entire drum track and. Rory seydel is a musician, writer and father who takes pleasure in touring the world and making records. How to use sidechain autofilter effects in ableton. Oct 22, 2019 sidechaining doesnt have to only be about bass. Learn how to create that pumping bass sound using sidechain with a kick drum. Even if you dont think you know it, youve heard it. The sidechain input in the compressor on the bass stem has been set to that same aux bus 1. Side chain compression in ableton live 8 part 2 up to ableton live version 6, the software didnt include a compressor device with side chain input. Lastly, a sidechain audio track to route the kick signal to promb. Unfold the sidechain section with a triangle icon upperleft corner, activate sidechain button and select your kick track from the audio from drop down menu with.
Not sure where to start as there seems quite a few ways of doing it. There are many reasons you would use sidechain compression as we. By sidechaining the bass to the kick, we program the compressor to reduce the volume of the bass everytime that the kick comes in beats 14. Its a lot easier to fit a personalized 808 into your song instead of a sample. Sidechaining wasnt just an effect, it was a creative choice to subvert expectations and make a track respire. So i will then put their track into ableton and start remixing in some ways.
The bass guitar signal gets clamped when the bass drum peaks, allowing the bass drum to stand out more. Essentially sidechaining or ducking is where a compressor takes a feed from any audio source and uses this to create gain reduction. Dec 16, 2015 the track you choose will govern the effect applied, depending on the plugin doing the sidechaining. Set audio to to the basslead track the one with guitar rig. First, find a track that you think could use some sidechain compression.
Discover how to sidechain a bass synth sound to a kick using ableton s drum racks and a drum loop utilizing the sidechain eq setting. Go to the audio effects folder and select compressor. Im sidechaining the bass to duck the kick with lives compressor. Percussion and drum loops often provide cool rhythms that drive the filter in unique ways. In house, techno, or hip hop, sidechain can be the difference between a kick struggling to breathe in the mix and a strong, heavy thump. Heres a little compression trick you can use to free up a bit of space for both to live peacefully. For example, if youre trying to make room for your kick, apply the glue compressor to your bass. How to use sidechain compression in ableton live youtube. As you can see from the walkthrough, the possibilities of sidechaining are vast, especially when you consider the variety of plugins featuring sidechaining and the almost infinite number of sound combinations that can be used with them.
Sound design instructor chris carter gives a tutorial in sidechain compression. Lastly, nalepa sets the sidechain feature on lives gate device to open the gate whenever the kick hits allowing the synth sound to play in sync with the kick. A great example if this to keep the kick drum and bass form competing for the same space. So whats the most simple and effective way of doing it for edm type music and should it just be done on the bass drum and bass line tracks or on everything or what. This video walks you through step by step instructions for configuring your compressor to. Sidechaining in ableton live sidechain compression is a very common tool in radio programs or radio advertisement when the presenter talks over a song, it gets automatically lowered so theres no need to manually fade down the volume. When this happens, the bassline s volume is lowered temporarily.
Create one track for your kick drum and one for the bass. Sidechain compression its also an interesting feature used in edm production. Vintage compressor sidechaining in ableton live ni. Sidechain compression is most often triggered by the kick, as we can hear very clearly in make you feel. Watch a tutorial on sidechain compression in ableton live 10. Well, on my kicks, i make the sub part of the kick as long as the actual kick itself. Using a compressor, you can cause your base to drop in volume when the drums are hitting so that one is not overpowering the other. With fl studio, sidechaining is builtinto several of the plugins, making itmuch easier to accomplish. To rename a track choose the two keys command ctrl and r. I used ableton for this example, but the principles are the same in any daw. Sidechain compression its also an interesting feature used in. You could also use this technique constructively to cleanup competing low frequencies between the kick and bass. Its something you can use in any genre and if youre a live user youll be happy to know its accessible to you too. The track you choose will govern the effect applied, depending on the plugin doing the sidechaining.
Ableton live contains hundreds of human grooves as well as the swing patterns from various hardware drum machines. Hi, ive got a song with four on the floor at 168bpm. Ill be showing you how to sidechain your kick to your bass using ableton s glue compressor. However, theres more to sidechaining than this, as these eight creative tips should prove to you. Better sidechaining with autopan in ableton live in this video learn a nw technique to get a sidechain pumping effect with ableton lives autopan. This will provide your kick with more space in your mix, and result in a kick that is clean and punchy.
Even the kick itself seems to be swallowed, which suggests that perhaps flylo put a sidechain on the master an unorthodox but highly effective move. Usually something sustaining like a synth pad or string line or maybe a heavy bass. How to sidechain bass with kick in ableton live youtube. This video shows how to do audio side chain compression to improve your production audio mix. By using three keys in ableton live, command ctrl, shift and t, you can create a short cut. This allows the sub to cut off exactly when then kick hits. Sound design instructor chris carter teaches us how to set up sidechain compression in ableton live 10, and demonstrates some of the things. I always choose the kick drum from the side chain menu. How to mix kick and sub bass in hip hop or edm tutorial in ableton live 9. Sidechain compression in ableton live is easy, so well try that first.
Ableton lives auto filter effect provides classic analog filter emulation. Set up a really long reverb on a return, send key track elements to it, then pump the signal around the kick drum. For an ultratight rhythm section, lock the bass to the kick so that you hear bass only when the kick hits fig. Vince servers up another slice of dark melodic techno, with moody moog baselines, dirty detroit stabs and strings, techie trade mark 909 drums. In the mix you wont notice the bass ducking but you will notice the kick having. The most classic example is the use of a kick drum to duck other sounds. The kick send outlined in yellow is prefader, so its level is independent of the kicks channel fader, and the send goes to the sidechainenabled gate. Sidechaining with compressor distorts my bassline ableton forum. Track setup for locking bass to drums in steinberg cubase. I set up the pc bus compressor on the bass, sent the kick drum to it and nothing happened, i tried switching the preafter fader toggle on the send, nothing. Learn the history and uses of sidechain compression in part 1 of. In addition, the envelope follower feature can track either the filtered input signal or an external sidechain source. Two minute ableton tip in this second part of a three part series, i will show how the sidechaining function on the auto filter works.
Unfold the sidechain section with a triangle icon upperleft corner, activate sidechain button and select your kick track from the audio from drop down menu with your kick playing simple 4 x 4 pattern. Ableton live 7 onwards introduced the new side chain enabled native compressor. Ableton gate full tutorial sidechaining, gated reverb, drum mic cleaning, vocal tail cleaning, and more. A kick drum can be used to reduce the volume of a bass instrument right as the kick hits. I opened a brand new project, had a bass line and a kick drum. Preset junkie as well as creating bus routings from the send or output boxes of the channel strips in the mix or edit windows, you can edit all your busses from the bus page of the io setup window.
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