It's a self-contained, intelligent volume control so you don't have to ride the fader on the mixer. When we normally use a compressor we apply it to a track on the multitrack mixer set the threshold, attack, and release and then let it be triggered by the amplitude of the track it's placed on. Let me say that in normal people terms (and for beginners, check out our What is a Studio Compressor? article). Sidechain compression is a method of using a dynamic range compressor to manage the variance in amplitude of an instrument or recording track, like usual, except this time it's being triggered by a different instrument or track. Remember, mixing is an art and a science, and you could be the one to discover new ways to use this advanced method. I'm going to explain everything I've mentioned thus far plus toss out some applications to get you thinking. It's not hard to understand or set up, though we all need that first set of instructions, otherwise it's nearly impossible to figure out. Sometimes there's only so much you can do with equalization.Īnd that's where the concept of sidechaining comes in.

If you're a long-time follower of LedgerNote, you know I've written a ton about mixing tricks of the trade to help you get better clarity, especially in the bottom-end of your mix.