Use compressor sidechain filtering to add mix glue without track pumping

You’ve made a drum groove that you love and now you want to add a bit of “mix glue” to make your part feel cohesive. However, when you reach for the compressor to reduce peaks on the group, the kick seems to be triggering the compressor more than any other drum, making everything a bit “pumpy”. That’s when it’s time to get to grips with compressor sidechain filtering.

Although “sidechaining” is a term most commonly used to refer to triggering a compressor on one track with the signal from another, the sidechain feature can do much more. You can filter the signal that arrives in the compressor’s detector circuit, changing the way the compressor responds to incoming audio. So, for example, on a drum group or a mix, you can add that elusive mix glue without having your track pump on every kick drum hit.

In this tutorial, learn what all the parameters are and how to use them to best serve your productions.

Throughout our Logic Tips series, MusicTech Logic guru Jono Buchanan explains the music production process using Apple’s professional DAW. We have over 70 episodes covering topics such as:

• Autosampler Explained
• Embellish a Beat Using Found Sounds
• Transform an Apple Loop into a pad
• Introduction to Alchemy
• Record Capture
• Using Groups
• Adaptive Limiter
• Parallel Compression
• Channel EQ tutorial
• Understanding Compression
• Alternative sidechain compression
• Sidechained gates
• Slicing audio with EXS24
• Tuning audio with Flex Pitch
• Using the Evoc 20 Vocoder
• Modulation effects
• Articulation mapping
• Low Latency Mode
• Gated kick and bass triggers
• Creating your templates
• Remove spill between tracks
• Sidechain compression on vocal reverb

For more expert advice, interviews, news and reviews visit musictech.net. And, subscribe to the MusicTech YouTube channel now for new DAW tutorials every week and more.