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Sidechain compression (short tutorial)
Here's a brief sidechain tutorial I wrote with some samples and images since most threads about sidechain compression usually lack the latter.
I made this "project" a while ago, just to see if I could get that pumping hardstyle bass sound. For almost a year I wondered how that reverse bass is achieved and finally I figured out it was all thanks to a neat trick called sidechain compression.
I'll be using Logic Platinum 5.5 for this tutorial, so you'll have to figure out how to set-up sidechain compression in your sequencer on your own (Hint: use Search function here, and Google). Everything else covered here you should be able to apply no matter which sequencer you are using.
So here we go.
(By tha way, all these files were processed with a limiter, so please pay no attention to the brick-looking waveforms)
Here's a basic kick loop I made which is used as a Kick sound AND a compressor trigger.
KICK LOOP
And this is a bass loop I created:
BASS LOOP
NOTE: If you want to recreate this sequence using your own bass sound, the bass should "fall" on every 1/4 note and be roughly 1/4 note in length:
You will also have to increase the Amp Envelope Attack setting to a fairly high value for your bass patch. Just experiment.
Now you can import those files into your sequencer of choice (hopefully it supports MP3, because Logic 5.5 does not) and play them back. Sounds pretty awful, doesn't it?
KICK AND BASS LOOP
Let's fix that then, shall we?
In Logic, insert a compressor on the bass track and use the settings shown in the image below:
In the top right corner of the compressor find the Sidechain button and select the Audio Track which contains the Kick Loop.
IMPORTANT: the Autogain on the compressor must be set to OFF.
NOTE: If you don't want to use audio files and use sequences you created instead, do the following:
Create an Audio Instrument which will be your Kick (and trigger) track and route this Instrument to an empty Buss (make sure that Buss is outputting audio to your sound card (Out 1-2) and not to another Buss). Now create an Audio Instrument for your bass track and insert a compressor; do everything as described above, except, instead of choosing an Audio Track from the Sidechain list, choose a Buss to which the kick track was routed.
Now play back those two files once again. Sounds much better now, at least to me it does  You get that nice pumping effect that you hear in a lot of hardstyle tracks. Here's a clip of what that sounds like with some other percussion instruments added for embellishment:
KICK AND BASS LOOP WITH SIDECHAIN
And that's the basics of sidechain compression. You should experiment with the compressor settings to see how they affect the sound, especially Threshold, Ratio and Release settings.
This technique is not only used to achieve a pumping effect, it is also a great way to make sure your bass and kick don't fight for the same frequency range.
Hope this was helpful to someone.
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