LMMS • Forums

Here's a quick tutorial on how to make cheap but effective "sidechaining".

1. Add the fast lookahead limiter (or any other kind of limiter you prefer) effect to the master (FX) channel (or the sidechaining instrument's channel)
2. Add the amplifier (stereo) effect to the sidechaining instrument (a kick?). The higher the amplifier gain, the more it will sidechain.
3. Add an instrument and test the sidechaining out. if you can't hear any sidechaining then raise the amplifier gain.

Thanks for reading! (Just saying, this is cheap sidechaining, not genuine sidechaining.)

Yeah, you can do a similar thing with the peak controller. They do have an actual sidechain compressor, but I haven't really looked at it much.

Faster method with more control:
1: Apply Peak Controller to source and turn AMNT to 0 (source IE kick, etc. I use shaped white noise for more control).
2: Apply Simple Amplifier to destination and connect amplitude to the peak controller.

Pros:
> Simple and fast
> Can control sidechain shape if using something like 3osc as the source
> Does not change sound/sidechain if destination instrument's volume is changed

Cons:
> Uses a controller
> Introduces a minimal amount of noise on sidechain activation depending on how it's implemented (usually not noticeable unless destination has no high frequencies)

Taa

Stakeout Punch wrote:Faster method with more control:
1: Apply Peak Controller to source and turn AMNT to 0 (source IE kick, etc. I use shaped white noise for more control).
2: Apply Simple Amplifier to destination and connect amplitude to the peak controller.

Pros:
> Simple and fast
> Can control sidechain shape if using something like 3osc as the source
> Does not change sound/sidechain if destination instrument's volume is changed

Cons:
> Uses a controller
> Introduces a minimal amount of noise on sidechain activation depending on how it's implemented (usually not noticeable unless destination has no high frequencies)

Taa

Another con: The sidechained instruments won't make any sound unless the sidechainer instrument is played first.

Oh right, forgot about that one. It's easily fixed though, just add a note with zero volume at some point before the destination instrument comes in. I usually don't have problems with that because the instruments I sidechain are either only playing with the sidechain enabled or are bass instruments being cut whenever percussion elements dip below a trigger frequency.