How to use sidechain in Cubase for music production for different effects. Sidechaining can be used in many different ways, we’ll show you one way to sidechain in Cubase.
First, what is sidechaining?
It’s a technique in audio production for controlling one sound with another. It is a way to make rhythmic patterns more interesting and it can be used in many different styles of music.
When you want to make a sound quieter, you turn down the volume knob – when you want to cut out certain frequencies from another sound, we call this Side-chaining (or ducking).
This type of creative control can also be used as an effect: Imagine a squelching bassline that cuts out every time the kick drum hits. Or how about an eerie pad that lives its life on top of suspenseful drums? This is all made possible through sidechaining.
How to use sidechain in Cubase for music production for different effects. Sidechaining can be used in many different ways, we’ll show you one way to sidechain in Cubase. One example can be a kickdrum playing against a heavy bassline – usually with sidechaining the bassline is quiet when the kick drum hits.
- Add your sound to the Bus channel strip
The first step of how to sidechain in Cubase is to add your sound to the bus channel strip. To do this, select your sound and create a bus channel strip by clicking on “create track” and choosing “bus” from the drop-down menu in the top left corner of Cubase.
- Add a Pad to the channel strip
Now that our sound is on the bus channel strip, go back to the channel strip, select the pad and click on “create track”. We now have our two tracks on the same track.
- Make sure you have a chain selected in Cubase’s chain editor
At this point, you want to make sure there is a chain selected in Cubase’s chain editor. If there is no chain selected, you will not be able to sidechain in Cubase.
- Now it’s time to sidechain
Now that we have the pad on the same track as our original sound, and there is a chain selected in the chain editor, it’s time to sidechain in Cubase. To do this just click on the pad, select your kick drum from the drop-down menu, and save your project. The pad should now duck every time you play your kick drum.
- How to sidechain a master
To create a chain in Cubase, you can do one of two things:
a) Click on the pad’s menu in the chain editor and select “Create chain”. You now have a chain selected.
b) Drag your original sound onto the chain you just created. There is no shortcut for this, but it’s a good way to get started.
You can use sidechaining as an effect.