Ableton Forum

Hi,
I've got a song with four on the floor at 168bpm. I'm sidechaining the bass to duck the kick with Live's Compressor. I've started with the "Bass Sidechain" preset and tried to make tweaks to get the right sound, but when I solo the bass track, it crackles with every pump of the compressor. I've tried manipulating every parameter of the Compressor, but as long as the kick is compressing the bass, there is distortion.

Any ideas or tutorials to suggest for getting optimal bass sidechaining?

It could be that your release time is too short. As the frequencies of bass lines are very low, you need to set the release rather long, if not the compressor will react on each cycle of the wave instead of the whole note.

As well as Attack and Release, try changing between FB1 and FB2 and ratio and knee settings.

Thank you everyone.

I'd experimented with attack and release, but it distorts unless the release is turned up almost completely (which doesn't sound good).

I've also tried the FF1 and FF2 settings. The FF1 doesn't really distort, but I have to crank the input gain way up to hear it working. I think this is a better sounding solution than the FF2 though.

I think you're right about the tempo. Thank you for your help.

instead of using a sidechained compressor, have you tried using a sidechained gate? and then placed the compressor after that in the fx chain?

168bpm is is absurd for 4/4. pure insanity!

Have you properly routed the kick to the bass's compressor? You should be able to get away with an attack of around 1ms and release of around 15-20 ms with no problem. Perhaps mess with the filters on the sidechain input to cut out the bass from the kick so the compressor is only reacting to the high part of the kick?

You could also use volume envelops on the bassline to manually get the effect you want. I've used sidechaining with Live's compressor with a four-on-the-floor kick at 210 bpm with no problem...it should work!

Superchibisan wrote:168bpm is is absurd for 4/4. pure insanity!

If done right it isn't, just like a 4/4 at 104 is difficult for the untalented.
Marc Acardipane anyone?

Superchibisan wrote:168bpm is is absurd for 4/4. pure insanity!

I take it you've never heard of Charlie Parker?

(Or did I just walk into another dance-centric discussion?)

stringtapper wrote:

Superchibisan wrote:168bpm is is absurd for 4/4. pure insanity!

I take it you've never heard of Charlie Parker?

(Or did I just walk into another dance-centric discussion?)

Not sure Mr. Parker did much "four on the floor" work.

keithtalent wrote:

stringtapper wrote:

Superchibisan wrote:168bpm is is absurd for 4/4. pure insanity!

I take it you've never heard of Charlie Parker?

(Or did I just walk into another dance-centric discussion?)

Not sure Mr. Parker did much "four on the floor" work.

I'll take that as a yes. (To the second question)

stringtapper wrote:

Superchibisan wrote:168bpm is is absurd for 4/4. pure insanity!

I take it you've never heard of Charlie Parker?

(Or did I just walk into another dance-centric discussion?)

So it wasn't the heroin, Bird was sidechaining in 1946?

ethios4 wrote:Have you properly routed the kick to the bass's compressor? You should be able to get away with an attack of around 1ms and release of around 15-20 ms with no problem. Perhaps mess with the filters on the sidechain input to cut out the bass from the kick so the compressor is only reacting to the high part of the kick?

You could also use volume envelops on the bassline to manually get the effect you want. I've used sidechaining with Live's compressor with a four-on-the-floor kick at 210 bpm with no problem...it should work!

210??!!!

but yeah, with the first point- are you sidechaining to just the kick or the whole drum rack - also you can use the EQ section of the sidechain to make sure it's only responding to the low frequenciess - if in doubt use the preview button to hear what it's hearing

1/8th note triplets at 210 bpm is exactly the same as 1/16th notes at 140 bpm...allows for some pretty neat tempo transformations! The middle section of "Time Crystal" on my myspace page has the 210 bpm part.