A sidechain configuration can be used to trigger an effect that is inserted on one channel with an audio signal from another channel. For instance, you can create a "pumping" effect on a pad by inserting a compressor to the pad track and triggering it with a bass drum from another track.
This article explains how to configure Cubase 5 / 6 to create a sidechain effect with Native Instruments' SOLID DYNAMICS compressor, but it also works for every other NI effect that has a sidechain feature.
- Open the Devices menu in Cubase and choose the entry VST Connections.
- In the VST Connections window, click the button Add Group.
- Open the Configuration menu and click on More…. From the menu that opens, choose Quadro. Click the Add Track button.
- Right-click on the group you just created. In the menu that opens, select Add Child Bus to *Group Name*. In the sub menu, choose Stereo.
- Repeat step 4 and choose Stereo (Ls Rs). You should now see two sub busses below the group - Stereo and Stereo (Ls Rs).
- Go to the channel settings of the group track you just created and load GUITAR RIG 4 / 5 into an insert.
- In GUITAR RIG, go to Components > Products > SOLID MIX SERIES and load SOLID DYNAMICS.
- Set the output of the track you want to process with SOLID DYNAMICS to the Stereo output of the group track you created before.
- Set the output of the track you want to use as a sidechain to the Stereo (Ls Rs) output of the group track.
- Open the GUITAR RIG window and activate the SIDECHAIN button.