How to Set Up Sidechain Compression with Vintage Compressors in Ableton Live

Sidechain compression can be used to create a ducking or pumping effect on an audio source. The effect is usually triggered by a kick drum. This article will explain how to create such an effect in Ableton Live using the Native Instruments VC 76 compressor on a synth pad.

In Ableton Live, we have set up a simple project by loading a drum kit on Track 1 (909 Core Kit) and a synth pad on Track 2 (Square Sync). We've also created a simple drum beat and synth melody.
Ableton_two_tracks.PNG

  1. On the synth pad track (Square Sync), load an instance of VC 76 and enable the Sidechain button.
    VC76_enable_sidechain.PNG
  2. In the Device chain, click on the Sidechain drop down for the VC 76 and choose your drum kit. In our example it's the 909 Core Kit that we loaded on Track 1.
    Device_chain_vc76.PNG
  3. Since our drum kit is from an Ableton Drum Rack, it is possible to choose the specific Drum Rack Pad that will trigger the sidechain. The second drop-down menu allows you to select the External Tapping point. In our example, we choose 909 Core Kit | Bass Drum | Post FX, since we want the kick drum to trigger the sidechain.
    choose_external_tapping_point.PNG

Now when you press play, you will hear the volume of the synth on Track 2 being attenuated by the kick drum from Track 1. Tweak the settings on the VC 76 to create a strong or subtle ducking effect.