Post by @_bt_music

Everyone knows the pumping sidechain sound. Almost nobody uses the invisible version, and the invisible version is the one that makes records. Set the ducking to 1–2db instead of 6. Fast recovery, timed to the tempo. Now your pads, your reverb returns, your bass all lean out of the kick's way for a few milliseconds... and nobody HEARS it happen. They just feel a mix where the drums punch through effortlessly at any volume. For those of you that don't know why this beats EQ carving: EQ removes frequencies all the time, even when the kick isn't playing. Sidechain removes them only during the collision. It's surgical where EQ is amputational. You keep the full warmth of the pad for 95% of every bar. Go further: sidechain your delay and reverb returns from the lead vocal or melody. The space blooms in the gaps between phrases and politely retreats when the phrase returns. The effect is a mix that seems to breathe around the most important element, like an orchestra watching a conductor. My favorite quiet trick of the bunch: duck the hi-hats a hair off the snare. The backbeat gains this authority you cannot get from level alone. Compression that behaves like courtesy. That's the whole idea. Follow along here - the invisible techniques are my favorite series to write. #sidechain #mixingtips #producertips