Audio Engineering

The Dynamic Side Chain: Ducking

The Music Telegraph | Text 2019/10/19 [16:39]
Audio Engineering

The Dynamic Side Chain: Ducking

The Music Telegraph| 입력 : 2019/10/19 [16:39]

 

▲ The Symetrix SX206 Multi-Dynamics Processor

© Music Equipment Sales Ltd.



 

The Dynamic Side Chain: Ducking

 

 

A dynamic processor (compressor, expander) will attenuate a signal based on the level of the signal in relation to a threshold level set in the device. When the signal level passes the threshold level, an internl control circuit (called the side chain, or control loop) will attenuate the signal. It is possible to break into the control circuit, and have an external signal cause the device to affect the input audio. The side chain is accessed through the key input or return loop of the processor. The key input allows you to break into the control circuit and affect the action of the compression or expansion circuit by an external signal. This has some very interesting and creative uses.

 

 

Most dynamic devices are capable of either compression or expansion, but there are a few audio products on the market that combine both in one unit. The Symetrix SX 206 (see the above picture) is an example of this type of device. It contains a compressor and an expander in one unit.Its compressor can be used to compress, limit, or duck an audio signal. Its expander can be used to expand or gate a signal. It is called a "multi dynamics processor" because it can do both compression and expansion processing. However, it can only be used in one mode at a time.

 

 

A common use of the dynamic side chain is to use the key input into the control loop in a way that allows the level of one signal to affect the level of another. When used in this fashion, the process is called 'ducking' (one signal is "ducked under" another). Ducking is commonly used in broadcast audio and commercials to keep an announcer's voice over a music selection, or crowd sound. It is a common technique employed by DJ's when talking over the music that is playing. Ducking allows the music signal to be at the desired level until a voice signal is present, at which time the music would automatically be lowered so that the voice could be heard without difficulty.

 

 

A compressor can be set up to act as a ducker by sending the primary (voice) signal into the key input of a compressor's control loop and the secondary signal (music, crowd) into the audio signal path of the compressor. In this operation you will duck a music selection under a voice recording using the SX 206 processor in its ducking mode.

 

 

 

 

 

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