excessive side-chain compression is now a violation of international law

[integerpoet]

OK, I'm calling it now. This is a done deal. My office will issue the formal edict shortly.

Excessive side-chain compression is now a violation of international law.

First-time offenders will be whisked away by black helicopter to a re-education camp and taught how to use EQ.

To return to polite society, offenders will be required to sign an agreement to never again use side-chain compression.

Repeat offenders will be executed on live television worldwide.

Past offenders will be granted amnesty upon reissuing corrected versions of their prior work.

[huggermugger]

Pump...pump...pump...pump...pump...pump...pump...pump...

[integerpoet]

Pump...pump...pump...pump...pump...pump...pump...pump...

Representing excessive side-chain compression in text is not a crime.

Yet.

[dvdrtldg]

wHAT aBOUt REPrESEnTINg SIDeCHAiN COmPREsSIOn IN FoNT CaSE?

[guitfnky]

tbh, the entire concept of ducking one part based on another part (let alone that other part being the kick drum, of all things) is baffling to me, more often than not. I get it's a stylistic thing, but damn, if the sound of your kick drum is the most interesting part of your song, you've got way bigger problems than just how your synth and kick sit in a mix together.

(I kid, I kid--mostly...)

even when I try my hand at more electronic stuff, I try to shy away from that. there are (to my ears) much better ways to make a song groove than side-chaining against the kick. hasn't anyone heard of syncopation? or just let the parts be what they are... adopting the 'separation-at-all-costs' ethos tends to suck most all the life out of a song, in my view. then again, I come from an 'eff-it, we'll do it live!' background where you play everything in a room together, and everything always sounds like mush and that's okay, but the louder you make it, the better it feels...

my latest pet peeve personally is the super-in-front vocals that sound like the singer is singing from the inside of your actual skull. no idea how that ever became a thing, but I really hope it goes away forever. ruins some otherwise decent songs.

the side-chaining thing doesn't sound as bad as that--it's just overdone to the point of sounding very boring, IMO.

anyway, yeah, you kids get off my lawn.

[RobC]

I just thought about this. I'd only do it manually, and on smooth, static stuff, like reverb, non-rhythmic pads, static SFX, etc.

So, it would be alright to have a fun pumping section.

But yeah, it kind of ruins music when used inappropriately. Yet I grew up with the birth of pumping. Aka. Call on me; Satisfaction; Love is gonna save us, etc.

[robussc]

OK, I'm calling it now. This is a done deal. My office will issue the formal edict shortly.

Excessive side-chain compression is now a violation of international law.

Finally!

[bxbrkrz]

Bruce Swedien would agree

[Popey]

I am soon to be an international criminal it seems

[integerpoet]

tbh, the entire concept of ducking one part based on another part (let alone that other part being the kick drum, of all things) is baffling to me, more often than not. I get it's a stylistic thing, but damn, if the sound of your kick drum is the most interesting part of your song, you've got way bigger problems than just how your synth and kick sit in a mix together.

Misguided stylistic choices aside, I feel like it isn't even a side effect of trying to get things to sit in a mix together. It's like the deepest imaginable ignorance of — or even a declaration of contempt for — mixing.

Like, something is wrong with this software, man. I can't even hear the kick. I guess I'll work around it by pressing this button. But I shouldn't have to. Why are developers so dumb? Don't they have ears?

…adopting the 'separation-at-all-costs' ethos tends to suck most all the life out of a song, in my view.

Maybe, but that's a larger issue and somebody might bring up Steely Dan and this forum has a strict rule against that.

[integerpoet]

I am soon to be an international criminal it seems

I'm only listening to your signature track on crappy laptop speakers at work, but it seems to me if you want to be an international criminal you're going to have to at least push that compressor's release time way out.

[Popey]

I am soon to be an international criminal it seems

I'm only listening to your signature track on crappy laptop speakers at work, but it seems to me if you want to be an international criminal you're going to have to at least push that compressor's release time way out.

Sound advice, I will bring a bigger pump action to the next criminal job

[integerpoet]

wHAT aBOUt REPrESEnTINg SIDeCHAiN COmPREsSIOn IN FoNT CaSE?

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. A team of attorneys is now working on it.

They tell me it's tricky to outlaw this without also outlawing the names of worthless internet startups.

Oh, wait. Jenkins! Get in here!

[plaamook]

I assume they’ll be executed by lethal decibel levels?

[robussc]

I assume they’ll be executed by lethal decibel levels?

I think it'll just be "The Sound of Bread" gently fed into their cell for eternity!