Ableton Tutorial: Best Ext. Sidechain Routing for 3rd Party Plugs!!!

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This is by far the best way to route an external sidechain source to a third party plugin in Ableton Live and I'm kicking myself for not knowing sooner!!!

I have done more than a few tutorials on routing external sidechain sources in Ableton Live. Those are all shit compared to this method, which, after years of Ableton Live, I hadn't thought of or discovered, or been taught.

Luckily, a user on YouTube told me about it. Thanks to Somejack !!!!

This method will also work in any DAW (Logic, Protools, Cubase, etc.)!

Watch the Video Tutorial

*full written tutorial below

Written Tutorial

First, you will need a third party plugin that can accept a external (.ext) sidechain source. 

I'm using Softube's FET Compressor. But, this tutorial applies to any and all plugs, compressors, dynamic EQs, and anything else!!

Put the compressor on the channel you want effected. For example, the sub bass channel!!

It could be a group too ;)

Make a return track.

Send the trigger source, like the kick or the drum beat, to the return track. Send it all the way; 100%.

Then take the return tracks audio output and send it to the track with the plugin. The second drop down should automatically update to the plug, but if it doesn't, just click the second drop down and select the right plug. This will be necessary if there are more than one plugs on the track that can take a sidechain source. 

That's it. Now adjust the plug to get the right effect!

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Joshua Casper Online:

[somejack]

LOL man you don't need to say thanks for nothing :-) I need to thank you, that you share your knowledge!
Now back to video:-)
1) You can use aux track too (with monitoring = in and audio from = your sidechaining source), but then you can pick only one source. With return track you can send multiple sidechaining sources (kick + clap for example) into one return track and with amount you want (so it must not to be the full send, like with aux track).
2) Good point with groups - i make it a bit different - because i have already groups for bass, pads and so on ... I don't want to make mess - so i have group of aux tracks and this aux tracks contain different settings of 3rd party plug (longer, shorter duckings etc.). Then i send track (audio to), that i want to "duck" to aux track with preferred setting. Yes and return track from point 1) is send (audio to) to this group of aux tracks.
3) So your example with group can be substituted with one aux track (not like i do in point 2) - group of auxs for different 3rd party plugins settings) and then you make only audio to this aux track (you don't need to rearrange your tracks and then group - what if you need this track grouped under another group?)
I hope it's understandable. My English is horrible :-D
But overall excellent explanation like always - everybody can extend from your point - you make excellent videos! Thank you one more time!

[ericmosh]

Nice Thank you! So simple and useful! :)

[ElMNTxRxFxSx]

Somejack and Joshua, thank you immensely!

[dennisbaptistBE]

doesn't work for me, if I use this method and route it to a group for some reason I also hear other instruments that are routed to other return tracks? I am confused

[TJ-hsqm]

This doesn't work however if you have a click track that you want to side chain to but that click track shouldn't be audible. Easy fix though... you need to activate "sends only" on the click track (doh)

[michaeldodds]

How do you create an HPF sidechain in Ableton for a 3rd party compressor on the master buss so the compressor isn't reacting to the kick? The compressor is a Waves SSL G Bus Comp which unfortunately doesn't have a built in HPF sidechain knob like some others do.

[saardean]

I tried this method. Only i don`t get "sidechain" as an option on the return track. Only "3 trackspacer or 4 trackspacer" does this mean it works on one channel only and not in stereo?

[CrazyLohan]

Cheers for the tip Joshua, nice one. I have tried this on a couple of systems and both the duplicate & send / re-route via return options are giving me slightly different results. Have you ever noticed this? (maybe it's because I'm on Live 9, I am assuming you are on 10? Not sure). Maybe it's to do with the way Ableton routes the audio when routed to a return track, but I am finding that re-routing via a return track adds a tiny bit of latency, depending on your latency settings on your sound card control panel, and this affects the send to the plugin, which adds a tiny bit of attack/delay to the side chain (I'm only noticing this as I am EQ sidechaining quite a top heavy synth sound, reducing the buffer setting down as much as possible still doesn't change it that much, maybe I need a new soundcard :)... ). It's interesting, when you duplicate, it isn't affected by your soundcard's latency settings, when you re-route via a return track, it try it. It's a great method, don't get me wrong, but try it. I'm still trying to find the best means. Ableton aye? Nice Tut btw! Cheers! :)

[pod]

better than ghost track, but now i have a million return tracks. wish there were a designated Key Input track with multiple routes