How to Sidechain in Ableton Live: Step By Step Guide

Sidechain compression is one of the most versatile techniques in music production. It creates movement and ensures clarity. It makes space for important elements like the kick drum and the vocal track.

In this guide, we’ll take you through step by step, showing you everything you need to know about how to sidechain in Ableton, from the basics through to some advanced tips and tricks.

In this article

• What Is Sidechaining in Ableton Live?
• Why You Should Sidechain
• How to Sidechain in Ableton Live 10 / 11 / 12 Using a Sidechain Compressor
  • Step 1 - Load Ableton Live’s Compressor on a Synth Track
  • Step 2 - Access the Compressor’s Sidechain Section
  • Step 3 - Choose a Sidechain Track to Trigger Sidechain Compression
  • Step 4 - Adjust the Compressor Settings to Control the Ducking
  • Step 5 - EQ the Trigger for More Advanced Control
• How To Sidechain with Third-Party Plugins in Ableton Live
• Sidechaining with VSTs in Ableton Live 10 and Later
  • Step 1 - Load the Third-Party Plugin
  • Step 2 - Activate the Compressor’s Sidechain
  • Step 3 - Choose a Sidechain Track to Trigger Sidechain Compression
  • Step 4 - Adjust the Compressor Settings to Control the Ducking
• Sidechaining with VSTs in Ableton Live 9 and Earlier
  • Step 1 - Load the Sidechain Compressor VST
  • Step 2 - Create a Trigger Source
  • Step 3 - Open the I/O controls
  • Step 4 - Route the Audio
  • Step 5 - Activate sidechain on the VST
  • Caveats with this method
• What can you use Sidechain Compression for?
• Using Sidechain Compression as a Mixing Tool
• Creative Use of Sidechain Compression
• Bonus Tip - Using Auto Pan to Sidechain
  • Step 1 - Load an Autopan onto your Source
  • Step 2 - Set up the Autopan
  • Step 3 - Adjust to taste
• Conclusion

What Is Sidechaining in Ableton Live?

Sidechaining is a technique where an audio signal (usually a kick drum) triggers a compressor on another track, such as a bassline. This causes the bassline’s volume to “duck” whenever the kick hits, ensuring both sounds coexist harmoniously. It’s a staple in EDM but is used across all genres to create ducking effects, improve mix clarity, and add rhythmic energy. Also, don’t forget, If you are only just coming to Ableton Live for the first time, we have a massive collection of Ableton Live Tutorials on the site to get you going.

Why You Should Sidechain

Proper sidechaining prevents clashes between low-end elements like the kick and bass, improving your mix’s overall balance. It also opens creative doors, allowing you to craft rhythmic grooves or even create breathing space for vocals by answering the question, “what should vocals be sidechained to?”

How to Sidechain in Ableton Live 10 / 11 / 12 Using a Sidechain Compressor

Step 1 - Load Ableton Live’s Compressor on a Synth Track

First things first, find the Ableton Live Compressor from the Audio Effects section of Live. Drag and drop Ableton’s sidechain compressor onto the synth or bass track you want to duck. This is where you’ll set up your sidechaining technique.

Step 2 - Access the Compressor’s Sidechain Section

Expand the sidechain controls button in the compressor to reveal its controls. Then enable the sidechain option, which allows external input to trigger the compressor.

Step 3 - Choose a Sidechain Track to Trigger Sidechain Compression

In the “Audio From” dropdown menu, select the trigger signal—usually your kick drum. This tells the compressor which sound should control the ducking.

Step 4 - Adjust the Compressor Settings to Control the Ducking

• Threshold: Lower this to control when the ducking starts.

• Ratio: Set this to determine the intensity of the ducking effect.

• Attack Time /Release Time: Adjust these for a smooth or snappy transition. The longer the release, the longer it takes the compressor to recover and let the sound back in.

Observe the sidechain compression and gain reduction in the Activity View to get a visual representation of the compression

Step 5 - EQ the Trigger for More Advanced Control

A Kick is made up of an initial transient followed by a lot of low end in the body and in the tail. So currently our sidechain compressor will be acting on that whole sound (including the tail).

We can hone in a bit more on this - remove some of the low end and have the sidechain compressor only triggering from our initial transient, and then use the release time of the compressor for better control.

So we are going to use the EQ controls in the compressor to filter the source audio (your kick) kick, focusing on the mid to high frequencies (the transient) for a more precise ducking effect.

• Turn on the EQ mode

• Keep it on High Pass and set to around 390hz

You’ve now filtered out a lot of the bottom end of the kick drum signal and now only the mid / high frequencies are triggering the sidechain compressor. So you will probably need to adjust your release values again to suit.

How To Sidechain with Third-Party Plugins in Ableton Live

Ableton Live also supports third-party plugins like FabFilter Pro-MB or our SA76 compressor for more advanced sidechaining setups.

From Ableton Live 10 and onwards, this has been very simple to route. We’ll cover how to do that in Live 10 below and then take a look at previous version of Live as well.

Sidechaining with VSTs in Ableton Live 10 and Later

Sidechain compression in Ableton Live 10+ has been streamlined, internal sidechain with the likes of the Glue Compressor and other audio effects are easy to set up. When using third party plugins you have to do things slightly different. Lets take a look

Step 1 - Load the Third-Party Plugin

Grab your third party plugin from your list of Plugins and drop it onto the audio channel or instrument channel that you want to duck.

Step 2 - Activate the Compressor’s Sidechain

Each plugin will be different, so you may need to check each plugins manual to find it. But if the plugin has a sidechain option, you’ll probably need to activate it.

On the SA76 compressor, its this SC button.

Step 3 - Choose a Sidechain Track to Trigger Sidechain Compression

Now that the sidechain is active we need to select the source.

In the device view, navigate to the sidechain section, select the dropdown and choose the channel you want to perform as the trigger. For this example we’ll select our kick track.

Step 4 - Adjust the Compressor Settings to Control the Ducking

The same rules apply as before now, just set the controls below to taste

• Threshold: Lower this to control when the ducking starts.

• Ratio: Set this to determine the intensity of the ducking effect.

• Attack/Release: Adjust these for a smooth or snappy transition. The longer the release, the longer it takes the compressor to recover and let the sound back in.

Sidechaining with VSTs in Ableton Live 9 and Earlier

If you’re using an older version of Ableton Live, here’s how to set up sidechaining with third-party plugins:

Step 1 - Load the Sidechain Compressor VST

Place the sidechain-capable plugin (e.g., SA76) on the desired track - we’ll use our BASS channel for this example.

Step 2 - Create a Trigger Source

Create a new audio or Instrument channel to act as your trigger source - we’ll load a KICK 3 onto a MIDI channel for this.

Step 3 - Open the I/O controls

Use Cmd+Alt+I [Mac] or Ctrl+Alt+I [PC] to expand the In/Out section.

Step 4 - Route the Audio

Go to your trigger source (kick drum) and navigate to the “Audio To” menu. Select the channel that your compressor is on (our bass track).

Now open the sub menu just below this and you should see the name of the plugin that supports sidechain comression (our SA76 in this example) - select that.

Step 5 - Activate sidechain on the VST

Activate the sidechain if needed on the compressor you are using - Ensure the plugin’s GUI shows activity from the sidechain signal. You can consult the plugin’s manual for setup specifics.

You should now have sidechain capabilities for your thirdparty plugin so you can go ahead and tweak, Threshold, Attack, Release settings etc.

Caveats with this method

You can’t hear the trigger source anymore

So if your trigger was your kick drum, you will need to duplicate your kick drum channel to have a “dummy” track running alongside your actual kick drum (which can be heard)

This isn’t actually that bad, as it gives you control of the trigger independant to the kick drum if you wish to skip or add additional triggers.

Every Audio track / channel that you want to sidechain needs its own source

This could get quite messy quite quickly if you want to trigger multiple channels, so its best to group or buss together all of the channels that you want to sidechain, and then perform the sidechain on the whole group.

What can you use Sidechain Compression for?

Sidechain compression is a versatile tool with applications across mixing and sound design. Its primary use is to create space in a mix by dynamically lowering the volume of one element when another plays. This makes it indispensable for managing the interaction between a kick drum and bass, ensuring clarity and punch in the low end.

However, sidechaining goes beyond simple mix correction—it can be used creatively to enhance rhythm, control reverb and delay, and add a dynamic pulse to sustained sounds.

Using Sidechain Compression as a Mixing Tool

• Low-End Management: Clean up the bass track and kick drum interaction, especially in genres like EDM and house, where a tight low-end is crucial.

• Improved Instrument Separation: Duck instruments like synths, pads, or guitars to create space for the most important elements in your mix.

• Smooth Transitions: Apply gentle sidechaining to subtly control volume changes during busy sections of your track.

• Automation Replacement: Use sidechaining as a dynamic alternative to volume automation for consistent and responsive mixing adjustments.

• Glue for the Mix: Apply sidechain compression to certain groups of instruments to create a more cohesive and polished sound.

Creative Use of Sidechain Compression

• Pumping Effects: Use sidechaining to create the signature “pumping” sound often heard in dance music, adding rhythmic energy.

• Synth Groove Enhancement: Apply sidechain to pads or sustained synths to make them pulsate in sync with the beat.

• Dynamic Atmosphere: Duck ambient sounds like drones or textures to bring rhythmic elements to life.

• Unique Percussion Layers: Trigger sidechain compression on unconventional sources, like hi-hats or snare rolls, for experimental grooves.

• Dynamic Reverb and Delay: Use sidechaining to “duck” reverb tails or delays when the main sound plays, ensuring they don’t overpower the mix while keeping the track spacious.

Bonus Tip - Using Auto Pan to Sidechain

Auto Pan in Ableton Live can mimic sidechain compression by modulating volume with an LFO. Use this for subtle rhythmic effects without setting up a traditional sidechain compressor.

To do this..

Step 1 - Load an Autopan onto your Source

Navigate to your source track where you want the ducking to occur and load an Auto Pan from the Audio Effects menu.

Step 2 - Set up the Autopan

Use these settings below as your initial setup - you can even save these an an fx preset that you can recall later.

• Set your amount to 100% for now

• Set the Phase to 360 degrees

• Turn on the SYNC option to change it from Hz to Beats / Bars

• Set your Rate to 1/4 note

• Set the Offset to 90

Step 3 - Adjust to taste

You should now have the same kind of ducking / pumping sound heard from a compressor, except in this case you aren’t doing any compression, you are just dipping the volume.

You can now adjust the the Offset and Shape and Amount controls to change how the ducking sounds.

• Amount (similar to threshold) - will control how big of a volume dip you will hear

• Offset (similar to attack) - setting this less than 90 you will hear more transient, setting slightly over 90 will reduce any initial transient you hear

• Shape (similar to release) - this changes the shape - initially it is a sine wave (smoother up/down), but you can change it to more of a square shape which will create a quicker up and quicker down sound.

Play around with these controls to create a sound similar to sidechain compression.

Conclusion

Ableton sidechain compression is an essential skill that bridges the gap between clean, professional mixes and creative sound design. Whether you’re looking to tighten your low-end or add movement to your track, sidechaining in Ableton offers endless possibilities.

Start applying these techniques today, and take your productions to the next level!