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18 Chapter 1 Basics
Some Logic plug-ins may have additional parameters that don’t show up on the Editor
control panel. This is indicated by an additional 001/011 button next to the Link button.
Activate this button to reveal sliders for the extra parameters at the bottom of the Plug-
in window.
Plug-ins With Side Chain Input
All plug-ins that support side chain inputs, feature an additional Side Chain pull-down
menu in the gray area at the top of the Plug-in window. This facilitates the routing of
any Audio track, Input channel or Bus Object into the plug-in via a side chain.
You can also route an Instrument channel as side chain signal, if you follow
these steps:
1 Create a Send, using a Bus on the Instrument channel.
2 Choose the selected Bus as a Side Chain input for the plug-in.
Once the Side Chain input is selected, the plug-in processes the audio of the channel it
is inserted in, using the trigger impulses provided by the Side Chain. The signal peaks
of the Side Chain input, combined with the Threshold parameter of the plug-in,
determine when the plug-in is triggered.
Examples for Side Chaining
• A sustained pad sound is sent through a noise gate, which is triggered by a drum
track being used as the Side Chain input signal. This results in a rhythmic pad sound
which follows the signal peaks of the drum track.
• A noise gate inserted into a bass guitar channel is triggered by the kick drum track
via the Side Chain. This can “tighten” the timing of the bass guitar, as it follows the
kick drum signal.
• Side Chains can also be used to blend a music mix with a voice-over. To achieve this,
the mix needs to be routed through a compressor which, in turn, is side chained,
using the voice-over track. In this type of setup, the music becomes softer when the
narrator is speaking, and louder, when not. The effect is also known as ducking.
Please note that in order for this to function, the automatic gain make-up or Auto
Gain (if applicable to the compressor plug-in) must be disabled.