Sidechain compression lets one sound control the volume of another. Put a compressor on your 808, feed the kick into the compressor's sidechain input, and the 808 dips for a split second every time the kick hits, so both can be heard clearly without fighting over the same low frequencies. Start with a ratio around 3:1 to 6:1, the fastest attack available, a release between roughly 40 and 120 ms, and enough threshold for 2 to 6 dB of gain reduction. Set the release so the 808 recovers before the next note, and use more gain reduction only when you want an obvious pumping effect. Every major DAW can do it with stock plugins.
The beat sounds huge until the kick and the 808 land together. Then the kick loses its punch, the low end turns into a single muddy thump, and the master meter jumps into the red. Turn the 808 down and the beat loses its weight. Turn the kick up and it starts clipping. Neither fader move fixes it, because the problem is not level. It is timing.
Sidechaining solves exactly that problem. It makes the 808 step out of the way for the few milliseconds the kick needs, then brings it right back. This guide explains how sidechain compression works, how to set it up in every major DAW, how to time it for trap, drill, and R&B, when you do not need it at all, and the mistakes that make it sound worse instead of better.
What Is Sidechain Compression?
A normal compressor listens to the signal it is processing. When that signal gets loud, the compressor turns it down. Sidechain compression changes what the compressor listens to. Sound On Sound's Len Sasso describes it as using a separate audio input for threshold detection rather than the main signal being processed. The compressor still turns down the 808, but it decides when to do it based on the kick.
How the Sidechain Input Works
Every compressor has a detector, the part that measures level and decides when to compress. Most compressors also include an external sidechain input, sometimes called a key input. When you route the kick into it, the detector reacts to the kick instead of the 808. Every kick hit pushes the detector over the threshold, the compressor ducks the 808, and when the kick fades, the 808 comes back up. The kick itself is not changed at all.
Why the Kick and 808 Fight
Kicks and 808s share the same low-frequency range. Sound On Sound notes that kick drum energy typically sits between 50 and 100 Hz, which is right where most 808s live too. When both play at once, they mask each other, and their combined level eats headroom on the master. Sidechaining separates them in time rather than in frequency, which is why it keeps both sounds full.
The range where most kick drum energy sits, according to Sound On Sound. It is also where an 808 carries most of its weight, which is why the two fight when they land together.
How Do You Set Up Sidechain Compression on an 808?
The basic process is the same in every DAW. Here is the only numbered list in this guide, showing the setup in the order it should happen.
- Put a compressor on the 808 track, or on a bass bus if you have several low-end layers.
- Route the kick to the compressor's sidechain input so the kick triggers the compression.
- Set the ratio between about 3:1 and 6:1 as a starting point.
- Set the attack as fast as the compressor allows, so the 808 ducks the instant the kick hits.
- Set the release between about 40 and 120 ms so the 808 recovers before its next note or the next kick.
- Lower the threshold until the 808 shows 2 to 6 dB of gain reduction on each kick.
- Check the result with the full beat playing, then again in mono and at low volume.
MusicRadar's walkthrough of sidechaining bass to kick lands in the same territory, suggesting a ratio around 3:1, the attack at 0 ms as a starting point, and a quick release. From there, adjust by ear. If the kick still feels buried, add more gain reduction. If the 808 starts to sound choppy or weak, back it off.
How Do You Set Up a Sidechain in Your DAW?
The routing is the only part that changes from one DAW to the next. Here is where to find it in the most popular ones.
FL Studio
Image-Line's manual for Fruity Limiter walks through it. Select the kick's mixer track, right-click the send switch on the 808's mixer track, and choose Sidechain to this track. Then, on Fruity Limiter's COMP tab, right-click the SIDECHAIN selector and choose the kick's track. From that point, the limiter's compression is controlled by the kick rather than the 808. Lower the threshold and raise the ratio to hear it work.
Ableton Live
In Ableton's Compressor, unfold the sidechain section using the toggle in the device title bar, enable it, and choose the kick track from the Audio From menu. Ableton's manual notes that the sidechain also has its own filter, which is useful when your only trigger is a full drum loop. A low-pass or band-pass filter focused on the kick range stops hi-hats and snares from triggering the compressor.
Logic Pro
Load Logic's Compressor on the 808 and open the Side Chain menu at the top of the plugin window. Choose the kick track or bus as the source. Logic's Compressor also includes sidechain filtering in its detector settings, which helps when the source contains more than just the kick.
Pro Tools and Other DAWs
In Pro Tools, send the kick to a bus and choose that bus in the compressor's key input menu at the top of the plugin, then enable the external key. Cubase, Studio One, and Reaper all work on the same principle: route the kick to the compressor's sidechain input, then activate the sidechain in the plugin.
How Should You Time Sidechain Compression for Different Styles?
Attack is almost always as fast as possible. Release and gain reduction are where the style comes from. A short release sounds tight and invisible, while a longer release and heavier ducking create the obvious pumping heard in dance music.
| Style | Gain Reduction | Attack | Release | Goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trap | 2 to 5 dB | Fastest | 40 to 100 ms | Punchy kick, full 808 |
| Drill | 3 to 6 dB | Fastest | 40 to 80 ms | Kick-led bounce |
| R&B and slow jams | 2 to 3 dB | Fastest | 80 to 150 ms | Invisible separation |
| Rage and hyperpop | 4 to 8 dB | Fastest | 60 to 120 ms | Aggressive, driving low end |
| House and EDM | 6 to 12 dB or more | Fastest | Timed to the beat | Obvious pumping groove |
For fast-moving 808 patterns, keep the release shorter than the gap between notes so the 808 fully recovers before its next hit. For long, sustained 808s with glides, a slightly longer release keeps the tail smooth. In drill, where the kick usually leads the groove, a bit more ducking helps the kick punch through. Our guide to drill drum patterns explains why the kick carries so much of the bounce in that style.
Do You Always Need Sidechain Compression?
No. In a lot of trap beats, the kick and the 808 rarely land at the same moment. The 808 often acts as the kick, or the kick is placed around the 808 rather than on top of it. We cover that approach in our guide to making dark trap beats from scratch. If the two never overlap, there is nothing to fix.
Check the arrangement first. Solo the kick and 808 together and listen for moments where they collide. If collisions happen on almost every bar, sidechaining is the right tool. If they only happen once or twice, moving a kick or shortening an 808 note may be cleaner than adding a compressor.
What Are the Alternatives to Sidechain Compression?
A standard compressor is not the only way to make the kick and 808 breathe. Each of these alternatives solves a slightly different version of the problem.
Multiband or Dynamic EQ Sidechain
Instead of ducking the entire 808, a multiband compressor or dynamic EQ with a sidechain input can duck only the sub frequencies when the kick hits. The 808's upper harmonics, the part you hear on phone speakers, stay untouched. This is especially useful for distorted 808s. For more on managing the low end, see our guide to layering 808s and basslines without frequency clashing.
Volume Shaping Tools
Volume shaper and LFO tools draw a volume curve that repeats on the beat, without listening to any input. The result is perfectly consistent every time, which suits dance music, but it does not react to kicks that move around, so it is less useful for trap and drill patterns that change from bar to bar.
A Ghost Kick Trigger
Some producers create a separate, muted kick track that plays only where they want ducking to happen and route it to the sidechain input. The ghost kick is never heard, but it gives you complete control over when the 808 ducks, even in sections where the real kick drops out.
Where Else Can You Use Sidechain Compression?
Once you understand the concept, it becomes useful all over a mix. You can duck the beat by 1 or 2 dB whenever the vocal plays so the words cut through without turning the vocal up. You can duck reverb and delay returns under the vocal, which Sound On Sound notes can add a lot of clarity while keeping the effect. You can even duck pads and synths to the kick for a subtle sense of groove. The principle is always the same: one sound tells another when to step aside.
Why Does Sidechain Compression Sometimes Make the Mix Worse?
When sidechain compression goes wrong, the 808 usually ends up sounding weak, choppy, or distorted. These are the most common causes.
Too Much Gain Reduction
Ducking the 808 by 10 dB or more on every kick removes so much of its level that it stops sounding heavy. Unless you want an obvious pumping effect, stay in the 2 to 6 dB range and let the kick and 808 share the space.
A Release That Never Recovers
If the release is longer than the gap between kicks, the 808 never gets back to full level. It sounds permanently quieter and loses its sustain. Shorten the release until the gain reduction meter returns to zero between hits.
Triggering From the Whole Drum Bus
If the sidechain source is a full drum loop or drum bus, hi-hats and snares can trigger the compressor too, which makes the 808 flutter. Sound On Sound's Len Sasso recommends using the sidechain's EQ to isolate the kick range. Better still, send only the kick to the sidechain input.
Clicks and Distortion on Clean 808s
Very fast attack and release settings can distort a clean, sine-like 808 because the compressor moves faster than the waveform itself. If you hear clicks, lengthen the release slightly or try a compressor with a lookahead option.
Sidechain compression does not make the 808 quieter. It makes room for the kick at the exact moment the kick needs it, and gives it straight back.
If you want kicks and 808s that already sit well together, our hip hop sample packs are built with punchy, royalty-free drums and tuned 808s that make sidechaining easy to dial in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sidechain compression lets one sound control the compressor on another. When you sidechain an 808 to a kick, the 808 dips in volume every time the kick hits, so both sounds can be heard clearly instead of masking each other.
Start with a ratio around 3:1 to 6:1, the fastest attack available, a release between 40 and 120 ms, and a threshold that gives 2 to 6 dB of gain reduction on each kick. Adjust the release so the 808 fully recovers before its next note.
Put the compressor on the 808 and use the kick as the trigger. The goal is to make the 808 duck under the kick, since the kick's short transient is what gets lost when both play together.
Not always. Many trap beats avoid placing the kick and 808 at the same moment. If they collide often, sidechaining helps. If they rarely overlap, rearranging the kick pattern or shortening 808 notes may be cleaner.
Sidechain compression reacts to the actual kick signal, so it follows any kick pattern. A volume shaper draws a fixed curve that repeats on the beat, which is perfectly consistent but does not react to kicks that move around.
Usually the gain reduction is too heavy or the release is too long, so the 808 never recovers to full level. Reduce the gain reduction to 2 to 6 dB and shorten the release until the meter returns to zero between kicks.
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| Sound On Sound | Live Side-chain Compression |
| MusicRadar | How to Sidechain Your Bass and Kick Drum |
| Image-Line | Fruity Limiter |
| Ableton | Live Audio Effect Reference |
| Sound On Sound | Side FX |