If you don't know about this issue, you can loose all effect from sidechain in your project!

It's about routing issue in Pro Tools. When there are many plugins in the project (pretty big latency) - side chain has some latency too. You can see it on rendered waves, when you are trying to sidechain your bass with kick or something like that. Compression will work too late. Tried with different compressors. Tried to turn on/off delay compensation and low latency mode. Doesn't help. Something is changing, but not the way it should be. Had this problem on Intel and AMD CPUs.

Is there some way to get it work right?

Pro Tools 12.5 AudioUTOPiA

 

Last edited: Oct 26, 2020

Well if you're using a plugin that models an analog unit, a tiny amount of latency will be always inherent. How much latency are we talking about? What kind of comp are you using? Digital, VCA, OPTO, FET, Delta-mu or FB/FF?

 

I like hardware for compression. dbx

 

time to summon @No Avenger & @The Pirate for this. @Xupito is always welcome. also @A Ghost On The Moon @Moonlight @Recoil @Creme he he what you people think? i never cared for this though. but curious about what ya all have to say on this matter.

 

What did I do this time? ...Oh, okay lol

Actually this is interesting stuff but I can only make wild or basic guesses like "perhaps PT plugin delay compensation is not good" and stuff. And the OP is already beyond that.
But I can crack a bad joke anytime, all right.

 

1. Audio hardware setup/settings, PC Setup, BIOS set properly (XMP/PBO), OS tuned/tweaked for audio?
2. Live tracks/samples/loops or a mix of all?
3. Checked start time & zero crossing of each track (time-aligned)?

Each system has a sweet spot for optimum performance. This is why 'prebuilt' system makers have specific hardware in their list.
This is also why they will offer preinstalled software at a nominal charge. This applies to all types of professional workstations used for science, film/video, audio & etc..

Answering the questions above could lead to a working solution from someone here. Good luck!

 

Guys, you miss the point. It's a routing issue.
Compressor should be on a dedicated bus, not just somewhere in the inserts.
Generally, for a proper sidechain compression with lots of latency-heavy plugs, you need three busses: the Compressor bus, the PDC (delay compensation) bus and the Sidechain feed bus. If the sends in DAW are latency-compensated, you don't need the last one.
So you put the outputs of all your tracks you wish to sidechain-compress (e.g Bass) on the Compressor bus and also put a compressor there, you put the outputs of all your tracks you don't wish to sidechain-compress (e.g. Kick, Snare, whatever) on PDC bus, and then you Send your sidechain signal tracks (e.g. Kick) on Sidechain feed bus, then put the output of Sidechain feed bus to compressor's sidechain on Compressor bus.
If sends in your DAW are latency-compensated, you can just Send the Kick's signal directly into compressor's sidechain, no need for Sidechain feed bus.
That's it.

 

That's what I'm talking about

The first variant is bad on playback, but good after commiting.
The second - vice versa..

 

Pretty commun for Pro tools to have latency issues, the solution is to close the project and re open your daw, after you add your plugins that introduces the issue.

 

Didn't help.

Upd: No, it helped) Made it better too

 

Last edited: Oct 26, 2020

Thank you so much! It helped! Now won't afraid of using side chain anymore)

 

FLStudio does a great job at routing dedicated side-chain signal to the target signal/track, very easy to set up as well, one of the many reasons why I stick with FL.

 

Last edited: Oct 27, 2020

So, working better now, but still have latency in sidechain (both with and without SC feed). Here you can see, how I did all of this routing:

 

Last edited: Oct 27, 2020

Unfortunately automatic PDC for sidechains is an HDX only feature

 

Heard it too..

 

i only use kickstart now. he he

 

Must be a pro-tools thing because i don't have these issues with Studio One.
Sorry, not an overly helpful response from me i know

 

Hi zHENKOVSKI,

In order for Pro Tools to properly calculate delay compensation, first you have to send all your tracks to one stereo Aux Input, which would be your "Master bus". Let's say that you put Bus 11-12 as an input of that Aux Input, and you send all your tracks to that Bus.
In that way, Pro Tools starts to calculate delay compensation in a proper way. All other guys with other DAWs don't have that problem at the start, because they already have a "Master bus", but in Pro Tools you have to make it.

If you want your sidechain to be in time with your delay compensation, you have to implement it in your Master bus routing, in order to know what delay compensation to use. You have to make so called "Dummy bus". Create a mono Aux input, with your sidechain bus as an input (Bus 1), and with your Master bus as an output (Bus 11-12). Put the fader all the way down. This is only for the Bus 1 to recognize delay compensation, it doesn't have anything with the sound.

It is not the problem with your DAW or hardware. You have to know and understand how it is working in order yo use it properly.

All the best!

 

Thanks, but I guess, I did it already: http://audiosex.pro/threads/sidechain-latency-problem.56001/#post-508129

 

Last edited: Oct 27, 2020

It's weird I just experienced this same exact issue! Same Program (Pro Tools 12.5 AudioUTOPIA) and using the Fab Filter Pro-C 2... It worked fine when I sidechained my Kick to the 808, then I sidechained the Clap to the Kick and it went crazy! My template includes a Master Bus so that wasn't the problem. Im well experienced with Pro Tools and I came to the conclusion that it's a flaw in the software.