Compressor sidechain question

Cubase
#1

64 bit Cubase 5.5.3 I am trying to use a kick track to trigger a sidechained compressor on a bass track through an additional group buss. When I use the standard Steinberg compressor, everything works as it should do however when I use my Stillwell Audio compressor (the rocket), and toggle the sidechain icon to on, Cubase 5 does not recognize any active send option for me to route (via the sends) the kick into the sidechain of the rocket.

Does Cubase 5 only recognize an active sidechain option for Steinburg VST3 plugs?

Is there any way for me to be able to use the sidechain functionality of the rocket in cubase 5?

My copy of the rocket is fully licensed to me and not a trial version.

Any help gratefully received…

#2

No, but it needs to be VST 3, which the rocket probably isn´t.

You probably need to use the group bus method, explained here, onthe old forum and on youtube.

#3

Hi, Thanks for the reply.

I am already using the group buss method, and the Steinberg Compressor sidechain works as expected. A virtual buss routing is available as a send fx from the track you wish to use as the trigger for the sidechain.

What I have found though is that for other compressors, including VST 3 plug ins (FabFilter Pro-C trial vsn for example) does not appear as a send fx, as the Steinberg compressor does.

I have read that waves plug ins have been updated, and should work as the standard Steinburg plugs however I don’t have an ILOK dongle, so I can’t download a trial of the waves plug ins (Rcomp etc).

Has anyone else had this sidechain issue? and managed to find a plug that works as the standard steinberg comp?

EDIT: I am looking for more than what amounts to a frequency based sidechain solution.

#4

No, obviously you are not. That´s not the method I´m talking about. That´s the VST 3 method. There was a different method that made sidechaining possible before VST 3 already which works with group busses. As said already, use the search… Sidechaining “the rocket” works that way, as I already mentioned.

The VST 3 version of fabfilter Pro C works the same way the Steinberg VST3 compressor works, if used correctly. That is you activate the sidechain button and get the virtual bus from the sends. Looks you´re using the wrong plugin version.

#5

Ok so your talking about the quadro group for sidechaining. I found this method overly complex and the results were poor compaired to the vst 3 process (when comparing the rocket to standard Cubase compressor). So the vst 3 process is a better process than the quadro group, but for some reason its not as accessible as it perhaps should be. Maybe I should have stated this in my o.p.

“The VST 3 version of fabfilter Pro C works the same way the Steinberg VST3 compressor works, if used correctly. That is you activate the sidechain button and get the virtual bus from the sends. Looks you´re using the wrong plugin version.”

What makes you think this? I am using the correct version, the mono sidechained enabled version of the plug in. I have also tried the other versions, SC and non SC and even the stereo versions.

#6

Right, I have checked the plug in info in cubase and the trial plugs that have installed are the VST 2.4 plugs not VST 3 plug ins. I have un-installed and re installed and the VST 3 version of the plug in is now available and is working.

Great, thanks for your help.

#7

Quadro group for stereo files, stereo group for mono files

I didn´t say, it was as simple, I just said, it´s the way to go with non VST 3 plugins. Given the settings and processor are the same, the results should also be the same.