ducking & unmask

[charles kasler]

Can I use the same side chain input from a vocal bus to two different vsts on an instrument bus - an equalizer for unmasking and a compressor for ducking? These seem like two different functions to me but are they redundant? I'd be interested in other people's experience. Thanks

[treesha]

I think there would be some similarity. I think of ducking as an intermittent,  as needed change and the unmasking as more frequency aimed across the track. Anyways thats how I have used each, but never did together. 

[mettelus]

7 hours ago, charles kasler said:

These seem like two different functions to me but are they redundant?

Frequency masking is a psycho-acoustic effect whereby frequencies only 2-3dB lower in volume begin to get "drowned out," so the EQ approach is much more surgical to mixing. Many compressors affect the entire frequency spectrum, so ducking can "pump" frequencies that were never an issue to be unmasked anyway and become obvious very quickly. If you are using instruments with a wide frequency output (particularly synths), the EQ approach allows for the rest of the spectrum (that has no masking issues) to shine through without affecting it. An extreme example for clarification... ducking a bass track from a vocal would be moot and actually cause the bass to drop out with every phrase being sung.

[charles kasler]

That's helpful, thanks! 

[Will.]

On 1/24/2024 at 6:30 PM, charles kasler said:

Can I use the same side chain input from a vocal bus to two different vsts on an instrument bus - an equalizer for unmasking and a compressor for ducking? These seem like two different functions to me but are they redundant? I'd be interested in other people's experience. Thanks

Why not use a multiband compressor for this purpose - instead of sacrificing what might have been a good EQ sculpting before? 

[charles kasler]

Thanks I'll have to think about that. I use izotope and they have a dedicated module for unmasking, separate from the compressor for ducking.

[John Vere]

Believe it or not the Sonitus multi band is excellent for this It’s very easy to figure out too. If you own Sonar you might have one of the LP ones or the Adaptive Limiter.