How to sidechain in Ableton Live
Sidechaining pulls one sound down out of the way of another — usually ducking the bass and pads to the kick so the low end stays clean and the groove breathes. Ableton's stock Compressor does it in a couple of clicks.
Updated 2026-07-06The stock Compressor route
Drop a Compressor on the track you want to duck (say the bass). Open the sidechain panel (the little arrow/triangle), enable Sidechain, and set the Audio From dropdown to your kick track. Set a fast attack, a release timed to the tempo, and pull the threshold down until you hear the pump. The gain-reduction meter shows exactly how hard the kick is ducking it.
- Attack fast (0–5 ms) so the duck starts on the transient.
- Release to taste — longer for a slow swell, shorter for a tight bounce.
- Use the sidechain EQ/gain to make the compressor listen to the kick's body, not its click.
When a compressor isn't enough
A compressor's pump depends on the kick's dynamics and can be fiddly to make consistent. When you want a predictable, drawn shape — the same duck every bar, synced to the grid — a dedicated ducker is faster and cleaner. You draw the curve, sync it, and it's identical every time.
Draw the pump with 4x4
4x4 gives you a click-free, hand-drawn duck curve synced to the grid, an analog-character engine for weight, and multiband so the bass pumps while the air stays up. No sidechain routing required.
Does Ableton have a built-in sidechain?
Yes — the stock Compressor (and Glue Compressor) have a sidechain panel where you pick another track as the trigger input. No third-party plugin is required for basic sidechain compression.
How do I sidechain without a compressor in Ableton?
Use an LFO or a dedicated ducker to modulate volume, or use Ableton's own tools with an envelope. A drawn-curve ducker gives the most predictable, grid-synced pump.