Audio Sidechain Compress

Audio Sidechain Compress | Online Free Tool | Elysia Tools

Tool usage guide

Learn when to use this tool, what it supports, and how real users apply it.

Key facts

Category: Media
Input types: file, text, select
Output type: file
Sample coverage: 4
API ready: Yes

Overview

Audio Sidechain Compress is a tool that mixes two audio tracks using sidechain compression, allowing one audio to automatically reduce the volume of another. This is ideal for scenarios like voiceovers, podcasts, or ads where background music needs to duck when dialogue is present.

When to use

When adding voiceover or narration to background music in videos or podcasts to ensure clarity.
When overlaying advertisements or announcements on continuous audio tracks for better audibility.
When creating dynamic audio mixes where one element should dominate over another at specific times, such as in live recordings or broadcasts.

How it works

1Upload the main audio file, which is the foreground track like music or ambient sound.
2Upload the sidechain audio file, which triggers the compression, such as voice or ad audio.
3Adjust parameters like threshold, ratio, attack, and release to control how much and how quickly the main audio is reduced.
4Optionally set an offset to delay the sidechain effect, choose output format and sample rate, then process the mix.

Use cases

Podcast production: Mix host voice with background music to maintain listener engagement without manual adjustments.
Video editing: Add voiceover to video audio tracks, ensuring dialogue is clear over background sounds.
Audio advertising: Overlay ad clips on background music in radio or streaming content for effective messaging.

Examples

1. Podcast Voiceover Mixing

Podcaster

Background

A podcaster records an episode with background music but needs the music to lower automatically when speaking.

Problem

Manually adjusting music volume during speech is time-consuming and often results in inconsistent audio levels.

How to use

Upload the podcast voice recording as sidechain audio and the background music as main audio. Set threshold to -15dB and ratio to 3 for subtle ducking, then process.

{"threshold": "-15dB", "ratio": "3", "attack": "20", "release": "300"}

Outcome

The background music automatically reduces in volume whenever the podcaster speaks, creating a professional and balanced mix.

2. Video Ad Overlay

Background

A video producer needs to add an advertisement audio clip over the video's background soundtrack for a promotional video.

Problem

The ad audio is hard to hear over the loud background music, reducing the ad's effectiveness.

How to use

Upload the video's audio as main audio and the ad clip as sidechain audio. Adjust attack to 10ms and release to 200ms for smooth transitions, then choose MP3 output.

FAQ

What is sidechain compression?

Sidechain compression is an audio effect where the volume of one track is reduced based on the level of another track, commonly used for ducking effects like lowering music when voice is present.

What audio formats can I upload?

You can upload any common audio format like MP3, WAV, AAC, etc., as the tool accepts audio/* files up to 200MB each.

How do I set the overlay offset?

Enter the offset in seconds or hh:mm:ss[.ms] format to delay when the sidechain effect starts relative to the main audio, such as '5' for 5 seconds.

What are the default compression settings?

Default settings are threshold -20dB, ratio 4, attack 20ms, and release 300ms, but you can customize them to suit your audio mix.

Can I use this for live audio processing?

No, this tool processes uploaded audio files and is not designed for real-time or live audio; it outputs a mixed file for download.

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Inputs

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Learn when to use this tool, what it supports, and how real users apply it.

Key facts

Overview

When to use

How it works

Use cases

Examples

1. Podcast Voiceover Mixing

2. Video Ad Overlay

FAQ

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