Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2: A Plugin That Makes Sidechain Compression Easy and Fun
Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2: A Review
If you are looking for a plugin that can help you create sidechain-style ducking effects for your EDM tracks, you might want to check out Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2. This plugin is designed to make your mixes cleaner, louder, and more exciting by reducing the volume of one sound when another sound plays.
Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2
In this article, we will review Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2 and see what it can do for your EDM production. We will explain what sidechain compression is and why it is useful for EDM. We will also look at the features of Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2 and how to use them in different scenarios. Finally, we will answer some common questions about this plugin. Let's get started! Introduction
Devious Machines Duck v1. Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2 is a plugin that allows you to create sidechain-style ducking effects for your EDM tracks. Ducking is a technique where you reduce the volume of one sound when another sound plays, creating a rhythmic pumping effect that can make your mix more dynamic and energetic.
What is sidechain compression?
Sidechain compression is a common way of creating ducking effects in EDM production. It involves using a compressor on one sound (the ducked sound) and routing another sound (the trigger sound) to the sidechain input of the compressor. This way, the compressor reduces the gain of the ducked sound whenever the trigger sound exceeds a certain threshold, creating a ducking effect.
Sidechain compression is useful for EDM production because it can help you achieve several goals, such as:
Cleaning up your low end by ducking the bass with the kick drum, preventing them from clashing and making your mix more clear and punchy.
Creating more space and clarity in your mix by ducking other sounds with the vocals, making them more prominent and intelligible.
Adding movement and groove to your tracks by ducking pads, synths, or effects with drums, creating a rhythmic pumping effect that can enhance the energy and excitement of your music.
However, sidechain compression also has some drawbacks, such as:
Being dependent on the trigger sound, which means you have to adjust the compressor settings every time you change the trigger sound or its level.
Being limited by the shape and timing of the trigger sound, which means you have less control over the shape and timing of the ducking effect.
Being prone to glitches and clicks in the audio, especially when using fast attack and release times or high compression ratios.
This is where Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2 comes in handy. This plugin is designed to overcome these drawbacks and give you more flexibility and creativity in creating ducking effects for your EDM tracks.
What are the features of Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2?
Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2 is a plugin that lets you draw your own volume envelopes and apply them to any sound source, creating custom ducking effects that suit your needs. You can use it as an insert effect on any track or bus, or as a send effect on multiple tracks or buses. You can also link multiple instances of Duck together and edit them as a group, saving you time and effort.
Some of the features of Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2 are:
Preset curves and patches
The plugin comes with a variety of preset curves and patches that you can use as starting points for your ducking effects. You can choose from different categories, such as Basic, EDM, Glitch, Gated, etc., and tweak them to your liking. You can also save your own curves and patches for later use.
Custom curves and rhythms
You can also draw your own curves and rhythms using the intuitive interface of the plugin. You can use different tools, such as pencil, line, curve, grid snap, etc., to create any shape you want. You can also adjust the length, speed, swing, offset, and phase of your curves and rhythms to match your tempo and groove.
Groups
You can link multiple instances of Duck together and edit them as a group. This way, you can apply the same ducking effect to different tracks or buses with one click. You can also unlink them if you want to edit them individually.
Trigger modes
You can use different trigger modes for ducking: repeat, audio, or MIDI. Repeat mode lets you loop your curve or rhythm automatically according to your tempo. Audio mode lets you use any audio signal as the trigger for ducking. MIDI mode lets you use any MIDI note or CC message as the trigger for ducking.
Lookahead and smoothing
You can use lookahead and smoothing to avoid glitches and clicks in the audio when using fast attack and release times or high compression ratios. Lookahead lets you delay the audio signal by a few milliseconds so that the plugin can anticipate the trigger signal and apply the ducking effect smoothly. Smoothing lets you apply a gentle fade-in and fade-out to the ducking effect to make it more natural and transparent.
Crossover
You can use crossover to apply ducking to low and high bands separately. This way, you can create more complex and interesting ducking effects that affect different frequency ranges differently. For example, you For example, you can duck the low band more than the high band to create a more subtle and transparent effect, or you can duck the high band more than the low band to create a more dramatic and noticeable effect. You can also adjust the crossover frequency and slope to fine-tune the separation of the bands.
How to use Devious Machines Duck in your EDM tracks?
Now that we have seen the features of Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2, let's see how to use them in different scenarios to create ducking effects for your EDM tracks. Here are some tips and examples:
Ducking bass with kick drum
One of the most common uses of ducking in EDM production is to duck the bass with the kick drum, creating a classic sidechain pumping effect that can make your low end more clear and punchy. Here is how to do it with Devious Machines Duck:
Insert Duck on your bass track or bus.
Select a preset curve or patch that suits your style, or draw your own curve or rhythm.
Set the trigger mode to audio and select your kick drum track or bus as the trigger source.
Adjust the depth, length, speed, swing, offset, and phase of your curve or rhythm to match your kick drum pattern and groove.
Adjust the lookahead and smoothing to avoid glitches and clicks in the audio.
Adjust the crossover frequency and slope if you want to apply ducking to low and high bands separately.
Tweak the output gain and mix if needed.
You should hear a ducking effect on your bass that follows your kick drum, creating a rhythmic pumping effect that can enhance the energy and excitement of your track.
Ducking pads with vocals
Another common use of ducking in EDM production is to duck the pads with the vocals, creating a dynamic ducking effect that can make your vocals more prominent and intelligible. Here is how to do it with Devious Machines Duck:
Insert Duck on your pad track or bus.
Select a preset curve or patch that suits your style, or draw your own curve or rhythm.
Set the trigger mode to audio and select your vocal track or bus as the trigger source.
Adjust the depth, length, speed, swing, offset, and phase of your curve or rhythm to match your vocal pattern and groove.
Adjust the lookahead and smoothing to avoid glitches and clicks in the audio.
Adjust the crossover frequency and slope if you want to apply ducking to low and high bands separately.
Tweak the output gain and mix if needed.
You should hear a ducking effect on your pads that follows your vocals, creating a dynamic ducking effect that can make your vocals more clear and spacious in your mix.
Ducking reverb with snare drum
A third use of ducking in EDM production is to duck the reverb with the snare drum, creating a gated reverb effect that can make your snare drum more powerful and snappy. Here is how to do it with Devious Machines Duck:
Insert Duck on your reverb track or bus.
Select a preset curve or patch that suits your style, or draw your own curve or rhythm.
Set the trigger mode to audio and select your snare drum track or bus as the trigger source.
Adjust the depth, length, speed, swing, offset, and phase of your curve or rhythm to match your snare drum pattern and groove.
Adjust the lookahead and smoothing to avoid glitches and clicks in the audio.
Adjust the crossover frequency and slope if you want to apply ducking to low and high bands separately.
Tweak the output gain and mix if needed.
You should hear a ducking effect on your reverb that follows your snare drum, creating a gated reverb effect that can make your snare drum more punchy and crisp in your mix.
Conclusion
In this article, we have reviewed Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2, a plugin that allows you to create sidechain-style ducking effects for your EDM tracks. We have explained what sidechain compression is and why it is useful for EDM production. We have also looked at the features of Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2 and how to use them in different scenarios. We have seen that this plugin is designed to overcome some of the drawbacks of sidechain compression and give you more flexibility and creativity in creating ducking effects for your EDM tracks. We have also given some tips and examples on how to use the plugin in different scenarios to create ducking effects for your bass, pads, reverb, and more.
In conclusion, we think that Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2 is a great plugin for EDM producers who want to create ducking effects with more control and creativity than sidechain compression. It is easy to use, versatile, and fun to play with. It can help you make your mixes cleaner, louder, and more exciting by reducing the volume of one sound when another sound plays.
If you are interested in trying out Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2, you can download a free trial version from their website and see for yourself how it works. You can also watch some tutorials and demos on their YouTube channel to learn more about the plugin and its features.
We hope you enjoyed this article and learned something new about Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2 and ducking effects in general. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. We would love to hear from you!
FAQs
Here are some common questions and answers about Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2:
Q: How much does Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2 cost?A: Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2 costs $39 USD for a perpetual license. You can also get a bundle deal with their other plugins, Texture and Pitch Monster, for $99 USD.
Q: What are the system requirements for Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2?A: Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2 is compatible with Windows 7 or higher (32-bit or 64-bit) and Mac OS X 10.9 or higher (64-bit only). It supports VST, VST3, AU, and AAX formats.
Q: Can I use Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2 on other genres besides EDM?A: Yes, you can use Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2 on any genre that requires ducking effects, such as pop, hip hop, rock, etc. You can also use it for creative purposes, such as sound design, experimental music, etc.
Q: How can I get support for Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2?A: You can get support for Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2 by contacting their support team via email or their online form. You can also check their FAQ page and user manual for more information.
Q: How can I get updates for Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2?A: You can get updates for Devious Machines Duck v1.1.2 by downloading them from their website or using their online updater tool.
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