Sidechain settings for trance
Sidechaining turns the music down for a moment every time the kick hits. It clears space for the kick, and it gives trance its breathing, pumping groove.
What sidechaining does
Every kick pushes the pads, leads and bass down, and they swell back up before the next one.
Two jobs at once: the kick gets a clear moment to punch through, and the rhythmic dip-and-swell gives sustained parts a pulse that locks them to the groove. In trance it's used on almost everything that isn't a drum.
Depth and release
Two settings shape the pump. Depth is how far the music drops under each kick. Release is how long it takes to come back. Together they decide whether the pump is a gentle breath or an obvious effect.
What to duck, and how much
- Pads and chords: the deepest duck. This is where the pump is most audible, and where it helps most.
- Leads: lighter, so the melody still reads clearly.
- Bass: short and fast, especially for rolling lines (see kick and bass).
- Reverb and delay returns: ducking the effects, not just the dry sound, keeps big tails from washing over the kick.
- Not the drums. Hats, claps and percussion keep their own groove.
Compressor or volume shaper
A compressor with the kick feeding its sidechain input ducks whenever the kick plays, so it follows your kick exactly. A volume shaper (an LFO or envelope drawn on the volume, as in many "kickstart"-style plugins) draws the same curve on every beat, so it's predictable and keeps pumping even when the kick stops.
Compressor starting point
- Ratio
- 4:1 to 10:1
- Attack
- 0–1 ms
- Release
- 100–250 ms
- Gain reduction
- 6–12 dB
In a breakdown the kick stops, and a compressor stops pumping with it. Feed the sidechain from a muted "ghost kick" track that keeps playing, or use a volume shaper, so the pads keep breathing.
More guides
How to write trance chord progressions
Numerals, why trance lives in minor keys, the raised V and voice leading.
How to write a trance melody
Call and answer, chord tones on the beat, rhythm, range and the peak note.
Trance basslines
Offbeat, octave, galloping and rolling: the four patterns and the sound.
Trance arps and plucks
Arp patterns and rates, the pluck sound, the dotted delay and layering.
How to make an uplifting trance lead
Unison, the octave layer, filtering, delay and the mix tricks that make a lead huge.
How to make a trance pad
Slow attack, long release, width, chorus, reverb and movement.
Trancegate settings explained
Patterns, smoothing and where the reverb goes, for gates that chop cleanly.
Acid in trance
The 303 sound, accents and slides, and the filter movement that makes it talk.
Programming trance drums
Four to the floor, the offbeat hat, velocity, swing, fills and sounds.
Trance track structure
Section lengths, timings at your tempo, and why DJs need the first and last 32 bars.
The trance breakdown
What to strip away, revealing the melody, and keeping it moving without a kick.
How to make a trance build-up
Snare rolls, risers, filter sweeps and the gap before the drop.
Mixing kick and bass in trance
Tuning, timing and frequency: a low end that hits hard without fighting.
Sidechain settings for trance
Depth, release and what to duck, for a pump that breathes with the kick.
Mastering trance for the club
Loudness targets, true peak, the mastering chain and streaming.
Getting your trance track signed
Picking labels, sending demos, premasters and what happens when a label says yes.