Hey, is it possible to eq sidechain in fmod studio? And by eq sidechain I mean ducking specific frequencies of sound A when sound B is going to overlap the first one. I couldnt find any specific document on this topic. and if it’s not possible, are you guys gonna add this feature to Studio? And if the answer is yes can I know when it’ll be? I’m finalizing a project and eq sidechaining is crucial to what I need. Thanks
None of the EQ effects currently present in FMOD Studio support sidechaining directly, but it is possible to obtain the behavior you describe by using a workaround.
The multiband EQ effect can be automated. This means you can add a sidechain modulator to the parameter used to automate the effect.
Support for more direct sidechaining of compressors is on our to-do list, but has not yet been scheduled for development. It is therefore unlikely to be released in time to be included in your project.
1 Like
我和你一样的问题，想到了好办法。
例子：
有2个Grp在mixer中
一个SFX（其中包含上千个event，不可能每一条都去创建snapshots，太不效率了）
另外一个MUSIC，是需要在SFX播放时被EQ SIDECHAIN的
思路是这样的：
当SFX触发sidechain降低music的音量的同时，被3EQ过的new return在播放，当music正常播放时，触发sidechain去降低new return的音量。
1，创建一条new return，顺序从左到右添加
3EQ-fader-compressor(input=Music)
2，给music grp添加，顺序从左到右
send(new return)-compressor(sidechain on SFX)-fader-siderchain(send to new return)
3，SFX，sidechain(send to music)
Done!
—My English is not very good, this is automatic translation, I try to adjust the language----
I have the same problem with you, but I found the way to solve it.
Example：
There are 2 Grp in mixer
A SFX (which contains thousands of event, it’s impossible to create snapshots every one, too inefficient).
Another MUSIC is the EQ SIDECHAIN that needs to be played on the SFX playback
This is the way of thinking.
When SFX triggers sidechain to reduce the volume of music, it is played by 3EQ new return. When music is playing normally, it triggers sidechain to reduce the volume of new return.
1, create a new return to add an effector from left to right
3EQ-fader-compressor (input=Music)
2, music GRP, add an effector from left to right
Send (new return) -compressor (sidechain on SFX) -fader-siderchain (send to new return)
3, SFX, sidechain (send to music)
Done!
1 Like
Maybe you need limiter on music and new return to control the volume
Hey guys,
Has this issue been addressed recently? Hunting around none of the options seem to really work. Is there a better method now (with v 10.10.x)?
Matt
The method of automating a multiband EQ effect really works.
As of the time of writing (July of 2018), we have not yet implemented any new features that would allow a sidechain modulator to be placed directly on an EQ modulator.
1 Like
Hey Joe! Ok, this helps (it really works); thanks for the clarification!!!
Ack, this might have come off sarcastically - that’s wasn’t the intention. I had read about the multiband EQ parameter automating but wasn’t confident that it would work. Also, there may be another solution that you are (via PM) providing, so I might elaborate on what I needed to do here to help, etc. Thanks, Joe!
1 Like
Sorry to resurrect this old topic, but I’m unable to figure out how to implement this.
Right now I have been able to create a global parameter whose value is modulated by sidechain on a mixer group. Then, automating this parameter on a multichannel EQ I can duck specific freq.
The problem is that I don’t have the information of which freq are overloading because all I get sidechaining is the whole volume of the group, not a freq spectrum. So I can’t duck specific freq based on how overloaded those freqs are on the sidechained channel. Is there a way to do this? Am I missing something?
Thanks for your support,
Simone
Hi Simone,
FMOD Studio lacks any way to direct way (i.e. in a single effect) to use a specific frequency band as a sidechain input. However, it is possible to use a combination of a number of effects - Sidechains, EQ, and Sends + Returns or Transceivers - to isolate specific frequencies and use those frequencies as sidechain inputs. In this example, I’m splitting audio into three frequency bands, and using each band to automate a 3-EQ, though you could also use the Multiband EQ for splitting as well as ducking also. I’ve used a Transceiver on my audio track to send an audio signal to three return tracks:
On each of the 3 return tracks, I’ve used a Transceiver to receive the signal, and 3-EQ on each to isolate low, mid, and high bands respectively. After the 3-EQ, I’ve placed a Sidechain that I’ll use to control the level of the corresponding band of a 3-EQ on a different audio track. I’ve also turned the faders down so the signal used for sidechaining isn’t audible. The below image shows the “low” track:
On the audio track I want to dynamically EQ, I’ve placed a 3EQ, and have modulated the band level with their respective sidechain inputs.
Obviously, the setup is a bit convoluted, so I’d recommend trying to keep it simple and use as few frequency bands as possible. It’s also worth pointing out that you’ll have to know the conflicting areas of the spectrum in advance, as there’s no way solely from Studio to dynamically catch peaks across the entire spectrum. Also, If you want to ensure each split band uses the same crossover point as the next band, you can use parameters to automate the crossover point on the EQ of each pair of adjacent band sidechain signals.
This is a bit of an info dump, but I hope it helps!
2 Likes
Hey Louis!
Thank you for your precious and detailed answer, I’ve been able to implement this pretty neatly using sends instead of transceivers.
Just have a couple of doubts, cause I’ve never used a Transceiver and I was a little bit bugged. Transceiver doesn’t work on mixer groups, but only on the event master track. Is this right? I’ve read in the documentation that this is used mainly for optimization reasons and I think using this effect on events could be very messy on big projects. Are there any best practices or different use cases for this effect? Is it the same to use sends instead of transceivers in this case?
Again, thank you kindly for your support!
Simone
No problem, glad to hear you’ve been able to implement what you needed.
For some more info on Transceivers - a Transceiver will work anywhere you can place effects, including buses. However, as FMOD will dynamically allocate resources for and create parts of the system (i.e. buses) as needed, in order for a Transceiver on a given entity to function, the entity itself must be “active”. For example, a Transceiver on a bus needs an active event instance running into that bus in order to receive a signal.
In general, you can consider a Transceiver to be a slightly more advanced Send that requires a little more management on your part. There is a benefit to using them for optimization purposes, as you’ve already seen in the documentation, but they can also allow for more convenient signal routing too - they’re a bit more flexible, as the destination of the “transmission” can be adjusted at runtime, and they can route from Event → Event or Bus → Event, both of which a Send + Return cannot do. Tranceivers can also be used as a many → many (functionally one → many) connection, whereas a Send → Return is only one → one.
For your purposes, there’s not really any difference between using a Send vs a Transceiver. In my example I chose to use a Transceiver as I was sending a single audio signal to three separate audio tracks, and using a single transmitting Transceiver was slightly neater than three sends.
As for a potential use-case, a simple one would be if you wanted the same audio to play from multiple positions in space, but also wanted to be able to affect each individual source in some way (stopping, muting, effects) while still matching the playback position of all sources. For this, you’d set up one event with a transmitting Tranceiver, another event with the receiving Transceiver which you’d create multiple instances of, and then position and affect as needed.
2 Likes
I wanted to add I found this thread informative and helpful re: frequency-specific sidechaining that’s more selective than just “loud sound makes another sound quieter”, and have bookmarked it for future reference.
@Leah_FMOD The screenshots you posted are useful, perchance do you have an example project with those so it can be copypasted as a template?
Unfortunately I can’t upload an example project, but you should be able to easily recreate the setup in your own project by following the instructions I’ve provided in the above replies.