Is there any way for a sidechain to effect a parameter?

FMOD Studio
1

So, I’m trying to work out a way of linking an audio tracks volume to sidechain a parameter within the event, so that it can dynamically trigger other sounds set on the parameter timeline.

Is this impossible? Would be pretty handy i’m guessing…

Cheers…

2

Oh, as usual, I worked out how to do this as soon as I posted this (after an hour of trying to work it out)…

For those interested…
The example i was trying to make was for an underwater VO scene that triggered bubbles whenever the character talks. When the characters VO volume goes past a certain level, a bubble sound plays.

Here’s how I achieved it.

  1. Add a Sidechain to the audio track that has the VO you want to effect the parameter.
  2. Create a new parameter.
  3. Select your new parameter tab, and place your new audio (the bubbles) on the parameter timeline at the upper limit of your param value.
  4. Right click your parameter knob/dial, and select “Add modulation> Sidechain”
  5. Now click your VO Audio track that contains your sidechain input, right click and select “Connect to Modulator” and select your parameter.
  6. Now you can select the NAME of the parameter next to the parameter knob to bring up the modulator settings for the sidechain and set up your threshold, amounts to effect, attack and release.
  7. You can further tweak the sensitivity by editing the starting point of your sidechain parameter triggered sound (bubbles) to suit the volume of the original audio track volume.

Hope this helps someone else…

1 Like
3

I would like to be able to effect the parameter from a mixer channel’s sidechain rather than having to do it for each event though, as any effects on the mixer channel will effect the bubble sounds as well as the voice sound… Therefore requiring any effects on the VO to be done per event also… Is there a way of achieving this?

4

Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to do this. Sidechain modulators inside events can only be controlled by sidechains inside the same event. This is because any modulator inside an event is instance-specific, and so can only be controlled by sidechains inside the same event instance. As a workaround, you could potentially use the FMOD transceiver effect to send audio from a mixer bus into the event; However, this would also result in the tranciever’d audio being duplicated in each and every instance of that event, so you’ll need to mute that signal after the sidechain, or else deal with it in some other way.

2 Likes
5

Ahhh that’s right, the Transceiver plugin!

That’s done the job… Just muting the receiver track in the bubbles event fixed that problem. Now it works great with only one instance of the bubbles needing to be played.

Cheers Joseph!

1 Like