Ring mod sidechain with Kilohearts Compactor: ducking without pumping

You’ve probably heard about this already, but finally we can apply ring mod sidechain easily in any DAW with a free plugin: Compactor by Kilohearts.

Why should you care?

This trick shines in heavy-handed genres where you want an aggressive yet still transparent sidechain. Meaning: it ducks without that obvious “pumping” effect.

Here’s the crazy part: it’s the only sidechain type that doesn’t create peaks when summing two different signals (if you set it up right).

So if you’re chasing loudness, this little thing is a beast.

The catch

Ring mod sidechain brings some noticeable distortion. That’s why it won’t always fit acoustic or super clean music.

Watch the reel on Instagram →

So try it everywhere. Test it, twist it and break it until it feels right. No rules.