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Set up a sidechain

Click a plugin card in the Plugin Strip to expand it and switch to the Sidechain tab. Select the source track, such as the kick, then choose a mode.

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Fire triggers early

In MIDI or Trigger Impulse mode, drag the Lookahead slider to fire each event up to 15 ms early, ahead of the plugin’s attack.

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Good to know

  • MIDI and Trigger Impulse have no detection delay. They trigger from clip start positions and MIDI note-on events, which are known ahead of time.
  • Lookahead adds no latency. It looks ahead in the timeline instead of delaying the audio.
  • The modes offered depend on the plugin and the source. A plugin needs a sidechain input bus or MIDI input, and the source track type counts too.
  • For a plain volume duck, no plugin is needed. Ducking explains the difference.
  • Assistants can route a sidechain too, through the plugin_configure tool of the MCP server.
Lookahead: 0–15 ms, MIDI and Trigger Impulse only.
Last modified on October 22, 2026