Sidekick

Shape category, section-level.

A tempo-synced volume curve that pumps the track in time with the beat. It is the kick-and-bass groove with no routing, no key signal and no sidechain wiring: drop it on a track, pick a curve and a rate, hear the pump.

Why this and not a sidechain compressor

A sidechain compressor reacts to another track's signal, so every kick ducks a little differently depending on its velocity and what else is in the bus. That variability is sometimes the point. Most of the time what you want is a pump that hits the same shape every bar.

Sidekick gives you that directly. There is no detector, no threshold and no envelope to dial in. If you do need signal-driven ducking, bass that reacts to the actual kick velocity or pads that breathe with a busy drum part, use the Compressor and route a sidechain key instead. Both ship; pick the one that matches the intent.

Controls

Curve. The shape of one pump cycle. Quarter Pulse and Eighth Pulse are straight ducks on the beat. Off-Beat Push moves the dip to the off-beat for syncopated grooves. Long Tail is the slow, breathing house duck. Sine Wobble rounds the whole cycle. Reverse Hit drops just before the next beat, which is useful into a transition. Custom opens a curve editor with draggable handles so you can draw the shape yourself.

The picker shows a thumbnail of each shape, so you choose a picture rather than a name. The six named shapes are starting points, not a complete set.

Rate. The note division the cycle locks to, from a half note down to a sixteenth, including dotted and triplet eighths. The cycle repeats at that rate, synced to the project tempo.

Amount. How much of the curve reaches the track, from no duck to its full depth. This is the performance control: automate it to swell the pump into a chorus and pull it back for a verse.

Presets

Quarter Pulse, Eighth Pulse, Off-Beat Push, Long Tail, Sine Wobble, Reverse Hit, and Custom. Each locks a curve and rate to a musically named combination so you can audition the set in a couple of clicks.

When to use it

Bass in dance music almost always benefits. Pads and strings respond well to a slow rate with the Sine Wobble curve. Lead synths pick up a rhythmic motion that helps them sit with the drums.

Because it is section-level, verse, chorus and bridge can each carry their own curve, rate and amount with no automation at all. Build sections usually want a faster rate and more amount than the verse.