Once you set your sidechain input, the display shows the waveform of your kick superimposed on top of your bass (or whichever instruments you’re working with). It now allows artists creating trap, hip-hop, DnB, or any other genres with more broken kick patterns, can dial in dynamic ducking effects with ease.

Although you could do this with the original Kickstart using MIDI triggering (which is still included here alongside the normal DAW sync mode), it was awkward to set up. This means that any signal, be it a kick drum, snare or other instrument, can trigger the effect and it will follow along. The first, and arguably most important new feature, is the ability to trigger the shape via an audio sidechain input. These include 10 for ducking and 6 for trimming the decayed part of the sound. Is this the new king of sidechain?įundamentally, the plug-in looks strikingly similar to its predecessor, with a large mix dial for setting the pump amount and the same 16 preset shapes. This year, with Kickstart 2, Cableguys has pushed the envelope with features that tremendously improve the usability and make it more versatile. READ MORE: BLEASS Compressor review: Compression without complication.And since then, several other LFO-based sidechain tools have hit the market with superior flexibility. It lets you effortlessly dial in a 4/4 volume pump, making it ideal for EDM, house and techno genres. EDM superstar Nicky Romero and software developer Cableguys teamed up in 2013 to drop Kickstart, a sidechain compression tool that is now a staple in the plug-in folders of many dance producers.

Nicky romero kickstart plugin