> Step by step 18. More complex rides with HoRNet Plugins AutoGain Pro Mk2

1 AutoGain Pro Mk2 excels at both simple and more creative automatic level adjustment, and having two detector circuits really helps with the latter. It also includes separate mid/side analysis, and that’s what we’re using here to set up a vocal ride that responds only to the midrange frequencies in the sidechain. 2 Insert the plugin at the end of your vocal chain and select Stereo Mode. Route a post-fader instrumental to a bus, then select the bus within the plugin as the sidechain. Activate Detector 1 and set it to Ext Mid, and set the track signal to reference Detector 1. 3 Adjust Detector 1. Here, we’ve used the high-pass filter to reduce the impact of low frequencies in the sidechain. Finally, adjust the applied gain: we’ve limited it (- 25dB to +31dB), switched the mode to the gentler RMS, and set the scale to 50%.

4 With the pitch and amplitude sorted, we can spin through the 12 oscillator options. There’s variety here, and we can quickly change the timbre of the generated effect. Also, we can adjust the oscillator tone further with the colour setting, and how this colour behaves, via its own attack and decay settings. 5 Enforcer includes a ducking option, designed to move the dry signal out of the way in order to make space for the generated sound. Accessed via the Expert button, the controls let you duck both the level ( Gain) and the frequencies generated by Enforcer ( Filter), and adjust the ducking envelope. 6 Let’s lengthen the envelope Attack to retain the onset of the original snare drum. Listening to just the dry signal, wind up the Gain and Filter controls to attenuate both the level and Enforcer frequencies, then adjust the envelope so that the ducking doesn’t affect the snare’s initial transient.