Sidechain pump
A sidechain pump makes the bass and chords drop in volume every time the kick hits, then swell back, so a held note “breathes” in time with the beat. It is the pumping sound of house, French house and EDM.
Also called sidechain compression, pumping bass, ducking.
Play it
- Bar 1Am
- Bar 2F
- Bar 3C
- Bar 4G
The loop runs over four chords, Am, F, C, G, one bar each. Tap any box to change it.
Try this
Try this · change one box
Add a kick on step 15. You hear an extra duck just before the bar ends: the pump follows the kick and nothing else.
Hear it without the grid
A short recording of the loop above at 124 BPM, made with Swung’s own sounds.
How it works
In a studio this is done with a compressor that listens to the kick (the “sidechain”) and turns everything else down when it hears it. Here it is the same idea: each kick ducks the other parts for a moment.
It does two jobs at once. It clears room for the kick, and it turns long notes into a rhythm, even when the notes themselves never change.
The pattern in words
- Sub bass: step 1 of 16, each held for 16 steps.
- Chords: step 1 of 16, each held for 16 steps.
- Kick: steps 1, 5, 9 and 13 of 16.
| Part | Steps, 1 to 16 | Plays on |
|---|---|---|
| Sub bass | x––––––––––––––– | step 1 of 16, each held for 16 steps |
| Chords | x––––––––––––––– | step 1 of 16, each held for 16 steps |
| Kick | x···x···x···x··· | steps 1, 5, 9 and 13 of 16 |
x a hit, o a quiet hit, 2 or 3 a quick roll inside one step, – a note held on, · nothing.
Variations
Without the pump
The same notes with the ducking switched off.
Only the chords
The pump on a pad alone.
Half-time pump
Two kicks per bar, two slow breaths.
Where it’s used
Also common in EDM, French house and Nu-disco.
Learn this pattern step by step
The course builds up to it from Unit 1, which is free. Sign up with Google and start with the first lesson; it plays in your browser, like this page.
Pick up where you left off
Carry on with Unit 1, then Sidechain pump comes in Unit 3: Low end.