SideKick
by Sonic Academy · Modulation · Sidechain volume shaper
Not rated yet
Sidechain-style volume ducking effect for creating pumping compression-like movement without a trigger track.
Best for: Bass, Keys & Synths, Mix Bus. Genres: Electronic & EDM.
Keywords: sidechain input, ducking, pumping, spectral, bass, bus processing, full mix, kick, mid/side, mix bus, mixing, multi-band, preset-driven, ring mod, vocals.
What it does
SideKick is a volume shaper and ducking plugin from Sonic Academy, with five modes for pumping and ducking effects.
- Modes: Sync (to DAW tempo), MIDI, Audio (transient detection), Spectral (24-band analysis) and Ring Mod.
- Envelopes: drawable, with nodes, curves, freehand drawing, grid snap and swing; 16 slots for envelopes captured from audio.
- Processing: dual-band with an adjustable crossover, mid/side mode, delta monitoring and over 100 presets.
Source: Sonic Academy product page
When to use it
SideKick works like the rated volume shapers, such as ShaperBox 3, LFO Tool and Duck 2, at a much lower price. Its Spectral mode, which ducks only competing frequencies, is a point of difference.
- Best for: sidechain pumping without a trigger track, and clearing space for a kick or vocal.
- Genres: house, techno, EDM and pop.
Where to buy
- Sonic Academy: $26.44 (regular $33.05) (Listed at £19.96 (regular £24.95); converted at £1 = $1.3247 (ECB rates, 29 Sep 2026))
Tutorials and reviews
- Sidekick Walkthrough - Precision ducking, spectral shaping & sidechain ring modulation plugin
- Meet SideKick: Modern Volume Shaping, Spectral Ducking, and Creative Sidechaining
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