Sonic Academy has released SideKick, a new sidechain plugin for macOS and Windows. It combines drawable volume envelopes, spectral ducking, and sidechain ring modulation in one tool. The plugin is available as VST3, AU, and AAX formats. It is also offered with a 14-day free trial.

What SideKick Does

SideKick lets you shape how your kick and bass interact. You can draw precise volume envelopes, target competing frequencies with spectral shaping, or apply sidechain ring modulation. The envelope editor supports adding nodes, curved or straight lines, freehand drawing, node snapping, inversion, rotation, smoothing, and swing. This gives you far more control than a typical compressor.

Intelligent Spectral Ducking

Instead of simply turning everything down, SideKick analyzes the sidechain spectrum and builds a reversed EQ curve across 24 internal bands. Only the frequencies that clash with your kick are reduced. The envelope controls how much spectral ducking occurs over time. Independent attack and release controls let you fine-tune the response. This is similar to Trackspacer but with envelope-based depth modulation, which makes it more dynamic.

Dual-Band Processing

You can split your signal into low and high bands using a zero-latency Linkwitz–Riley crossover. The crossover is adjustable from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, with slopes of 12 or 24 dB/octave. Each band can have its own envelope and intensity. You can also solo each band and combine this with Spectral or Ring Mod modes.

Sidechain Ring Modulation

Ring modulation multiplies your source by the sidechain signal, creating new spectral content. This avoids the typical pumping feel and can make kick and bass sit together more tightly. The attack and release settings help smooth out artifacts. It’s a creative alternative to conventional sidechaining.

Additional Features

SideKick includes a Quick Shift control to move the duck timing in one gesture. You can record an incoming audio contour and convert it into an editable envelope, saving up to 16 user shapes with XML import/export. There is also Delta monitoring, Mid/Side processing, a waveform display, 100+ presets, grid/snap/swing controls, full undo/redo, and one-shot or loop triggering.Features

• Drawable envelopes with nodes, curves, and freehand drawing
• 24-band spectral ducking with envelope-controlled depth
• Dual-band processing with Linkwitz–Riley crossover
• Sidechain ring modulation for unique spectral changes
• MIDI, audio, and DAW sync triggering
• Quick Shift, custom shape recording, and XML import/export
• Delta monitoring, Mid/Side processing, and 100+ presets

SideKick is currently available at an introductory price of €23.28, down from €29.10. That is a 20% discount. The plugin works on macOS 10.13 or later and Windows 8 or later. You can try it free for 14 days before buying.

Price
Intro: €23.28 (incl. VAT)
Regular: €29.10 (incl. VAT)

More info: Sonic Academy | SideKick