NW Sidechain

NW Sidechain is a free VST3 sidechain effect plugin that gives you precise control over your sidechain volume shaping without having to use on compressors or manually drawn automations.

Create smooth, clean volume curves on any track in just a few clicks. Whether you want a consistent pump on every beat, every other beat, once per bar, or triggered by an external audio source, NW Sidechain makes it quick and easy.

There is no full version, Sidechain ships free, forever.

Installation

1. Extract the ZIP file.
2. Copy NW Sidechain.vst3 into your VST3 plugins folder.
3. Launch your DAW and rescan your VST3 plugins if needed.
4. Insert NW Sidechain on the track you want to process.
5. Start pumping and enjoy.

Using an External Trigger

I'm using FL Studio 26 so these instructions follow FL's setup, but the process is likely very similar in most DAWs.

1. Create a sidechain send from your trigger source, such as a kick drum, to the track running NW Sidechain.
2. Open the plugin wrapper settings, go to Processing, and enable Sidechain.
3. Choose the correct sidechain input channel in NW Sidechain.
4. Press play and start pumping.

That's it. Once it's set up, the incoming sidechain signal controls the volume shaping automatically.