DCAs as compressor side chain

[BradParticipant]

I know this is not strictly possible given the analogue history of DCA/VCAs, however in this digital age, is there anyway of using a DCA “channel” as a side chain input to a compressor (or Dyn8 for that matter)? the obvious workaround would be to use a group as well as a DCA for the channels in question, but this seems a bit redundant…
thanks

[SteffenRParticipant]

a group is not like a DCA
members of DCA’s can still be routed to different groups and the DCA will affect the levels

I don’t like the idea
it adds another level of complexity that is not needed

use groups or auxes as side chain source

[WolfgangParticipant]

I agree with that.
A DCA is a simple control signal, i. e. a DC voltage without audio information.
why change this logic?

sidechain compression can be done very easily with subgroups and auxes.

[BradParticipant]

I agree that DCAs and Groups are different, however in my situation i have two lead vocalists that i want to use as a side chain trigger; i already have them on a DCA so that effects and mutes can be controlled; it just seems to make another complexity to run them through a group as well. there have been a number of discussions already about having meters on the DCA faders; this i would simply see as the next logical step.

[WolfgangParticipant]

if you put the two leadvocals in a group, you can use their signals for the sidechain control. this is very easy.

a level meter in the DCAs I can still understand, but wanting to use the DCAs for sidechain, I don’t think it makes sense.
but that’s just my own opinion, of course. 😉

[Author]

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