Does Smart EQ3 do "side-chain" spectral ducking if instances within groups are set to dynamic?

[dyross]

Hi folks,

I couldn't find this specifically discussed in the manual / online, so wanted to ask here.

I'm not 100% sure how Smart EQ3 works when instances within a group are set to dynamic. Is it doing "side-chain" (via inter-plugin communication) spectral ducking, or is it more subtle?

Consider this simple scenario:

1. Create a Smart EQ3 group with two instances, Kick (top priority) and Bass (bottom priority)
2. Learn both instances, and set them to be fully dynamic.

So, which of the following is the combination of dynamic processing and group hierarchy doing:

1. Spectral ducking: In real time, affecting the dynamic EQ of bass based on what's happening in the kick (in addition to other spectral shaping).
2. More subtle: (Statically) Updating the smart filter for both instruments taking into account the hierarchy while dynamically adapting each instance _individually_ to match their own target curve.

My naive guess before using the plugin would have been (1), but after using it and reading the manual closely, it seems more likely that it is (2). It doesn't seem like instances in a group are responding at all in real time to the actual signal of other instances in the same group. But, I could be wrong and hoping for official clarification.

Thanks,
David

[sonio]

Hey,

yes - the processing is more like option 2. There is a static offset for the filters - and depending on the signals, these filters are dynamically adapted. But this adaption won't work like "spectral ducking" (using a sidechain input) as known from smart:comp 2. So it's never fully "ducking away" another track - even for intense settings.

Cheers,

Alex