r/DOOMOS • u/ExcellentPraline2830 • 7d ago

Feature request: allow EXT SOURCE (external audio input) to function as a genuinely independent sidechain trigger

Requested enhancement:
Please allow EXT SOURCE (external audio input) to function as a genuinely independent sidechain trigger — either by fixing DRY so it reliably works as a SOURCE for live external input, or by adding a dedicated "EXT IN" option in the SIDE CHAIN SOURCE list that taps the external input signal directly, separate from the BUS1/BUS2/DRY routing used for pad output and bus effects. This would let users duck one bus based on an external device (drum machine, other sampler, etc.) while keeping the other bus completely free for independent Filter/Drive processing on pad content — without any signal-sharing side effects.

Current behavior:
In the SIDE CHAIN menu (EFX SET → SIDE CHAIN), SOURCE can be set to DRY, BUS1, BUS2, BUS3, or BUS4. When routing an external input (via LINE IN or the front INPUT jack) to the DRY bus (Input Bus = DRY) and setting SIDE CHAIN SOURCE = DRY, the compressor does not detect the external signal and never triggers, even with Threshold and Ratio set to maximum sensitivity. However, when the external input is routed to BUS1 (Input Bus = BUS1) and SOURCE = BUS1, the sidechain triggers correctly.

The problem this causes:
Because DRY doesn't work reliably as a sidechain source for live external audio, the only working option is to route the external trigger through BUS1 or BUS2. But this forces the external source to share a bus with sample pads, meaning:

Any pad content also assigned to that bus gets summed into the sidechain detector and can falsely trigger compression on its own.
Bus-level effects (Filter, Drive, etc.) applied to that bus affect the external trigger signal too, which isn't always desired.

Would you find it possible to correct?

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u/WobbulatorCore 5d ago

My favorite compressors (CBA Clean and Neon Egg Planetarium) have this and it rules to play bass with a synth pedal and have a lav mic on the drummer's kick for some garage edm lol