Chris Laps Unleashes Sidechain Mayhem: SP-404 MkII Gets the Ducking It Deserves

Roland has finally dropped sidechain compression on the SP-404 MkII, and it’s about time. This is the one feature users have been begging for, and Chris Laps wastes no time letting us know just how overdue it is. The update landed as a surprise, and according to Chris, it’s not just a box-ticker—it’s actually well implemented and easy to use.

The excitement is real: sidechain compression isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s essential for anyone serious about hip-hop or electronic grooves. Chris makes it clear that this is a proper, musical effect, not some half-baked afterthought. If you’ve been holding your breath for this, you can finally exhale—Roland actually delivered.

Sidechain compression, or ducking, is now right at your fingertips. Chris explains that this classic trick lets your kick drum punch through the mix by dropping the volume of other samples when the kick hits. It’s the secret sauce for that signature pump in electronic and hip-hop tracks.

Whether you want a subtle groove or a full-on vacuum effect that yanks your samples out of the way, the SP-404 MkII now does it in style. Chris shows how easy it is to dial in everything from gentle movement to aggressive, in-your-face pumping—no more excuses for flat, lifeless beats.

Chris walks us through the new sidechain menu, which sits right in the effects section. You get familiar controls: choose your source and target buses, set the threshold, ratio, release, and gain. It’s all there, and if you’ve used sidechain before, you’ll feel right at home.

He demonstrates how to route kicks and samples to different buses, showing off the colour-coded pads and how easy it is to assign sounds. The effect is immediate—kicks slam, samples duck, and you can tweak the threshold to get even the snare snapping in time. The ratio and release controls let you go from subtle groove to wild, rubbery pumping.

Chris doesn’t just talk settings—he twists knobs live, letting you hear exactly how each parameter shapes the sound. The release time can get long and dramatic, or you can keep it snappy for tight, modern beats. Gain lets you bring the volume back up after heavy compression. It’s a hands-on, practical demo that shows off the real-world power of this update. But let’s be honest: you’ll want to hear the squish and pump for yourself in the video.