Sonic Skunk released DuckingSpace, a free reverb plugin with built-in sidechaining.
The open-source plugin is available “for now” only in a 64-bit VST3 format for Windows and macOS.
Sonic Skunk describes DuckingSpace as a reverb plugin “with built-in sidechaining to allow the reverb to duck the original signal.”
“Powered by an effective Faust-based algorithm, DuckingSpace allows you to achieve a rich, side-chained reverb effect in seconds, thanks to its user-friendly controls,” the developer explains.
Sonic Skunk states that while sidechaining is great for getting synths and vocals to cut through and sound massive in a mix, “setting up the correct routing every time can be a bit of a hassle that can pull you out of your creative flow.”
You can download the VST3 file from the Sonic Skunk site via a single click process.
DuckingSpace is also available via a repository on the developer’s GitHub, SonicSkunk, linked on the product page for the plugin.
The control scheme for the plugin features large Ducking and Speed controls, as well as a Dry/Wet control in the bottom right-hand corner.
A panel with the following parameters completes the control array: Decay, Size, Modulation, Damping, Diffusion, and Color.
Sonic Skunk states that the plugin is built with simplicity in mind, and the developer seems to have achieved this with the no-frills control scheme.
The controls are quite easy to take in at a glance, although perhaps the font size could be nudged up a bit in size to aid in readability.
On GitHub, Sonic Skunk outlines what each of the parameters does, and gives some tips on how to get the best sound out of DuckingSpace.
The developer notes that gain staging is important to get the best out of DuckingSpace, as a signal that is too low won’t trigger the ducking effect properly, while an overly loud signal will induce ducking even when the Ducking control is set to zero.
There doesn’t seem to be an official audio demo of DuckingSpace so far, although there is a user demo on YouTube that runs through the different parameters.

Sonic Skunk is an indie audio plugin developer that launched its GitHub account earlier this week, while DuckingSpace is the only plugin the developer has released so far.
Download: DuckingSpace (FREE)
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