Knowing what a de esser is and how to use it can make your production shine.
Clever, fast, powerful de-esser specifically designed for vocals and voiceovers; Smooth, glitch-free removal of harsh ‘s’ sounds like never before; Separates the sibilant parts of the vocal without changing the vocal’s original tone; Easy-to-use threshold and sensitivity controls.
- Spitfish is a free de esser VST, Audio Unit plugin developed by digitalfishphones. Compatible OS (s): Windows 64b, macOS. Spitfish is a dead-easy to use de-esser, aimed mainly at mono or stereo vocal tracks.
- A de-esser is a type of vocal compressor that works to reduce or eliminate the harsh “ess” or “shh” sounds known in the audio world as “sibilance”. An oftentimes unwanted element in recorded audio, sibilance is commonly heard in vocal tracks, although they may be present in cymbals and/or percussion tracks as well.
- Spitfish is a free de esser VST, Audio Unit plugin developed by digitalfishphones. Compatible OS (s): Windows 64b, macOS. Spitfish is a dead-easy to use de-esser.
- This is why we developed De-Esser Pro, a fast and powerful tool that requires minimum effort but offers transparent results. It offers precision-grade de-essing and customizable audio repair functionality. Based on the multi-patented accusonus algorithms, De-Esser Pro simply works and allows for efficient sibilance reduction from audio recordings.
- FabFilter Pro-DS. Check price at Plugin Boutique. From the noted plug-in developer comes the.
You’ll hear these types of amateur-ish sonding music a lot. No matter how good your mix sounds, the entire mix can be spoilt with those annoying ‘s’ sibilance, usually in vocal tracks.
Sibilance is the hissing sound you get when pronouncing letters with ‘s’ in them. Examples of such words are ‘spaces’, ‘special’, ‘sun’, etc.. I like to think that sibilance is the result of sudden gush of airflow of the mouth when saying/singing words with ‘ess’ or ‘shhs’ in them.
Here’s a video by Sami Rudnick – she explains what sibilance is and how to solve them when you’re singing or talking. Give the video a watch and try the techniques, if you’re a singer.
Sibilance that you find in recording can be because of few reasons:
- natural sibilance in our pronunciation – thus no way to avoid this
- recording vocals in an untreated studio or room
- compressing the wrong frequencies on your vocal tracks
- singer who has an exceptionally sibilant type of voice.
However even with great vocal techniques, you cannot avoid having sibilance in your vocal tracks. And something has to be done with it. Leaving it on your vocal tracks is a recipe to craft an amateur sounding song.
So let’s get rid of it.
It doesn’t matter if you are using a de esser in adobe audition or using one in Logic Pro, the methods to use a de-esser plugin is the same. The de-esser plugin is a very simple effect that can be mastered every easily.
A de-esser plugin is basically a compressor that compresses your audio signal when it detects a sibilance in your track. It achieves this by only reducing the frequency of which the sibilance is.
You normally have 2-4 parameters to toy about on a de-esser plugin. In the image above, you’ll find a ‘reduction’ knob on a de esser. The reduction knob is usually measured in decibels, where you dial in the amount of reduction you want the de esser to reduce whenever it hears a sibilance problem in your track. We then have the ‘threshold’ parameter. Keeping in mind that a de esser is essentially a compressor that compresses the frequencies in which sibilance is, the threshold is the level where the de esser considers the sibilance too prominent. There is then the ‘release’ knob that works the same as a compressor, determining how soon the de esser plugin ‘lets go’ off the signal after compressing it.
In some de esser vst plugins, you’ll find a frequency knob as well. That can be really helpful in spotting the frequencies that you’d like to reduce.
Spitfish De EsserI used to be on Logic Studio. If I remember, Logic X’s de esser plugin is a little confusing to use. If you need a great third party de esser vst plugin, try SpitFish, a totally free de esser VST plugin.
You’ll find heated discussions on whether to de ess before or after compression. In fact, should you de ess first before inserting any more effect plugins? Go to any music forums on music production and you’ll find tons of threads discussing this.
I find de essing a vocal track before applying any sort of effects to work better. However, there is no rule that you must follow for this. When mixing, I normally have the mindset to clean and fix all sound issues in the track before applying any cosmetics on the track.
However when I do find the track having need another de esser after going through all the effects, I sometimes insert another de esser plugin at the end of the insert chain or in a mix bus with a very subtle reduction. If you like a plugin that does this very well while allowing you to change the signal chain flow, take iZotope Nectar for a spin. One of the easiest vocal plugin to use to get very nice results while being not that expensive.
This is my favorite way of de essing. I also find de essing manually gives the most satisfying results.
So if you’re not a lazy twag, don’t have an in-built de esser plugin in your DAW or don’t have cash to buy a plugin, then learn how to do it manually.
First, identify how problem sibilance look like:
The waveform would look denser when it has ‘sshes’ in them. Zoom in your audio tracks and you’ll immediately notice the different of those the problem areas.
Second, open up your volume automation. I’m doing this in Cubase but automations should be available in most DAWs. Create points at the problematic areas with sibilance and then pull down the volume automation in that section by about -4dB to -6dB depending on how severe the sibilance is.
Reduce by about -4dB | De Essing How ToTrying to de-ess manually definitely takes more time but I promise you that it’ll give you better results. You may be tempted to simply just use a de esser plugin and slap it across your tracks but you’ll end up de essing parts in your tracks that you don’t want any de essing.
So hopefully you can remove the S sounds of your vocal tracks through this tutorial and end up with a cleaner and professional sounding track. Keep in mind that you’re going to always record ‘S’s when you record, but rest assure that you can remove them pretty easily during the mixing stage.
Oh! And make sure to turn down the volume of your monitors when you’re de essing. The ‘S’s in your track can be very ear piercing (that’s why we remove it anyway} so turn down the volume knob if you don’t want to end your career early.
Sibilance…Right when you think you may have made the right adjustments on your EQ and set the compressor just so, a sharp, harsh “s” jumps from your speakers. It seems that without a drastic cut within the ranges of 2-10 kHz your perfect take may not end up so perfect after all. Even then, such cuts could alter the character of your track in an undesirable way. Using an EQ and a compressor we can treat this problem more effectively than with a standard EQ adjustment.
Traditionally, de-essing was achieved by accentuating the problem frequency with an equalizer and feeding the EQ output into the sidechain input of a compressor. This way, whenever the problem “s” sounds were present, the compressor would apply gain reduction. In today’s world of audio, standalone de-essers exist both as hardware and software allowing for dedicated units whose purpose is to react to the problem spots in your mixes and masters. This list compiles ten of the best plugin options currently available.
Eiosis E2Deesser
Eiosis makes de-essing as simple or advanced as you need with its plugin. The E2Deesser has features for quick setups and fine-tuned settings for hard to fix sibilance in your tracks. The layout starts with the main section. The main section features a mode selection button to change how the plugin reacts to the incoming signal, a sensitivity knob to set how quickly the de-essing kicks in, and an amount knob to change how much attenuation is applied.
For increased control over sibilance, the E2Deesser has a fine controls area with four knobs. Under the sibilants area, the Auto control makes dynamic adjustments to the sibilance in your signal. Increasing this knob also increases the amount of the dynamic changes being made. Paired with Auto is another knob called Smooth. Smooth adds saturation to your track to help offset the high-end sizzle and peaks that can come with harsh sibilance. This adds an interesting way to add color to a track while also accomplishing the primary goal of de-essing. You can also blend your dry signal into the output giving even more control over the tone of your tracks after processing.
To go further, Eiosis added a dynamic EQ section to the E2Deesser for precise adjustments. Using the EQ allows you to bring back high-frequency content to your tracks if your changes have taken out too much character. The plugin also features a Time-Frequency Display which acts much like a spectral editor. Using this display allows engineers to visualize the sibilance in their tracks and make changes based on the real-time analysis. For the ultimate de-essing plugin with features to fit the simplest and most complex situations, check out the Eiosis E2Deesser.
FabFilter Pro DS
Like all of their plugins, FabFilter’s Pro-DS De-Esser aims to be the do-it-all solution to your needs. Featuring one of the best interfaces available in plugins and plenty of useful parameters, the Pro-DS earns its place among the best de-essers on the market. Its detection algorithm aims to be completely transparent in both of its modes. This transparency allows you to use the Pro-DS without the need to add EQ for correction. ‘Single Vocal’ is the first mode that is optimized for use on vocal tracks and ‘Allround’ provides a great tool for full frequency tracks or mixes, giving you plenty of options to get the best results for your recordings.
The Pro-DS can be set to act as a wide-band or a split band processor and adds linear phase adjustment to the split band setting. To increase its effectiveness, a look-ahead algorithm is present as well and can be set up to 15ms. 4x oversampling, adjustable stereo link settings and mid/side options give the plugin more options to be your go-to de-esser. With all of these features, mid/side, oversampling, and a beautiful interface, FabFilter has again built a plugin that can handle almost anything. Check it out when mixing or mastering your next project.
Waves Sibilance
While a large amount of de-essers are used for vocal sibilance, there are many reasons outside of vocals that they are used. When designing Sibilance, Waves aimed to build a vocal de-esser that acted transparently and stay focused on the vocal sibilance. Utilizing its Organic ReSynthesis technology, Waves has created a powerful plugin that takes traditional de-essing a step further. Rather than apply gain-reduction to narrow frequency bands alone, Sibilance uses spectral filters to detect peaks in undesirable regions and separates the rest of the vocal signal from them before applying any processing. Doing so allows Sibilance to process only what is creating an issue, leaving the rest of your track’s content untouched and clean.
The interface includes a waveform display to allow you to visualize the reduction being applied to the sibilance in your tracks, as well as a threshold setting, mode knob for deciding between wide and split band detection, and a detection control. The simplistic layout makes de-essing a breeze while still providing engineers with all of the tools required to make effective changes to their tracks. To round out the features of Sibilance, a look-ahead algorithm is available so that the plugin can “prepare” for incoming signals and make better adjustments to the harsh parts of your vocal track. This plugin is great for engineers working with harsh vocals and its under-the-hood features make it a very advanced de-esser for any mix.
Sonnox Oxford SuprEsser V3
Sonnox does it again with another great plugin. Sporting an advanced interface with many controls, the SuprEsser is a de-esser built for both simple and complex de-essing tasks. With a large waveform display, visualizing your changes becomes incredibly simple to do. Auto Level Tracking provides the SuprEsser with the ability to track changes in the level to apply equal de-essing to tracks that may be loud in one section and quiet in another.
The interface starts with three listening modes to allow for different monitor settings. The mix settings allow you to hear the de-essing in your mix much like a traditional de-esser would do. The other two modes allow you to choose between monitoring the filter output or the band-rejection filter output to make sure that what you are processing is accurate and precise. Setting the threshold determines how much gain reduction is being applied to the material and ratio controls let you dial in the style of compression you would like to use. A wet/dry control and knee settings complete what makes for a complete compressor in the plugin for precise control over dynamics. The Sonnox SuprEsser makes for a great toolset for the advanced or professional engineer. With this feature set, the SuprEsser can be used for a typical vocal session or mastering applications as well. Whether taming a resonance in a mix or using as a focused compressor, mastering engineers will appreciate this plugin’s configuration options for their projects.
Softube Weiss Deess
Often considered to be the best hardware de-esser ever made, the Weiss DS1-MK3 revolutionized de-essers and became a go-to unit in studios everywhere. Now with the Softube Deess plugin you can have the exact same digital processing right on your computer. The interface allows for simple use with powerful results. There are two separate bands available each with their own parameters. This makes the DS1-MK3 a great tool for hard to fix sibilance that exists in more than one frequency range.
The plugin also offers mid/side control for use in mastering studios as well as a useful waveform visualizer to see and hear what you are changing. Featuring the same code as the hardware version, users have access to the exact processing power of the original unit which boasts internal processing at 88.2 or 96 kHz at 40 bits. For access to what professional mastering studios use for de-essing, check out the Softube DS1-MK3.
Accusonus ERA De-esser Pro
For those in search of a no-nonsense, easy to use de-esser, the Accusonus ERA De-Esser may for you. Accusonus looked to build a plugin that demands minimum setup with great results. The interface includes a waveform display to visualize the sibilance in your tracks making the process of finding where the harsh spots that much easier. The processing knob controls the intensity of the de-esser.
Fine-tuning controls include the Focus control which allows you to adjust which frequencies the ERA reacts to the most. The other fine-tuning control is Shaping offering a way to soften or sharpen the curve of the de-esser. When moved towards the soft side, the ERA applies a wider curve of de-essing to the material making for a much more natural response from the plugin. Moving the slider towards sharp will give a tighter curve and result when doing precise edits or maintaining character is essential. Rounded out with a difference monitoring option and input/output trims, Accusonics provides a powerful tool with a great interface for engineers of all skill levels.
McDSP DE555
McDSP has always done well in the world of high quality plugins. Starting-out in the world of live sound reinforcement McDSP has become a household name due to their lightweight, advanced plugins that offer incredible stability. With their DE555, McDSP takes all of these advancements into the world of de-essing.
One of the coolest features of the DE555 is in how the plugin detects input. Without the need to adjust the threshold settings, McDSP created a signal analysis algorithm that can de-ess effectively with any input level. The key filter settings allow for switching between shelf or band filtering for precise or broad changes. All of the filter settings are also visually represented in the Frequency Response/Key graph. The reduction settings offer many useful parameters for shaping how the DE555 processes incoming sibilance including a ratio, range, and release controls as well as the option to monitor what you are affecting. The McDSP DE555 provides stable and effective de-essing for all of your corrective tasks and features great processing power to remain constant at any level, try it on your next project.
Oeksound Soothe
Oeksound tackles de-essing a little differently than the other plugins on this list. Soothe is a dynamic equalizer that focuses on high mid correction making it a perfect option for de-essing. With a unique and very clean interface, the plugin offers lots of controls in a small section of the screen so that the majority of the window belongs to a waveform display.
Being a dynamic equalizer, Soothe is constantly monitoring input signal so that EQ bands will adjust to where they are needed. By placing bands where sibilance is occurring, Soothe can have the frequency settings fluctuate in real-time effectively for any of the sibilance in your tracks. It offers up five bands of EQ to give you effective control over troublesome sibilance with many octaves of problem spots. Soothe also allows you to listen to the difference of each band for an added understanding of what is being removed. Added oversampling and resolution control gives users even deeper control on how precise the correction can become. For a different approach to how you do your de-essing, check out Soothe.
Brainworx SPL De-Esser
The SPL de-esser is a studio legend known to some as one of the best hardware compressors ever built. Brainworx took it upon themselves to recreate the original unit in their plugin. Two versions are available offering a mono or stereo version for use on individual tracks or stereo mixes.
The interface resembles the original with some added functionality only found in the plugin. Mid/Side mode makes its way into the classic design for added functionality to those de-essing stereo mixes such as mastering engineers. A gain reduction meter, auto threshold, male/female detection modes, and an s-reduction amount make up the main controls. For added convenience, an A/B switch was added to compare settings. If classic de-essing is what you prefer, emulation of the legendary SPL De-Esser will give you tried and true results in your projects.
IK Multimedia De-Esser
IK Multimedia has become a key player in the world of plugins with its T-Racks series. This set of plugins can be used as an entire standalone application for mastering your audio. The De-Esser plugin offers two and three-band operation depending on how much precision you require for your task.
Control over the amount, range, and release make up the core parameters of this plugin, a type-setting is available as well to choose how intense you want the gain reduction to be. Multiple ‘listen’ modes also you to monitor just the de-essing when required. High quality oversampling and transparent processing complete the package making the IK Multimedia De-Esser a great choice for mixes and masters.
Conclusion: For mixing and mastering it is important to remember to choose the right tool for the job. While fixed EQ moves can help fix problem frequencies in a lot of circumstances, there are sometimes that you need the character that comes from having some of that same frequency in your track. Using a de-esser can help alleviate this issue by using thresholds to determine when to apply the reduction of the set frequency. Experiment with de-essing the next time you need to fine-tune the sibilance in one of your tracks.
To hear what precise de-essing and professional mastering can do for your mix, follow the link here for a free mastered sample of your song: https://www.sageaudio.com/register.php
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Deesser Stereo Vst
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