From the course: Audio Foundations: Compression and Dynamic Processing

Unlock the full course today

Join today to access over 22,500 courses taught by industry experts or purchase this course individually.

Understanding and using de-essers

Understanding and using de-essers

From the course: Audio Foundations: Compression and Dynamic Processing

Start my 1-month free trial

Understanding and using de-essers

“

Sibilance is a term that usually refers to the hissing effect produced when a vocalist speaks or sings a hard S sound. This S sound can be overwhelming and irritating and could be especially bad when certain singers are recorded with less-than-optimal microphones. Hi-hat cymbals and some other high- frequency instruments can also create sibilance. The challenge to eliminate this unwanted sound is so prominent in the recording world that a specific type of dynamics processor was developed to tackle it, called a de-esser. In a typical compression or limiting scenario we know that the processor looks for and reacts to a signal's amplitude going over the defined threshold. It doesn't matter if that signal is a low-frequency signal or a high-frequency signal, a bass note or treble note. Any amplitude value measured over the threshold will cause the compressor to react and reduce the gain as prescribed by the ratio, attack, and release controls. But what about special scenarios where we're…

Contents