Which road should I take when De-Essing ?

justanuser

New member
Hey guys. I'm a tiny bit confused, but I want to remove the doubt out of my head. From what I know... the best free way to De-Ess is by using something like SpitFish. Now I saw a video of this guy De-Essing by using a Multiband Compressor, Edison and Maximus. So I was wondering, is it worth the time to do it the way this guy does, or should I use SpitFish instead ?
Here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hv...id=04o1kpdkpVU&annotation_id=annotation_80862
Thank you for your time :)
 
Just use a de-esser. Sure, you can use a multiband compressor, but why? A de-esser works great, is easy to use, and does most of the work for you. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. If you have to ask, you should stick with a de-esser. I don't have to ask, and I'll be sticking with a de-esser.
 
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Thanks for the answer man. The reason why I'm doubtin the De-Esser is because I don't seem to hear a difference between having it on or off. Maybe it's the fact I'm working with earbuds... but idk.
 
A deesser is like a multi band except you can only select 1 band, like you would in the multi and adjust where you want it to work.

if you can't hear it crank it too the extremes... A good rule of thumb is to crank any effect, adjustment etc, take it to where you can hear it, where it's too much, then ease it back off.

I had a habit of giving everyone a lisp when using a deesser, this is a clear sign off too much. The issue was some words needed more than others, I learned on those words to go in and cut some of the actual vocal. Manually make slices of the sibilance and physically turn them down works too. I was that focussed on trying to get it right for weeks I noticed how bad a lot of commercial records where, then I realised, I was just over focusing as I'd been over doing it. Everything I heard it stud out so bad.
 
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Yep, de-essing is (on a basic level) just band-limited compression. Theoretically it doesn't matter whether you use a bunch of non-specialized processors to achieve the same result...but of course it can be a good learning experience.
 
Easy way = DeEsser. Less time consuming. Yes, lower the threshold super low so you can hear what part of the vocal it's effecting, then ease up until it sounds natural.

Hard way = Multi-band. In the words of a very popular viral video a few years back.... ain't nobody got time for that lol.
 
I understand this is an old thread, but I feel I need to put some emphasis on this.

Why anyone would need to use a multiband comp to achieve such a simple task in itself is ridiculous to me, personally. Seems like a LOT of wasted time and CPU usage (regardless of the plug).
Outside of that, however let's look at WHY its more efficient to use a 'single band comp' de-esser for your vocal takes (such as Spitfish)

Sibilant sounds typically come from reflections in the room (or booth) where air hits an object, or is "cut" by an opposing angle of said object in respect to your position, whilst recording. Sometimes it can be something as simple as air catching your teeth, if you have an overbite, or don't enunciate your words properly, and drag them out. Sometimes, it's because you don't have proper paneling in the studio, or a variety of other factors.

When these reflections are caught, they create a sibilant sound that permeates the tonal frequency you are projecting, and thus, creates the annoying sound of the 'S' ninjas as I like to call them. I would suggest before reading about de-essing, first find out exactly what is causing the sibilance issue in the recording, and try to eliminate that factor now, so that it doesn't become a recurring issue in the future. Strategically placed high frequency, high density acoustic panels are a good starting point (however should not be used as a focal point imo). Check your ceiling corners for sharp angles. If they are a perfect fit and aren't rounded (idk why they would be, but...) I would first attempt to place your panels accordingly in those trouble areas, as they are hot points for reflections.

End of ramble. Cheers to you, friend!
 
Hey guys. I'm a tiny bit confused, but I want to remove the doubt out of my head. From what I know... the best free way to De-Ess is by using something like SpitFish. Now I saw a video of this guy De-Essing by using a Multiband Compressor, Edison and Maximus. So I was wondering, is it worth the time to do it the way this guy does, or should I use SpitFish instead ?
Here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hv...id=04o1kpdkpVU&annotation_id=annotation_80862
Thank you for your time :)

The best way is to de-ess with hardware, there is no reason to perform such a critical process in the software domain.
 
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