Where should i put a de-esser in my vocal effects chain?

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captkickass

captkickass

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Im sure there is no proper way to do it. Im looking for suggestions. I just starting using one, and am learning it.

My vocal chain is Eq 3- eq 8 compressor- reverb- delay- saturator.

Im going to try before the eqs. Then try after the eqs. On my next song(I have got to figure out how to ungroup my effect chains, to do it to anything I have previously)

Thanks for any help or suggestions.
 
U can place it b4 or after the eq depends if your gonna boost at 2-4k or not to produce clarity

waves has a good d'esser so does adobe audition fft filter
 
I'd put it before anything else: otherwise you're EQing & compressing those sibilances, thus having a harder time getting rid of them especially if you're planning on boosting anything in the highs...
 
Different places can yield different results. What works best in one case might not work as well in another case.

That said, I tend to put the de-esser after my compressor(s) because the compression tends to pull up the s's. If you use it before the compressor you generally have to use a lot more de-essing because the compressor will compress what you just expanded. That said, it depends on the compressor and the de-esser and how much you need to de-ess and how much you need to compress, etc. A lot of the time either pre or post compression will work equally well (albeit with different settings).
 
I personally use the d'esser 1st eq then compresssion
 
i always De-Ess after compression and additive EQ (but before reverb, delay, etc)

because i boost in the 12k area which REALLY brings out sibilance in vocals.

so i boost to bring them out, De-Ess to tame them. works great for me.
 
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Sorry for the late reply. Just want to say thanks. Internet is down. Which is a good thing. I've been doing more music than surfing.
 
krushing said:
I'd put it before anything else: otherwise you're EQing & compressing those sibilances
Click to expand...
I generally approach this differently. I de-ess after compression and before EQ. The some compression will make siblance a bit louder and a tad more forward. This make those frequencies easier to pickup for the de-essing process particularly when using de-essers that are essentially dynamic EQs.

When the EQ comes along after the de-essed vocal signal you'll be able to more easily control that vocal with just 2 or three bands. I may compress or limit once more if there is a particular effect but that is generally how i address that issue.

Not to mention i sometimes use tape sat on the post fade insert that gobbles up those high frequencies... if i drive it a bit... just dont want to drive it too hard... but i guess that is something else.

Also, de-essers are generally horrible sounding compressors. I like for the signal to pass through a more pleasant sounding processor before going to the mix.
 
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I like to use de-esser, e.q. then compression. or de-esser, compression, then e.q. depending on the sound I want. n then bus the audio to an aux track for the reverb or any effects like that.
 
neothaon3 said:
i always De-Ess after compression and additive EQ (but before reverb, delay, etc)

because i boost in the 12k area which REALLY brings out sibilance in vocals.

so i boost to bring them out, De-Ess to tame them. works great for me.
Click to expand...

That's what a de-esser is.
 
captkickass said:
Im sure there is no proper way to do it. Im looking for suggestions. I just starting using one, and am learning it.

My vocal chain is Eq 3- eq 8 compressor- reverb- delay- saturator.

Im going to try before the eqs. Then try after the eqs. On my next song(I have got to figure out how to ungroup my effect chains, to do it to anything I have previously)

Thanks for any help or suggestions.
Click to expand...

if u can identify the causes of the sibilants, then u are good. the most culprits will be high frequencies boosts, heavy compression, and some reverbs. Logic dictates that u should use the de-esser after the above processors except possibly for the reverb in which a de-sibillation before the reverb maybe more effective.

in short place the de-esser whenever u hear sibilants.After the EQ and compressor or reverb. but try de-essing before the reverb effect and see how it does.
 
i would eq to remove some low end first then compress and after that add some more eq for color to get the sound im looking for and after that use a deesser
 
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