When we speak, we usually donвЂ™t pay much attention to things like sibilance (though, now you might). In other words, de-essers automatically reduce the volume whenever a sudden spike in frequency above the threshold is detected. And like compressors, de-essers introduce a volume threshold, but only for the selected frequency band. However, de-essers hone in on a specific range of frequencies as opposed to the entire spectrum. Like an equalizer, a de-esser pays attention to frequencies. We can think of a de-esser as a sort of hybrid between equalizers and compressors. These plugins become powerful tools in any mixing arsenal. De-essers take some of the direct control out of your hands but work much faster. Once youвЂ™ve set the automation nodes, the track will automatically decrease the volume level at the desired times.ДЄgain, while this method works well, it takes time. To reduce this harshness, you can go through the track and manually decrease the volume wherever sibilance occurs. Because sibilance cuts through at higher frequencies, these sounds are often louder. In this instance, we would want to use volume automation. The former method takes much more time and attention than the latter, but both prove useful.ДЄs weвЂ™ve explored before, mix automation provides a great way to hone in on specific elements of a mix and manipulate them exactly how you see fit. Ways to de-essДe-essing can be done more than one way, though the two most common ways are via automation and de-esser plugins. Therefore, youвЂ™ll need to find ways to go about de-essing. Regardless, unless the lyrics contain no sibilant sounds (highly unlikely), youвЂ™ll run into sibilance sooner or later. Vocal training also plays a role here, as well as the acoustic room treatment or mixing parameters. Of course, every vocalist has different vocal qualities, meaning some singers will produce sibilance at higher, harsher frequencies, while others wonвЂ™t. De-essing doesnвЂ™t eliminate sibilance but reduces it. As you might have guessed, these stinging tones created the need for the de-essing process. Usually falling somewhere between 2kHz and 10kHz, these harsh sounds can cut too sharply into the mix. It turns out that sibilant sounds come through at the higher end of the frequency spectrum. Sibilance is formed by consonants like вЂњ s,вЂќ вЂњ c,вЂќ вЂњ t,вЂќ and вЂњ z,вЂќ for instance. Any linguist or phonetician will tell you that these sounds formed by pressing the tongue past the roof of the mouth toward the teeth and passing air through them are called sibilance. We make вЂњ sвЂќ sounds all the time in regular speech (the word, вЂњspeechвЂќ is a good example), or to produce certain effects like hissing. But in fact, de-essing means exactly what it sounds like, to reduce вЂњ s.вЂќ And a de-esser performs the task of de-essing. At first, the term вЂњde-essingвЂќ might sound technical and advanced.

How to use de esser