I’m wrestling with getting some good de-essing, for a spoken vocal track (think: podcast type), and I’m getting the opposite of what I want, when trying the Spitfish de-esser (my post-processing track seems to show what it took out, rather than what I want it to leave behind).
I’m ready to buy a plug-in, if it’s good enough, but I don’t know which one to buy. With this being the start of a brand new decade, I’d say it’s time to get some expert input and updates on the best currently-available de-esser plug-ins, and/or on any equalizer graphs that can effectively do the same things.
So . . . I’d appreciate it enormously if any experts would weigh in, with any opinions on the best de-essers, in each of the following cost categories:
Free (I’ll edit this post, or add another, with a link to a thread on Spitfish, which is free; maybe I’ll get an answer there).
Less than $100, such as:
Accusonus ERA De-Esser ($59 from places such as sweetwater.com)
Equalizer curves?
I can’t help but suspect that if one were to create (and then store) an equalizer curve which rolls off somewhere about 6 khz,
that likely would provide an answer to this problem with about a 70 to 90 percent quality level, compared to a purchased program. Can anyone post a screen-grab, showing such a curve which they have tested, and optimized?
A VERY helpful response - many thanks!!
I also got this email from a professional musician (both stage and studio; he actually has a PhD in some branch of music, and he does studio work (arranging, mixing, etc) when not on the road:
I would suggest one of the Waves plugins (Waves.com). They essentially have 3 de-esser plugins available as VST plugins (which you should be able to use in Audible). De-esser, Renaissance De-esser, and Sibilance. They all do essentially the same thing, but in a little different way. I have used the 1st two with great success before, Sibilance is just a newer/more advanced version that you may or may not need. I would suggest going to the website, spend 10-15 mins looking at the short tutorial videos for each one, and grabbing the one you like. Again, they’ll all get the job done (assuming I understand the job) and are very easy to use. They are currently on sale (Waves plugins are always on sale!) for $30, $40, and $50.
Always check the list of compatible software. Most Waves plug-ins are not compatible with Audacity. And don’t assume it was just an oversight. It’s legit.
I had been experimenting with simple repairs for spot-fixing extreme sibilance/whistle. The roll-off curves suggested above can work, but you have to analyze the area and really limit the repair to the painful spot - which usually starts a fraction after the first “s” sound and can continue as a kind of echo distortion for a fraction afterwards. I made samples of the moment (about a half second, within a 2-minute clip) before and after fixing, with screen shots of the EQ curve used, saved as De-S-MedHvy, and 2 shots of the rough waveform. The 5 files are in this drop link: [Files uploaded to forum by moderator]
