A De-essing Filter to remove sibilance

Special Interest Groups Audio Processing
1

I once used the CoolEdit software and a helpful person designed a De-Essing filter which I saved into the program to remove the excessive sibilance that gives that horrible lisping to some vinyl recordings.

I’d love a similar filter to be part of the Effects menu in Audacity. With a sliding control from weak/mild to strong/severe.

I’m using OS X 10.9.4 so Digitalfish plug-ins don’t work. I want something that works with modern Apple computers.

2

See if this works.
http://forum.audacityteam.org/download/file.php?id=10125

Koz

3

http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Nyquist_Plug-ins

Koz

4

Thanks so much for this.

I’m not sure what i need to adjust when I open it, or do I leave the default settings?

Thanks again :slight_smile:

5

You open the work on your computer with the high quality sound system and adjust the settings so it sounds natural. I’ve only used the de-esser once and the default settings seem to work. I have no feel for what the controls do.

You thought the performance was harsh and sibilant, so tune the tools so it stops doing that. The de-esser isn’t one of the normally included tools, so it doesn’t have neat, orderly instructions.

that horrible lisping to some vinyl recordings.

I don’t know that I ever had that experience. Are you trying to transfer vinyl without an RIAA equalizer? Or is someone doing transfers with a bad or misadjusted stylus? Is this a USB Turntable, by any chance?

Koz

6

Paul-L’s De-Esser is also a Nyquist plugin so works cross-platform, it’s available here … Updated De-Clicker and new De-esser for speech

It’s the best de-esser I’ve used, better than SpitFish , ( also it’s not restricted to sibilant frequencies so can be used elsewhere on the audio spectrum : it’s a multiband compressor in disguise ).

7

Hi Koz.

I sometimes find it with vinyl that has been badly recorded/mastered (often from small independent record labels who put out 12" singles in the 80s and 90s) and with some other people’s efforts at recording vinyl, which they then send to me to clean up.

I’ve come across quite a few examples of sibilance; it’s quite common on vinyl.

8

Hello RetroRemix,

koz and Trebor have both pointed you to my plug-in. Trebor’s link includes more explanation from me of the settings.

I will gladly answer questions.