Is there a de-esser for Mac OS X 10.9? I use Spitfish on a PC, but it is not available for Intel-based Macs. Thanks!
Try the de-esser in http://mda.smartelectronix.com/ . Please give us feedback on how well it works.
Gale
On Windows I found it is necessary to apply that mda de-esser repeatedly for it to have an effect comparable with SpitFish , so you may have to do the same on the Mac version, [ Keyboard short-cut to repeat the last effect used is “Command”+“R” ]
Applying the mda-de-esser defaults suppresses left channel detail that virtually eliminates or at least takes too much away from the stereo imaging. I applied it to the shrill and high pitched pyramiding trumpets section on Maynard Ferguson Awright,Awright I’ve been demoing over in my '70/'80’s CD music remix thread.
I couldn’t find a sweet spot setting with the provided three sliders that preserved the stereo imaging. It de-essed the trumpets quite nicely though.
A setting of 10,000hz cut off frequency/-6db resonance in AU LowPass filter did a better job and preserved the stereo imaging.
Thanks for the help. I am a volunteer for an agency that records books for the visually impaired. When I use the mda de-esser, it reduces the volume . but doesn’t have any impact on the sibilance. I will keep trying, but if anyone knows of another application, I’d like to try something else.
There are plenty of de-essers on Mac but as you chose Mac you will have to pay for most of those applications.
Otherwise try cutting the high frequencies as suggested. Audacity has Effect > Low Pass Filter… (under the divider) or you can use the Apple Low Pass or you can use Equalization .
If you need help, post a sample of a phrase you want to de-ess: https://forum.audacityteam.org/t/how-to-post-an-audio-sample/29851/1 .
Gale
Another Audacity tool I find can suppress harsh, noisy “S” sounds is Noise Removal.
Close to the bottom of this thread… https://forum.audacityteam.org/t/best-way-to-improve-old-audio/35171/1
…shows NR settings and mp3 sample results that delivered total dead air silence to vocal recordings that had a lot of noise…
You’ll have to tweak to get the best roll off between actual voice timbre and “S” sounds. Record or find a mid intensity “S” sound in the audio stream to establish a noise profile and tweak to get the best results.
Since you’re not concerned with preserving stereo imaging I applied mda-De Esser settings (see screenshot) to my edits applied to the vocal sample from that other thread I linked. See if you get the same results.
I’ve just tried Paul-L’s De-Esser , a Nyquist plugin , and it seems to work* …
Nyquist Plugins are Audacity-specific , not OS-specific , so should work in Audacity on a Mac , ( I think ).
[ * high “frequency band” settings can cause Audacity to hang ]
Yes, Nyquist plug-ins are cross-platform.
Now I’ve had a chance to use Paul-L’s de-esser it’s amazing :
if you select say 30 “frequency bands” it performs high-resolution de-essing …
SpitFish is not capable of acting with that precision.
[ BTW Paul-L’s De-Esser is not limited to sibilance frequencies, (i.e. those above 3kHz), so it could be used as a high-resolution multi-band compressor anywhere in the audio spectrum ].
Thanks, Trebor! I’ll follow this thread now.
I’m on a Mac 10.11.6 El Capitan. Where do I find the right link to this version in order to download the De-Esser?
Thanks a lot in dvance!
I got process relatively simple with some forum hints. In Analyze > Plot Spectrum (you can probably use spectrum view for this). I read the frequencies of that blue haystack on the right. That’s not normal and that’s “essing.”
So that gives me the two bracket frequencies (read along the bottom) and then I only apply DeEsser after audiobook mastering, so I never have to change the Threshold setting. The show is always the same volume.
So that’s the end of the ice-pick-in-the-ear SS sounds. It does work remarkably well without damaging anything else.
Koz