2018/09/26 16:44:45
Kamikaze
When I teach voiced consonants (usually as part of past simple regular) I have my kids put two fingers on the larynx  and stretch out the words. Some don't get it, so I put their fingers on mine to demonstrate to them hwat to feel for. The look on their faces as I say 'plaaaaaaaayed' 'puuuullllled', is priceless.
2018/09/26 17:54:08
Jim Roseberry
If you're a singer with propensity towards sibilance, what you don't want is a microphone that has a large presence boost in the higher mids. 
Many mics have a presence boost in the mids (to make them sound more present/aggressive).
This can exaggerate the sibilance to where it's problematic.
 
A flatter sounding mic would be what I'd recommend.
 
As Bit mentioned, Ribbon mics are often used for guitars/horns and other scenarios where the source can be a bit "brash".  Ribbon mics like the Royer R121 can rein that in a bit.
 
I'd first work with mic position/technique.
If the sibilance can't be tamed enough with technique and mic position, it's time to look for a flatter sounding mic.
 
2018/09/26 18:55:34
The Maillard Reaction
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2018/09/26 20:01:38
marled
100+
This is also one thing I have learned testing my newest play thing an AT2035 microphone. It is very important to have enough distance to the mic. Maybe this is one reason why I had too much sibilance with older recordings with my AKG C414B-ULS. But nevertheless the recording is only one reason for getting too much sibilance, the processing (compress ...) is the other one!
 
Marc
2018/09/27 11:48:14
The Maillard Reaction
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2018/10/13 16:45:46
Marshall
bitflipper
Marshall
Thinking of buying a Rode NT1.



Don't do it.


I didn’t. Went for and an Aston Origin instead - absolutely love it 😍!
2018/10/16 02:13:30
rebel007
I like my NT1. Not so great on my male voice, seems overly harsh (could be just my voice though). Works well on female voices, sublime on brass/woodwind instruments where you can place the mic a little further away than with a vocalist. Can be a bit harsh on acoustic pianos and guitars though where some subtleties may wish to be recorded.
But to the OP regarding sibilance, I agree with those that are saying mic technique is a good start. Place the mic a little further away. I've also had success wrapping the mic in 4 to 6 inches of cotton wool, then placing a good pop filter in front. This also relates to the previous sentence, as it keeps the vocalist further from the mic.
Bitflipper has a point in using a dynamic mic, as these tend to pick up less of those pesky sss's, and if you get really close you still pick up the subtleties of the mouth/throat/tongue etc, and mic technique is also less of an issue. However, mic technique can become tricky, as you lose those subtleties if you have a softer voice and move off the mic even just a little.
So, can't go past a good quality capacitor mic. Comes down to good engineering practice by the sound recordist, good mic technique by the vocalist, and good post production by the person doing the mixing.
 
Any good EQ, compressor, or de-esser can work wonders. But, if you want the best results, you will need to use these independently on each instance of the offending words. I can't stress this enough, you can set a catch-all setting on a good de-esser, but you won't get the same results every time, as each word is sung differently depending on what part of the vocal range the singer is in, what words or breaths have come before it, and how the singer is using the microphone at that exact time the word is sung.
Hope this helps.
P.S. I've used the VX64 quite a bit over the years, but never for the de-esser as a de-esser.
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