I've got the tools, I've read about how and I've done tutorials but I've had little or no success. What's the secret?

• I'm looking in the 7k freq range
• Detection thresh is 5 db
• Reduction 10 db

Playing with all those controls doesn't seem to make much difference. I've also tried zooming in and applying 6 db cut to the offending area of the clip, which makes it less but it's still sibilant.
 
This is for a male tenor. Anyone got THE tool or settings that work.
 
Thanks - rev 
 

for singular vocal parts a 4-6db cut should be suffice. But when your hand limiting double vocals, problems will arise.
You may have to cut some of the high end off the tracks EQ. Some plug ins will also have a dramatic effect. Example: VST Mic pre amps like Waves Scheps.
 
It may also be clashing with another instrument/track and magnifying the sibilance.

Tonmann de-esser is the best de-esser I've ever used, and it's free! Very flexible controls. Pay special attention to the BANDwidth and frequency controls, then once you've found the culprit, adjust the reduction control. Use SPAN or another frequency analyzer if you need help finding the frequency.
 
if the person was generating a really strong S in their vocal apparatus (gap between teeth, dry mouth etc), AND they're on a mic that emphasizes those frequencies, AND they were recording too close to the capsule...then you might never get the most pleasant tone out of the recording. Try backing them off from the mic next time (or switching mics...or eating a green apple prior to their singing!) But if you have a few atrocious Ss in a really great performance, that no de-esser can quite kill--then chop an S that sounds OK from another part of their performance and drop it in! No joke. It's a pitchless syllable, and if you do it right it's undetectable.
 
 

revnice1
I've got the tools, I've read about how and I've done tutorials but I've had little or no success. What's the secret?

• I'm looking in the 7k freq range
• Detection thresh is 5 db
• Reduction 10 db

Playing with all those controls doesn't seem to make much difference. I've also tried zooming in and applying 6 db cut to the offending area of the clip, which makes it less but it's still sibilant.
 
This is for a male tenor. Anyone got THE tool or settings that work.
 
Thanks - rev 
 

It depends on what you are using. Personally, I do not use de-eeser. Just a plain old EQ with Q setting will do the trick.

I have Fab Filter Pro Q.

1) Regardless, here are the steps.
Take all of the offending track or tracks and slice out the offending portion.

2) Move all of the offending portion/slices to new tracks then send to a BUS.

Note: Only use a bus if there is more than a single track.

3) Add an EQ to the BUS and dial the frequency, then dial the Q.

4) Use your ear.

By adding the EQ only on the affected portion of the track(s) you avoid affecting the entire track.

If you need more personal help send me a PM.

CIAO

First, identify the offending band. Keep in mind that it may not be the same throughout a track or between different vocal parts. Put an EQ on the track and create a BIG (+12 dB or more) and narrow boost, then move its center frequency around until you've made the sibilance sound as bad as you possibly can. That's where you need to apply compression.
 
If you attenuate the "S"s but it still sounds piercing, then your filter is too narrow. Or, there is a second band (a harmonic) in play. Also make sure it's actually sibilance you're dealing with; I've seen resonances (from recording too close to a window or an internal resonance within the microphone) cause essiness that masquerades as sibilance but cannot be treated with de-essers. A spectrum analyzer or (better) a sonogram can show you if it's one or the other.
 
What are you using? A de-esser, a filtered-sideband compressor, a dynamic equalizer, or a multiband compressor? Or maybe a more old-school method?
 
(BTW, I almost never use de-essers. Unless the recording is really bad, I prefer to address sibilance with hand-planted gain automation.)

I'm also into manual de-essing. De-essing processors can work with consistent tracks, but not a lot of tracks are consistent 

Oh! And don't forget to put your de-esser next-to-last in your vocal plugin chain--after any EQ or compression etc, but BEFORE any volume automation.
 
In my experience, unless you have a pretty bad mismatch between your singer and your mic, a de-esser can get you where you want to be 95 percent of the time. But after you've set your baseline settings on your de-esser, you can manually address any other problems with gain automation (and in the most dire circumstances, S replacement. But IMHO, the less of that kind of finicky nitpicky stuff you can do the better!)

I do it the hard way. I create a volume envelope on the clip, home in on each of the offending sibilant consonants and reduce its volume by a few dB.

I use the old lovely Sonitus Multiband.

When I am using Melodyne for vocal pitch correction I also use it to separate the sibilance and then manually reduce the level of each one as desired. Don't know if you have Melodyne but it's another option if you do.