de-esser

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randalji
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2006/05/17 13:08:46 (permalink)

de-esser

I was fortunate to find a couple of posts in this forum related to de-essing a spoken word vocal track. I have to say that I found this particular post very helpful http://forum.cakewalk.com/tm.asp?m=767758&mpage=1&key=sibilance򻜻. By the way I am using Sonar 2 still - hey - it works fine!

At this point I have the following to report:

I've only treated my raw vocal with a EQ for the male voice - this raises the upper end and produces some mild hiss and sibilance - but I love the resonant edge and do not want to drop the EQ setting. I have played with cloning the raw vocal track and combing one with EQ adjusted and one raw - panned a little apart 16% - sounds a little OK but not as nice as a single track.

(1) downloaded the voxengo voxformer VST and digital fish (free) plug ins for de-essing. These work well but seem to dampen the entire track. ANd I'm not sure if this is any different than dampening the EQ on the vocal. Is it?

(2) I also found that removing a 'bright cathedral' reverb took away significant sibilance. Moved to a warm pad - that was nicer - but even still no reverb works fine for me at the moment.

(3) I also took away the compressor - as I do not fully understand it and as much as I play with it - it does just that - compresses the vocals - along the lines of dampening - again - wish I had a tutor to look over the shoulder.

(4) I'm aware of a renowned technique that involves a 'clip gain envelope'. Can anyone walk me through this technique in a 'how to ...' with step by step kind of way? I'd like to try it but am not sure how it would be any different from splitting a clip and reducing the gain on a section - - which I've done for some other sections that have clipped to high.

Thanks in advance for your consideration.
#1

8 Replies Related Threads

    Bonzos Ghost
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    RE: de-esser 2006/05/17 14:49:01 (permalink)
    In a nutshell, do this: (I'm not at my DAW right now)

    Right click on clip and select add clip gain envelope.

    Zoom in to the offending sibilence. Right click and add a few nodes. Grab nodes with mouse and reduce volume envelope just at the offending "ssss" parts of the clip.

    Repeat as neccessary.

    #2
    Guest
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    RE: de-esser 2006/05/17 16:09:48 (permalink)
    the Waves Ren De-Esser is excellent for being able to dial in the frequency width to more selectively
    scoop out. but, you have to spend a little time to figure out what frequency range, width and threshold
    to set before you apply it. untuned, any de-esser will scoop out too much or too little.

    you can also use automation to engage and dis-engage it.

    jeff
    #3
    ooblecaboodle
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    RE: de-esser 2006/05/17 17:29:34 (permalink)
    first, learn how to work a compressor, because a de-esse is simply a frequency-conscious compressor.
    #4
    Grudunza
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    RE: de-esser 2006/05/17 19:25:19 (permalink)
    If you're using Spitfish and it's muddying things up, play with the sense, depth and tune. You should be able to hit the right spot where it kills some SSSSSS but keeps the rest of the track bright enough.

    www.EricHermanMusic.com
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    #5
    dantarbill
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    RE: de-esser 2006/05/17 19:35:49 (permalink)
    ORIGINAL: jmarkham

    the Waves Ren De-Esser is excellent for being able to dial in the frequency width to more selectively
    scoop out. but, you have to spend a little time to figure out what frequency range, width and threshold
    to set before you apply it. untuned, any de-esser will scoop out too much or too little.

    you can also use automation to engage and dis-engage it.

    jeff



    You can do the same thing with Voxformer. Note that the default spectrum analyzer display in this plug is a bit lethargic, so it may not be easy to see what freq you are ss'ing at. (Try using Voxengo's SPAN in front of it.) But you CAN dial in the frequency you need AND not incur the Wave$ penalty.

    The automation may also be a good trick, but then it becomes the same amount of work as the clip gain envelope gambit.

    Dan Tarbill
    #6
    MArwood
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    RE: de-esser 2006/05/18 01:27:23 (permalink)
    I have used envelopes to adjust the frequency or Ren De-Esser. That way when the music got louder or quiet I could control the amount that was cut out. It worked great.
    Max Arwood
    #7
    Mr Scary
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    RE: de-esser 2006/05/18 15:56:54 (permalink)
    I too slapped the Ren DeEsser on a vocal track and used the Preset called Male-Ess. It came close, but no cigar. I followed the inline help with the plug and within 10-15 minutes I had used the sidechain to find the culprit frequency and threshold. I saved it under my singer's name as a new preset. I would tend to think that setting will be applicable for him for most (if not all) his vocal tracks.

    The default presets were a good starting point, but you also have to look at the meters and use your ears. Too much De-essing can kill a track and not enough kills the ears. But, when you learn the plug-ion, you're all the wiser!
    #8
    ohhey
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    RE: de-esser 2006/05/18 16:02:32 (permalink)
    ORIGINAL: Bonzos Ghost

    In a nutshell, do this: (I'm not at my DAW right now)

    Right click on clip and select add clip gain envelope.

    Zoom in to the offending sibilence. Right click and add a few nodes. Grab nodes with mouse and reduce volume envelope just at the offending "ssss" parts of the clip.

    Repeat as neccessary.





    Exactly ! This is what I do and I get much better results then with a plugin. Plugins work from one set of "rules" to detect levels of a range of frequencies and it never fails that one setting will not work for the entire track. I either gives you a lisp or doesn't reduce enough. With the clip gain you can get the track perfect, not only the essses but any peak you might need to reduce or noise you might need to mute out. You can even cut a word short that was over-sung because the clip gain is pre effects bin the reverb will sound out over the hole and decay into silence. I would have to say the clip gain is the most important feature of a DAW to getting a perfect mix. And as a bonus it uses no noticable amount of CPU and doesn't cost any money !
    post edited by ohhey - 2006/05/18 16:11:32
    #9
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