@musicproduction De-ess recommendations?

Does anyone use a free de-ess plugin that they like? Any tips on using it effectively? Any tips on de-ess-ing in general, whether for vocals or other purposes?

  • I rarely use a de-esser on vocals. Rather I actually manage the types of noises they reduce manually on the waveform. It’s easy to recognise things like ‘sss’ and ‘fff’ by their noise look and then they can be dropped by as much as 4db using a trim function.

    Sure, it can be slow and it means sectioning but it’s just a better option for me as a de-esser can treat some of the noise well and make others sound like a lisp. They’re a. bit all or nothing.

    If I do apply a de-essing it’s the Cubase stock one and it’s always a gentle application and always after the first compression.