Every major DAW ships with at least one stock de-esser plug-in, however, there are a number of amazing third-party de-esser alternatives that are well worth checking out if you are plan to either swap out or upgrade your current stock de-esser of choice for something a bit more special… or specialised…

In this article, we list 9 super clean sounding de-esser plug-ins that you should consider trying the next time you need to process a sibilant vocal track… but first:

What Is A De-esser?

de-essers attenuate sibilant sounding consonants in recorded vocal tracks. which feature prominent sounding "sss" or "shh" sounds that sound overly or distracting. In the frequency spectrum sibilance is found upwards of 2kHz - Exact frequency positions being unique to whatever vocal track needs de-esser.

De-essers used to be achieved by feeding the external side chain input of a standard hardware compressor with a duplicate version of the audio being processed, in most cases but not always a vocal, with an extreme EQ applied to really accentuate the unpleasant frequencies needing processing. By making the compressor’s detector more sensitive to the particular range in which the “ess” happens, with care, the compressor could be made to pull down the level of the esses without affecting the rest of the vocal too much.

Unfortunately, sometimes this approach doesn’t yield the best results and purpose build de-essing plug-ins take a far more sophisticated approach.

When Should I Use A De-Esser Plug-in?

DeEssers are typically used to reduce or remove prominent sibilance in vocal tracks. Audio engineers also use DeEsser plug-ins on drum overhead tracks when cymbals sound too ringy in the mix or on mix buses or masters when top-end harshness needs toning down.

How To Setup A De-Esser Plug-in?

De-Esser plug-ins vary slightly in operation though the vast majority follow the same basic principle of attenuating problematic frequencies. Some de-essers are ‘smart’, meaning sibilance is detected automatically, others need dialling in manually meaning audio engineers will need to locate the sibilant frequencies by ear.

Sibilance is often made more prominent in a mix when a general levelling compressor has been applied to a vocal track. de-essers can either be placed before the main vocal compressor to help attenuate the harshness before compression or placed later in a chain. In my opinion, there’s no wrong or right way here… position a de-esser plug-in anywhere within a plug-in chain as long as you get transparent sounding results.

Sound Theory Gullfoss

The first plug-in we’re going to highlight is Gullfoss from Sound Theory. it’s not a purpose-built de-esser, it’s an intelligent equaliser, which can be used anywhere from individual tracks to complex mixes but its unique approach makes it the de-esser Julian turns to when other de-essers just aren’t getting it right.

The two main controls, Tame and Recover usually work together to bring out the desirable parts of a recording (Recover) and to rein in the parts which sound unpleasant (Tame). It really has to be experienced to appreciate how effective this plug-in can be but if you want to you can restrict the processing to a particular area of the spectrum, in the example below, by dialling in quite a lot of Tame to the top end the esses are addressed semi-automatically. it doesn’t work on everything but when it works it achieves results which are great, occasionally remarkable.

Find out more about Gullfoss in our test article.

Visit Sound Theory for more information and to download the 14 day free trial of Gullfoss.

Oeksound soothe

soothe is described by Oeksound as a dynamic equaliser. Unlike traditional EQ, soothe features self-adjusting frequency bands. soothe automatically adjusts the frequency-wise reduction based on the input which saves users from manually notching problematic mid and high frequencies. The attenuation kicks in when needed and where needed, without affecting the nearby frequency areas. This performs DeEssing very well indeed with super clean results every time, which is why we awarded soothe with an Expert’s Choice Award.

Watch our video of Oeksound soothe to hear it in action.

Read our review of Oeksound soothe.

Visit Oeksound for more information and to download the 20 day free trial of soothe.

Waves Sibilance

Waves Sibilance is a recent release by Waves. Prior to Sibilance, Waves offered just two de-essers - their DeEsser and Renaissance DeEsser plug-ins. Both are great sounding de-esser but they have been looking a bit long in the tooth as more modern alternatives by other third-parties have been offering easier and faster workflows. Sibilance has levelled the playing field in terms of automatic de-essers.

Watch our video to see and hear Waves Sibilance in action.

Visit Waves for more information and to download a free 14 day free trial of Sibilance.

Eiosis e² De-esser

The e²deesser is one of the easiest De-esser plug-ins to use as it features a set of straightforward controls, two of which you’ll use all the time:

• Sensitivity: Adjust to detect more or less sibilance

• Amount: Set how much sibilance you want to be reduced

There is no detection frequency to set or fine-tune as e²deesser has already been set with the best detection parameters with presets designed to suit any vocal track.

e²deesser also features one of the most intuitive visual displays.

Watch our video to see e²deesser in action.

Visit Eiosis for more information and to download the 15 day free trial of e²deesser.

Fabfilter Pro-DS

FabFilter Pro-DS provides a comprehensive set of controls, yet it is very simple to use and sounds amazing. The scrolling waveform graphic at the top displays the sibilance reduced in yellow which helps users to quickly hone in on pesky harshness. The threshold and range controls operate like any compressor but these need to be used in-conjunction with the frequency range sliders below in order to get great sounding transparent results.

Watch our video showing FabFilter’s Pro-DS in action.

Visit FabFilter for more information and to download the free trial of FabFilter Pro-DS.

Accusonus De-Esser

Accusonus have developed a range of one knob style plug-ins that provide fast processing along with great results. The De-Esser is a recent addition to the ERA lineup. Like other ERA plug-ins, De-Esser does the vast majority of the work under the hood. Sibilant frequencies are automatically detected providing users with only a couple of important choices:

• How broad do you want the de-essing?

• How much de-essing (reduction) do you want to apply?

Watch our video to hear ERA De-Esser from Accusonus in action alongside other ERA one knob style plug-ins.

ERA De-Esser Pro

The ERA 4 Pro Bundle now includes all of the plug-ins from the Standard Bundle and adds the ERA De-Esser PRO, a sophisticated, yet fast and easy to use de-essing plug-in. Except from the large main knob, ERA De-Esser PRO offers some extra controls to give you the granularity you need to really dive in and fine-tune the settings for when you’re fixing up a really bad recording.

Accusonus users asked for more control from the ERA single dial de-esser without making the UI convoluted and complex. So that’s exactly what Accusonus did. They put in a lot of work in and ended up with a solution that achieves very surgical results fast. It's a spectral de-esser which makes it a cost effective alternative to the de-esser in iZotope’s expensive RX suite.

ERA 4 De-Esser Pro is designed to be a sophisticated, yet fast and easy to use de-essing plug-in. It offers ‘precision-grade’ de-essing and customizable audio repair functionality.

• FOCUS: Fine tune the engine processing by spotting the problematic frequency region, without affecting any other frequencies.

• FOCUS range audition button: Preview the selected FOCUS range without any processing applied onto it. This way you can spot any problematic region much easier.

• SHAPING control: Another parameter to fine tune the processing. Moving the slider towards the SHARP side, a more steep curve is applied onto the sibilance region, leading to a tighter result.

• DIFF button: Listen to what is being removed from your recording during processing.

• Real-time Processing Display (waveform view): Visualise any detected sibilance.

Visit Accusonus for more information and to download the free trial of ERA De-Esser.

Sonnox Oxford SuperEsser V3

The SuperEsser reaches well beyond where any other DeEssers goes as it operates between 20Hz and 20KHz meaning this can be used for different style of compression, not just traditional de-essing.

SuperEsser features 3 listen modes along with a fantastic display which allows users to both hear and see where problem frequencies are well before attacking any of its controls. If the GUI looks a bit daunting then fear not! There’s a simple mode which enables users to dial in quick fixes, use the advanced mode for increased functionality and fine-tuning.

Visit Sonnox for more information and to download the free trial of Oxford SuperEsser V3.

Softube Weiss Deess

Softube’s Weiss Deess plug-in takes inspiration from Softube’s line for line clone of the Weiss DS1-MK3 plug-in. This de-esser features two completely independent bands instead of one which most de-esser plug-in provide. Sibilance issues are generally across more than one frequency range making this a particularly useful tool if you need to attenuation more than one point of harshness in your vocal tracks.

Visit Softube fore more information and to download the 20 day free trial of Weiss Deess.