# How to effectively de-ess If you're recording, the best fix is to learn [[How to reduce sibilance when singing]]. Use clip gain to reduce the level of sibilants before hitting any processing.[^1] Melodyne has a sibilant tool I can use for this. See [[Use Melodyne to treat sibilants]]. Reaper's new take lanes workflow works well too.[^2] Switch to spectral peaks in Reaper to better see sibilants and other unwanted noise. To effectively use a de-esser plugin, use two de-essers, one at the beginning of the chain, one at the end.[^3] Darrell Thorp uses [[Pro-DS]] and keys it to the 4k-14kHz range.[^4] Sometimes level-based de-essing doesn't alleviate the harshness. In this case, frequency-based de-essing can be the fix.[^5] If your de-esser has the functionality, switching from wideband suppression to frequency-based suppression may make a difference. Doing a little saturation after de-essing can help smooth out lower-level sibilants.[^5] De-essing with a wide band may be too aggressive. Using an intelligent spectral EQ, something like Gullfoss, can offer a solution.[^6] [[Sibalance v4]] has a spectral setting. De-ess the 2-4kHz region, but key it to around 6-10kHz, where the sibilants live. Colt Capperrune uses Pro-MB on this range as well as a higher range.[^7] After plugin processing, use automation to effectively mute the sibilant, dial in the ramp down and up, and raise the volume until it's where you want it. Gregory Scott will often bring things down 3-6dB after a de-esser plug-in.[^8] See [[Volume automate sibilants]]. My favorite method for especially stubborn sibilants is to mult out all the esses and process them differently on another track. This is helpful if you plan to do any harmonic excitation on the vocal, a process that can make sibilants more harsh.[^5] With the tone track, you can boost the highs without making the sibilants harsher. You can also send only the tone to a reverb and not the sibilants. With Melodyne's sibilant balance tool, you can create two tracks, one with the tone, the other with the sibilants, by dragging either direction to completely remove one or the other.[^9] Sometimes lower-frequency information still gets through the Melodyne macro, but in that case, I can just manually chop them out. Sometimes high frequency information on other tracks can make sibilants sound worse, so consider fixing any other tracks too.[^5] [\[BLOG\] Death To Sibilance: A Simple Guide To De-Essing Vocals](https://urm.academy/death-to-sibilance/?utm_source=pocket_saves) [^1]: [The BEST way to De-Ess Vocals - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCWtSb8jXnQ) [^2]: [De-Essing Vocals Using Lanes in REAPER 7 - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5mECQ_v6oU) [^3]: [How To Make Crystal Clear Vocals Cut Thru The Mix Without Harshness | DOUBLE DE-ESSER TECHNIQUE - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kA8rMPRYGok) [^4]: [Fixing A Harsh Vocal with Darrell Thorp! - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxXWEyPOm2I) [^5]: [Techniques For Vocal De-essing](https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/techniques-vocal-de-essing) [^6]: [3 Masking Problems EQ Couldn’t Fix Until Now! - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDPYeXhF3lg) [^7]: [Mix Trick for SMOOTH AIRY VOCALS - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3egyYcVtnY) [^8]: [De-Esser Plugins are NOT SEXY! - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-xd9oGzX4k) [^9]: [Melodyne • Mixing tricks for sibilants - YouTube](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XoNngoqhUMg)