4 Alternative Ways Of Using The De-Esser Effect

What Is a De-Esser Effect?

The De-Esser is, without a doubt, a versatile effect, frequently used to tame the annoying "ess" and "esh" parts in the vocal recordings. Therefore, it is mainly considered to be a vocal tool. However, De-Esser can be helpful in many other ways, which I will try to describe in the following tutorial. Much like a multiband compressor, it works like a frequency-selective compression. So here are 4 scenarios in which we can apply the De-esser effect in our mix using the De-Esser plugin by Waves Audio.  

1. Taming Harsh Cymbal Brightness

Cymbals can often sound harsh. Whether it is the crash, ride, or hi-hat, high frequencies on the drum sounds can wash out the entire drum mix. For this reason, you need a dynamic processor like De-esser to fix that. Furthermore, it can provide more control in order to attenuate specific unwanted frequencies. In addition to this, it will do the job better than a regular equalizer. As you can see in the picture below, a part of the audio spectrum is selected where the attenuation is applied. Let's hear the drum mix without and with De-esser applied.  

~Audio example 1 - Drum groove without DeEsser

~Audio example 1 - Drum groove with DeEsser  

2. Removing Harshness from an Electric Guitar Recording

Recordings of an electric guitar, especially heavily distorted ones, can often have some harsh-sounding frequencies. Sometimes, the equalizer is not enough to process these unwanted frequencies. Consequently, you could apply de-esser to perform attenuation only during specific parts where the amplitude of the harsh frequencies exceeds the threshold. So let's hear the following example:

~Electric guitar without DeEsser

~Electric guitar with DeEsser  

3. Using De-Esser to Reduce Fret Noise on Bass Guitar

When it comes to the song's foundation, a bass guitar is one of its unavoidable elements. Therefore, it's crucial to keep it stable in the mix. Fret and pick noises from a bass guitar can sometimes be overwhelming if too much compression is applied. These kinds of noises usually occur on high frequencies. Once again, de-esser is a great tool to keep those noises at a reasonable level.

~Bass guitar without DeEsser

~Bass guitar with DeEsser  

4. Removing Problematic Frequencies on a Boxy Kick Drums

As a frequency selective tool, de-esser can also be used on sounds dominating the lower frequency spectrum. One of these sounds is, for example, a kick drum. A bell EQ is a stabell EQ, a standard tool to tame the frequencies ( from 200Hz to 500Hz ) on a boxy kick drum sound. Alternatively, and in most cases, a better solution would be to process it with de-esser. It will work well on both acoustic and electronic kick drum samples.  

~Kick drum without DeEsser

~Kick drum with DeEsser

To conclude, many people think that De-esser is just a vocal fix plugin. However, once you understand that it is a compressor with a frequency-dependent side chain, your world opens up to many new possibilities. All in all, we can safely say it's an excellent multi-tool!