Hand de-essing tips please!

[Jules]

Would someone be so kind as to give me details of how to de-ess vocals? (with volume editing not hardware outboard de-essers or plug ins)
Some power user / speed tips would be much appreciated! (has tab to transient got anything to do with it? how do you do that anyway?!)

images/icons/smile.gif

Thanks

Jules

[Slideman]

Jules,
Don't know if the "Tab to Transient" feature will always work for de-essing. Sometimes it's not the beginning of the "S" that's the problem. I usually draw a volume move through different parts of the "s" until it feels natural. Sometimes I'll use a fade if the "s" bothers me in a recording session before automating the vocal (if the "s" is at the beginning or end of a phrase). If you hand de-ess often enough you'll get the hang of it and it'll take no time to clean a vocal track.

To Tab to Transient, click on the button to the left of the small"a-z" button on the upper left side of the edit window.
Hope this helps.

[CFS]

Well its not dessing technically without eq. I get it t o sound better first with volume writing in the PT volume Data line thing in the edit window. Then I automate a P2 in filter bank particularly the Q and DB of attenuation. If the vocal was ecorded horendously and this HAS to sound like it was recorded in a world class studio Ill then uise a high ratio in compressor bank and automate the threshold a little to.

[Jules]

I'ts the volume writing I am looking for speed / power user tips on..

Thanks so far...

images/icons/smile.gif

Jules

P.S. I just thought, I could 'apple v' - paste a set volume dip at each ess then go back and fine tune em all...

???

J

[CFS]

I used to paste the volume dips I found it a lot easier to do volume dips with as control surface the first time then go back and fine tune em all.

[masmit]

Pasting the dips is a pretty good idea, but some esses are longer than others...

I tend to drag over the ess with the selector (with the volume line showing) and then drag the selection down with the trimmer tool. Maybe the smart tool thing would be a time saver here, but I'm so used to using the f keys to select tools...


Cheers, Mark

[EJolson]

Wow, this sho' is a hot topic lately.

With that said, here's my shortcut. I hate drawing volume curves on each and every friggin' ess sound, takes forever even if you're pasting curves. What I've been doing instead is regionalizing all those problem esses, and moving them to a new track assigned to the same output. Then you can adjust the "ess" track's volume fader down to taste. If done right, this should be sonically seamless and is way cooler than drawing down all those esses in the vocal track, only to realize that you didn't pull the sibilance down far enough (or did it too much). No problem, just yank on the volume fader rather than manually re-drawing all those volume curves.

Good luck!

[Jules]

Brilliant!

images/icons/smile.gif

Jules

[Jim Clark]

EJolson,

Now that is one cool tip! Thanks!

Jim Clark

[Kenny Gioia]

Just to add to EJolson's tip

If you use QuicKeys (Like I Do) try this.
It's much quicker.

Make a sequence (In QuicKeys) that types
xpv (This will cut, move up one track, then paste) make that the ESC key.

All you got to do is highlight the S's then hit ESC

Also set both tracks to the same voice.

Also (if you're anal like me) after you tweak the two tracks with Volume Automation, you can then drag the ess's back to the original track. The automation goes with it.

I hope that makes sense

[Jules]

The above tips and that last 'quick keys' or macro idea - was the sort of 'gold' I was digging for!
Thanks
images/icons/smile.gif
Jules

[Jules]

Almost 2 years later I am only just getting round to usiing this tip for the first time & I must say it is awesome!

Thanks again

images/icons/smile.gif

[Kenny Gioia]

I got confused. I thought you reposted this question.

I'm sitting here going, Jules, I know you know this one.

Funny thing is, I haven't tried it yet either.

LOL

[Kenny Gioia]

Also Jules, I know you have the Pro Control.

Here's a trick that works for De-Essing along with many other things.

Take your fader (Pro Control) out of automation and set it to off.

Now bring it down about 3dB over the Ess sounds.

Highlight it in the edit window and hit Command + /

It will write the volume (or any other parameter) automation just in the highlighted region.

This is how I always get levels for different sections but I think very few people use it.

[davip]

Not a volume automation trick, but something I used to do a lot when editing CD-ROM voice-overs. I found that a lot of the esses were close to the same length, so I could copy an ess that I liked the sound of and then paste the waveform over any esses that I didn't like. It doesn't sound like it would work very well, but it did! If I didn't need to worry about time shifts, I could do it in shuffle mode and it would work almost every time. Hmm...I just realised how glad I am that I've moved on to other sorts of work.

[csa produktion]

Well Jules heres another,

I usually cut out the s´s and copy them down to another track. After this I phase reverse the new track (the one with the "outcutted" s´s) and apply as much as you want the s´s to disappear. This sound´s very natural on works for me. Much faster then drawing. Try it, you´ll be amazed.

Mats
csa produktion

[csa produktion]

Sorry, forgot to say that you´ll have to add the same plug that make the phase reverse on the original track. Without phase reverse, that is.

Mats
csa produktion

[Jules]

Thanks all!

images/icons/smile.gif

[studiojimi]

while were at it let's grab those popping p's

[PTPerson]

Jules, have you tried the oxford dynamics to De-ess yet?, I'm yet to try it.....i'm scared to.

Is anyone using the side chain in the oxford dynamics?

images/icons/smile.gif

[jho]

Cool tips...thanks..

Makes me feel guilty for using RenDesser so much...
images/icons/rolleyes.gif images/icons/rolleyes.gif images/icons/shocked.gif

[linpaws]

Originally posted by Produceher:

(if you're anal like me)

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">images/icons/confused.gif images/icons/confused.gif