what if you have a vocalist with a horrific ess pr

[jmallen]

OK....I have an AKG c414 uls that im using with a stedman pro screen....Im running it through an Avalon VT737sp which is set to vocals with de-ess...(from the manual setting)....I have deesser plugins by waves and digi....this girls essses sound like i threw 28 highly venomous snakes in the booth with her....i think its her teeth?lol who knows ...i just have to get rid of it....im tryin to find the freq...so i can notch it out...will that work????

[Andre Knecht]

[…] i think its her teeth?lol who knows ...

Gaps between teeth are indeed a possibility. Obviously, this can be a touchy subject to bring up, but one time-honoured solution is to have the singer cover the offending areas with… gum.

i just have to get rid of it....im tryin to find the freq...so i can notch it out...will that work????

Notching things out with a filter isn’t likely to give you the results you’re looking for — a dynamic process is more appropriate.

Your Waves plug-ins come with presets. Use them as a starting point and adjust parameters until you get close to what you need.

Having said that, I get the best results by automating a vocal track, since every “essing” instance is different (in level and frequency content).
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IHTH.
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[eddiemapp]

I'd give the Crane Song Phoenix a shot with the dark essence setting. Or you could also use a frequency specific compressor such as the McDSP MC2000, setting the desired frequency and threshold to only compresses when the more siblant moments jump out.

[Mark Reis]

I hate the 414 on vocals and I suspect it is making the ess problem worse. I love it on acoustic guitar because it seems to add life and brightness. I'd look for a different mic such as a Neumann TLM 103 if you're on a budget or one of the Rodes. I loved the NT-1 so much more than the 414.

The only time I would use the 414 on female vocals is if I was going for something like the Tori Amos cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit, looking for lots of breath.

[cmaynes]

OK....I have an AKG c414 uls that im using with a stedman pro screen....Im running it through an Avalon VT737sp which is set to vocals with de-ess...(from the manual setting)....I have deesser plugins by waves and digi....this girls essses sound like i threw 28 highly venomous snakes in the booth with her....i think its her teeth?lol who knows ...i just have to get rid of it....im tryin to find the freq...so i can notch it out...will that work????

In the future, track the singer with a dynamic as well as your 414- It will give you far more latitude in the sound, especially with ess's

the Sennheiser 441 is great, as well as the EV RE20 and the new Heil PR40-

try it out...

charles maynes

[jmallen]

I hate the 414 on vocals and I suspect it is making the ess problem worse. I love it on acoustic guitar because it seems to add life and brightness. I'd look for a different mic such as a Neumann TLM 103 if you're on a budget or one of the Rodes. I loved the NT-1 so much more than the 414.

The only time I would use the 414 on female vocals is if I was going for something like the Tori Amos cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit, looking for lots of breath.

i do have a nuemann tlm 103 and a tlm49....the nuenan sounded edgy to me...sharp...but ill try it, thanks

[Craig F]

if it is her tooth gap I have herd of filling the gaps with dental wax for the duration of the session

[Doug Rider]

If the vocal has already been recorded, do what Andre suggested. You might try to manually adjust each "esssss" on the audio track, by trimming just the sibilance anywhere from 3 to 10 db. I'll then send the output of the vocal audio to an Aux and do all my vocal rides there so as to not mess up the de-essing volume trims.

[Craig F]

if you still have some problems at mix put a desser before any reverb(s)

reverb can make the esses pop out

[minister]

i agree, it is likely the 414. i personally am not a fan of it, especially for vocals. as for others mentioned, the HEIL the RODE you should check out and also the STUDIO PROJECTS stuff is not half bad and very inexpensive. also check out B.L.U.E, all their mics -- except for the BALL -- are great.

the other possibility is the subtle comb filtering that can be introduced by the Stedman and the Mic grille. the best thing to put in front of a mic is a singer. pop screens are great for catching plosives, but can cause comb filtering effects that actually make SSS's WORSE! your cheapest solution is to try recording her with NO pop screen. seriously.

with the current recording, the best way to de-ess is to separate out manually the esses and put them on separate track and adjust volume and eq to taste. a PITA, but effective.

if you still have some problems at mix put a desser before any reverb(s)

reverb can make the esses pop out

i would say put a de-esser AFTER the verb. or as an additional step.