De-Essing: prevention and treatment

K

knownuttin

New member
I'm looking for techniques for minimizing S's short of re-writing the song. I've tried angling the capsule downard pointing at the nose and coaching the singer, and still...

I consider de-essing in the mix a nethethary evil with unwanted artifacth. Nonetheless, I'll welcome any tips or techniques that have served you. TIA.
 
hey,

what deether do you uthe?

I have found that Waves deeser on the vocal alone, not the whole mix, does a very good job, and is very precise. You can choothe the range and the threshold for minimal deessing to maximal deething.
 
Thanks for the reply, Cyan. Yeah, I've used the Waves. It's nice, especially for a knownuttin like myself.

I'm frustrated by this particular vocal which I've cut through an Oktava 219 (kinda rough, but it worked), then recut through a V67 more recently in hopes of beating the S-demon. First time was through an ART MP, the second a Symetrix 202 (no mods). Another recut is an option, so I'm looking for any tips on mic selection (not necessarily brand, but type) and techniques for cutting less essy vox. My goal is a track which requires less de-essing.

Having said that and particularly because the track in question is of an ess-intensive lyric, I also am requesting your best de-essing techniques. I realize the Waves one is a no-brainer (lucky for me), but I have other tools. What technique, plug-in, etc. works for you Knowsumpin's out there?
 
What about this...

What about trying something like this:
ab032-01.jpg
- rerecord it with the mic above the head pointing down (maybe from a bit higher than in the picture even?) and try cutting some of the high frequencies a tad
(Warning: i've never actually tried this... i'm just making it up as i go along :eek: :eek: - if you do give it a try, let me know how it goes!)

Hope this helps!
 
Cut the highs a bit, yeah, but then the vocal lacks highs. Sing off axis, too. But for me the best thing is just to back off the mic until the esses calm down. It's the first and best remedy for me.
 
I recently had a similar problem with the v67 and sss sounds. Last night I layed down several tracks in different positions (sounds like fun doesn't it?) and compared to each to get the minimal silibance.

It seems as though the best track I got was when i sang 8" away from the mic, and 6" to the right of it. The capsule was still pointed straight, but i just sang as though it was 6" to the side.

I also found that using the pop filter in combination with this placement helped. Put the pop filter between your mouth and the mic somwhere and angle the pop filter so your voice would cut across at somewhere near a 45 degree angle therefore it catching more of the silibance. I would post a picture but don't have a camera. Try this....I found it cut down silibance tremendously cause the track I recorded in the first placement needed it bad.

~Brandon
 
Thanks for all the golden replies! Macros4, I used the mic position in your photo, and also the same telescope arm. Dobro, I agree about backing off for a recut, and the Symetrix pre/V67 combo can be pretty hot and quiet simultaneously anyway.

What frist44 starts out saying concerns me. Is the V67 more problematic than some for sibilance? God, that sounds stupid to ask. It might be a tad more prone than say an ELAM251, I know.

But since we're mostly homerecc'ers here, are there any others us bottom-feeders might have you prefer for this problem of essy-vox? I've got a closet full of other cheapos, mostly dynamics, an AT3525, the Oktava 219 and some really cheap small diaphrams. Ocean Blvd this ain't!

Thanks also, frist44 for sharing your results. Did you use the same positioning in macros4's photo, or what? Or are you saying you had the mic pretty much in front and center of the singer's face and simply angle the pop filter at a glancing angle?

Any other techniques from this goldmine of experience would also be greatly appreciated.
 
Angling the pop filter definitely helped catch more of the silibance.

In extreme cases I actually sang to the side of the mic. Left the mic on axis but just moved it to the side about 6" so my mouth wasn't straight on at the mic. I guess it would pretty much be the same as singing off axis, but i think it helped the highs to go past the mic more.

Did some more today and reverted back to the old 8" away and on-axis with the pop filter angled and seemed to have some good results. Could have been just the particular song I was having problems with before. I guess I could be really critical about it, but we're talking about a $150 mic, which seems to easily to the job for me. Until I hit the lottery, I will be sticking to it.

By no means should that shy you away from purchasing a v67. i think in terms of bang for buck as everyone talks, it's easily top of the list!

Good luck.
 
thanks again, macros4, for sharing the results of your experimentation. I think I understand what you're saying now, and will try your technique tonight.

I have, and enjoy, the v67. It is what I used on the last session, and I luv the sound, but not the ess-es. It's an essy lyric as I mentioned, so I'm not blaming the mic. I used it because it is generally my best vocal mic. Hi, I'm Knownuttin, and I'm a Bottomfeeder. All together now, "Hi, Knownuttin!" Keep comin' back.

Anyone else with helpful suggestions on how-to or what tools please chime in. TIA, as always.
 
My mistake! I said macros, but meant to thank frist44 for sharing his results.

My results from last night's experiments were improved. Someone else reminded me of the old pencil trick where you attach a pencil to the mic with a rubber band, so I'll try that tonight. Generally speaking, the thing that helped the most was just backing off, in my case about 2 or three feet from the mic. Also, singing forward not up, and to the side of the capsule helped some. The reality is I'm going to have to live with some ess-ing.

PS-While I luv the V67, I switched after awhile to my AT3525 just to see and found it quieter and flatter. This made it easier to control the problem. Not a scientific test, of course, and I do prefer the sound of the MXL on these vox. Dunno which track I'll end up using. As always, YMMV.

If I remember, I'll try switching pre's tonight also and see what happens.

Thanks again to all!
-knownuttin'
 
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