How to get rid of over powering "S" sounds?

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ajmauburn

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I recorded some vocals, and every word with an S sounds like an annoying whistle in my ear. Is there a way to soften the noise?

Thanks,

ajmaburn

ps. I am using logic
 
ajmauburn said:
I recorded some vocals, and every word with an S sounds like an annoying whistle in my ear. Is there a way to soften the noise?
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Yes...the tool you require is called a 'de-esser' the clue's in the name. ;)
There are lots of them around but here's the link to a good free one(vst), which I think will run ok in 'logic'...it's called 'Spitfish'.
It's part of the 'fishfillets' bundle(block,floor and spit fish) and is available for 'Mac OS' download.
http://www.digitalfishphones.com/main.php?item=2&subItem=5

Good luck...

Mart.
 
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ajmauburn said:
I recorded some vocals, and every word with an S sounds like an annoying whistle in my ear. Is there a way to soften the noise?

Thanks,

ajmaburn

ps. I am using logic
Click to expand...

Before playing with plugins, I would change how you are recording the vocals.

What microphone do you use, whats the room like, does it have a pop sheild and how close do you stand to it?
 
IMHO a "de-esser" is an ineffective tool, as a rule, although it can have some uses for controlling minor sibilance. You can also decrease sibilance by changing mic position, so the singer is singing more off-axis, *past* the mic capsule, rather than *at* it. The problem is, both of those techniques mess with the sound, more so with some mics than others. Most people don't want to hear the real answer, but here it is- the singer needs to change his or her diction. You actually have to think!!! while you sing, and shorten/lighten every S sound you make. The point is- the way you pronounce words when you are speaking is not how you do it when you are singing into a mic. Really good mic singers will also shorten dipthongs, words where you are transitioning from one vowel to another, such as "ow" or "boy".

This lesson is a sub-group of a bigger lesson. The fact is, the skill set of a live performing musician and the skill set of a recording artist aren't the same. In fact, many of the things you do on stage that make you successful work against you in the studio. Unsuccessful performers take the attitude that they are just great, and it is the studio's job to translate that into a recording. The good ones figure out that no matter how good you are on a stage, you have to learn different skills to make really good recordings. There is no magic wand, including a de-esser, that can make sibilance go away, and worse, while it is making *some* of it go away, it is also eliminating sounds it didn't need or want to. You have to learn to change the way you pronounce words, it's that simple, and that difficult. Some people have 2 dictions- speaking diction, and microphone diction. Listen to John Lennon. He changed diction like most people change T-shirts. He had literally dozens of them, which were created for specific songs. That's what comes from standing in front of a mic that long (and being a genius).

That's one of the advantages you gain from working in a cover band for a while. You can't make your voice sound like 50 different recording artists. What you *can* do, is copy their diction. Trying to copy John Lennon's diction, for me, and Roger Daltrey's,Jim Croce's, Cat Steven's, Glenn Frey's, etc., turned out to be the best tutorial I ever got in mic technique.-Richie
 
Richard Monroe said:
This lesson is a sub-group of a bigger lesson . . . . You have to learn to change the way you pronounce words, it's that simple, and that difficult.
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We might as well add to this the poppers . . . those performers whose plosives can puncture steel at fifty paces.

There are things you can do with mike technique (same as sibilance), but nothing beats a performer who has learnt to de-pop their 'p's and 'b's. I've heard some people say that that is the way their voice is . . . but it can be changed if they set their mind to it.
 
That'_ the ticket, Piebot! I'll ju_t become an _ongwriter!-Richie
 
PieBot said:
Also, try using words without an "S".
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Or any words that use specifically placed "R's" as to avoid having to sing with a fake British accent.

Unless you actually are british or in a pirate band. Then by all means, drown your lyrics in ARRR's.
 
Watch your diction. That's Arrrhh!, me hearties.-Richie
 
Pop screen, distance, a pencil tapped across the face of the mic (DON'T cover the grill with tape), careful diction, plenty of liquids - but no booze, experiment with mic placement AND be careful with Spitfish - it can work, takes lots of personalising and EATS UP processor time. All of these compensate to some degree for poor technique.
You can also tightly notch EQ if you can pin point the offending frequencies.
 
I was working on a recording a few weeks ago that had annoying sibilance in the lead vocals. Re-tracking wasn’t an option so I looked for a way to take the edge off in the mix. I ran a low-Q frequency bump through the upper frequency range until I found the spot that made the sibilance extremely irritating. Then I inverted the curve to make it a cut instead of a boost. Going on memory, I want to say the frequency was in the vicinity of 10kHz and I cut 3-6 dB. Worked like a charm.
 
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