frank_1
New member
What the hell is de-esser. All I know is that it is apart of the mastering process.
sonusman
Banned
frank_1 said:
"a part of the mastering process"? Not usually. Usually it is part of the mixing process.
A de-esser is a compressor to works with a certain frequency, usually in the upper midrange (3-10KHz). If a vocal track has excessive sibilance, this can be addressed with a de-esser, who's job is to turn down ONLY the frequency that the sibilance is at.
I have found that the best way to do this is to use the Side Chain circuit on a compressor and a 31 band graphic eqaualizer. You would run your vocal through the compressor, insert a graphic eq on the side chain circuit, then on the eq, turn up all the way the frequency that the sibilance is at and turn all others down, then set the threshold of the compressor so that the sibilance is reduced by the amount you want. You will want to use a very fast attack setting, and a medium to fast release (fast if very high, medium is lower frequency is the culprit). In doing this, the compressor is ONLY compressing when the sibilance happens and not any other time. In effect, you are turning down the vocal track for only as long as the offending sibilance is taking place, if everything is set right.
Some unit have a "built in" de-esser, but I have found that they don't work all that great, and usually sort of mute the high end in a vocal track.
By the way, a parametric EQ capable of a very tight Bandwidth would be very effective to use instead of a graphic equalizer. In fact, depending upon the offending frequency, it may work better.
Hope this helps.
Ed
MISTERQCUE
Not Just Anutha Brutha
sonusman,this may sound dumb,but can you control mid-range to hi-range eq frequencies more accurately with a
parametric rather than a graphic eq?
Thx!
parametric rather than a graphic eq?
Thx!
frank_1
New member
Since it looks like we are getting into EQ...
...What is the difference between parametric eq and graphic eq? Also what is sweepable eq?
...What is the difference between parametric eq and graphic eq? Also what is sweepable eq?
vox
Member
A graphic EQ has all it's frequency sliders lined up next to each other so that when you adjust the settings you can easily see what the frequency curve looks like as if it were on a 'Graph'. It usually has only the cut/boost slider and maybe a master volume, the frequencies are fixed and so is the bandwidth of each filter. It's the most common type of EQ, it's the type you see in cars, on boom boxes, in home stereos etc.
A Parametric EQ has more parameters that you can adjust, instead of just cut/boost you can also adjust the frequency and bandwidth (called 'Q'), whereas graphic eq's have anywhere from 5 to 31 bands a parametric doesn't usually have more than about 4 bands. It also looks different, a parametric will usually have rotary knobs in groups rather than sliding faders.
A sweepable Eq is like a parametric in that it gives you the ability to turn the frequency selector knob and 'sweep' through the frequencies. Some sweepable EQs don't have a bandwidth control though.
A Parametric EQ has more parameters that you can adjust, instead of just cut/boost you can also adjust the frequency and bandwidth (called 'Q'), whereas graphic eq's have anywhere from 5 to 31 bands a parametric doesn't usually have more than about 4 bands. It also looks different, a parametric will usually have rotary knobs in groups rather than sliding faders.
A sweepable Eq is like a parametric in that it gives you the ability to turn the frequency selector knob and 'sweep' through the frequencies. Some sweepable EQs don't have a bandwidth control though.
Blue Bear Sound
New member
Just to add to what Vox said...
There are 2 "types" of parametric EQs.
A "Full parametric" (or simply "parametric") EQ found on the better consoles and on outboard units has 3 areas of control per each band (usually 3-4): sweepable frequency, "Q", boost/cut levels.
The sweepable frequency pot allows you to select the frequency you wish to adjust. The boost/cut pot control is obvious. The Q setting controls how wide or narrow the boost/cut being applied will occur centered at the selected frequency. (Meaning, at higher Q settings, the affected frequency range will be very narrow - so if your selected frequency is 10K, you will pretty much affect only 10K, as opposed to the semi-parametric settings which will not only affect the 10K frequencies, but also much of the surrounding frequencies.)
"Semi-parametric" (often incorrectly referred to as simply "parametric") - has 2 controls: sweepable frequency, and boost/cut levels. This is typical in budget mixers and PortaStudios. Semi-parametrics are a bit of a compromise since, without the Q control to limit the scope of your adjustments, they have a tendency to affect too much of the surrounding frequencies of the one you're trying to work with. You just don't have the same level of control as with a full-parametric.
Graphic EQ has fixed bands of frequency control and generally no "Q" control. Some of the better Graphics do provide a general "Q" switch which narrows or deepens the slope but affects all frequency bands.
Bruce
There are 2 "types" of parametric EQs.
A "Full parametric" (or simply "parametric") EQ found on the better consoles and on outboard units has 3 areas of control per each band (usually 3-4): sweepable frequency, "Q", boost/cut levels.
The sweepable frequency pot allows you to select the frequency you wish to adjust. The boost/cut pot control is obvious. The Q setting controls how wide or narrow the boost/cut being applied will occur centered at the selected frequency. (Meaning, at higher Q settings, the affected frequency range will be very narrow - so if your selected frequency is 10K, you will pretty much affect only 10K, as opposed to the semi-parametric settings which will not only affect the 10K frequencies, but also much of the surrounding frequencies.)
"Semi-parametric" (often incorrectly referred to as simply "parametric") - has 2 controls: sweepable frequency, and boost/cut levels. This is typical in budget mixers and PortaStudios. Semi-parametrics are a bit of a compromise since, without the Q control to limit the scope of your adjustments, they have a tendency to affect too much of the surrounding frequencies of the one you're trying to work with. You just don't have the same level of control as with a full-parametric.
Graphic EQ has fixed bands of frequency control and generally no "Q" control. Some of the better Graphics do provide a general "Q" switch which narrows or deepens the slope but affects all frequency bands.
Bruce
MISTERQCUE
Not Just Anutha Brutha
Bless U both!