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McDSP DE555 De-esser Plug-in
Read Barry's Mix Magazine Feature Article On Compression and Compressors
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Sibilant distortion from vocals and spoken word recordings can become a major problem when duplicating, data compressing (MP3 conversion) and transmitting audio. Sibilants are the super loud and hard "S", "T" and other hard consonant sounds common in speech and singing. An ideal de-esser removes or reduces these hard sounds without destroying the sound quality of the rest of the audio.
McDSP has the DE555 De-esser plug-in for DAWS running on MACs and PCs using RTAS and TDM formats. The DE555 uses "look ahead" technology to work its magic just before we hear the actual sound--in effect instantly. Essentially a frequency conscious compressor with extremely fast attack and release characteristics, the DE555 is the most transparent--meaning does the least amount of collateral damage to the rest of the audio--de-esser plug-in I've used--and I have all of them!
The three sections begin with the Key Filter where the offending frequency band is found using the Frequency knob and then the Focus control to vary the Q of the filter network. DE555 has a brilliant graphic display to monitor the de-essing action in real-time--you can see and then dial into the exact problem area. The De-Esser section controls the amount of de-essing using the Ratio knob (compression ratio) and then the Range control where, instead of a conventional de-ess depth control, the de-essing action is consistent no matter the audio level. The Release control sets how fast de-essing ceases and the Output section controls final output level.
The DE555 is $495 and available as a download at www.mcdsp.com. It features double precision processing, low latency and both mono and stereo versions.
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