How do you handle de-essing your audio?
 

I've got cold audio from an interview where there is quite a bit of sibilance in the voice of the speaker. And I really need to get rid of it for the sake of the audience.

Does anyone out there have their favorite technique or filter for this? Or are there even better things to do such as giving the speaker a drink of water to wet their mouth a little better?

Right now I'm very keen to learn. :-)

Andrew

What software options do you have at your disposal?

Premiere Pro CS2, Audition 2.0, and a bit of Audacity.

Andrew

Attached is a small sample of the audio. It was recorded in a domestic residence with flat surface / 'bouncy' walls. (I didn't get much choice for the location.) To minimise the pickup of room echo I used my Rode NTG3 shotgun mic to record the audio.

The same person also gives off excess sibilance via a Sony UWPV1 wireless lapel mic kit.

Andrew

I haven't tried de-essing myself, but a multi-band compressor should do the trick. You would just compress the highs - say above 5kHz - and reduce the overall gain of that band. That would keep the high-frequencies intact, until they become louder than a given threshold. With a high ratio, the highs would be squashed after that threshold is crossed.

Andy the NTG-3 did a nice job, clean as a whistle :)

And it seems yr lady has a whistle via her teeth, it's a definate whistle not a lisp and if you can't find a de-esser module .. as Jon says a narrow dip on a graphic equaliser around 6Khz should do it.

The tendency at the outset in a situation like this is to remove it altogether but just reduce it somewhat otherwise on certain rigs it might appear as a lisp. Her boyfriend will call around.
Cheers.

Andrew, just listened to your clip. Nice good clean crisp audio. All you need to do is to roll off the highs at 6dB/Oct above 5-6 Khz. & it sounds excellent. I just simply turned the treble control right down on my amp as I listened to it and it takes off the sharp edge nicely. I have very revealing equipment & your effort sounded very good this way. As a bonus this will also remove any semblance of hiss & other HF noise as well. I would much prefer to have audio like this than stuff that is woolly and muffled.

Actually most people listen through very inferior gear anyhow and have cloth ears, so I don't think you need to worry other than just to do this.

RonC.

Just get the free Spitfish Deesser.

Spitfish De-Esser (FREE)

Great name, too!

(Haven't abandoned this thread. Just been busy. Back soon.)

Andrew