Last Updated on July 20, 2021.
De-esser plugins are essential not only for making any vocal track sound professional but also to tame the harshness on almost any other tracks in your mix; like hi-hats, cymbals, and even in the mastering phase.
If you don’t know what a De-esser does then here’s a post I wrote that explains just that!
Mac & PC – VST & AU Click here to go to the developers site to download. SPITFISH is a dead-easy to use de-esser, aimed mainly at mono or stereo vocal tracks. Just like classic analog de-essers, this unit dynamically filters out harsh, annoying s-like sounds that would otherwise ‘spit’ in your face. Spitfish De-esser. The SPL De-Esser plugins also contain features not found on the original hardware, such as an M/S Stereo mode that allows you to de-ess a full mix and without losing the high frequencies of cymbals, guitars or keyboards. This makes the SPL De-Esser a valuable tool during mastering. Jul 14, 2021 Free De-Esser For Mac and Windows Techivation has released T-De-Esser, described as a simplified and easy-to-use De-Esser that smoothes out high frequencies while maintaining a natural and musical sound.
Now, in this article I will list both free and premium de-essers, as well as give you my top 3 choices right at the end, simply to make things a bit easier.
Here’s a table with the ones I like the best (more still available on this list):
For quicker and easier navigation, you can always use the table of contents below to navigate to the desired section.
- Free De-Esser VST Plugins
- Best Premium De-Esser VST
Free De-Esser VST Plugins
Tonmann DeEsser
Even though it’s quite normal to EQ your vocals to make them brighter so that they sit well in a mix, sometimes this boost can accentuate the “s” and “z” sounds, also known as sibilance, and this is where a plugin like the Tonmann DeEsser comes in.
It is a basic high frequency dynamic processor VST plugin that is designed to get rid of “stinging” sibilants that may occur on vocals after compression or adding that high-end boost.
The plugin has been carefully designed to suppress any artificial or alienated sound that may arise under awkward situations with some other DeEssers.
It only features a handful of controls, such as Center Frequency, Band width, Attenuation, Threshold, Release, Look Ahead, and a wideband and low pass filter, which makes it an ultra-simplistic plugin to use and one that is ideal for beginners.
Features
- True independent stereo operation, but also runsin mono mode
- Wideband and lowpass reduction modes selectable
- Fully adjustable center frequency and bandwidthof the detection range
- Adjustable detection threshold to retain the“crisp” sound character of a vocal
- Look ahead feature for sibilants with short andsharp attacks
Find out more about the Tonmann DeEsser here.
VeeDeeS by ViperITB
A de-esser is a type of compressor that only acts on the higher frequencies in order to get rid of the “s” and “z” sounds, and all of this is done without affecting the rest of the frequency spectrum allowing you to remove those sibilant sounds without affecting the rest of the vocals.
VeeDeeS acts on frequencies above the 3kHz while leaving everything else untouched, and all of this can be done in a very easy and intuitive manner since it only has 3 controls in total; Attack, Release, and Sensitivity.
Sadly, VeeDeeS is only available as a VST for Windows 32-bit.
Download VeeDeeS here.
SpitFish DeEsser
SPITFISH is a dead-easy to use de-esser, aimed mainlyat mono or stereo vocal tracks.
Just like classic analog de-essers, this unit dynamically filters out harsh, annoying s-like sounds that would otherwise ‘spit’ in your face, and just like the previous two VSTs on this list, it’s extremely easy to use since it features just a handful of controls, such as Sensitivity, Depth, and Tune.
What makes Spitfish de-esser stand out to me is its “Listen” feature which lets you hear the frequencies that are being removed, making it a lot easier to really pin-point the sibilance and to know when it’s actually being affected.
Note: Probably won’t work on the latest Mac OS.
This plugin is only available for Windows as a 32/64-bit VST.
Find out more about the Spitfish here.
Modern De-Esser by Antress
Modern De-Esser is a freeware de-esser VST plugin by Antress. It features frequency control in the 3000 to 9999 Hz range which can be adjusted via the Frequency knob.
While it may not be my favorite plugin looks-wise, it’s definitely a great freebie that you should try out since it can help you tame harsh frequencies with relative ease.
Sadly, it doesn’t come with the “Listen” feature like Spitfish does, but it still features some useful and simple to-use-tools to address sibilance, such as threshold, ratio, width, and release.
Lastly, Modern De-Esser is only available for Windows 32-bit in VST format.
Find out more about Modern De-Esser here.
Lisp by Sleepy-Time DSP
Whether you use a traditional de-esser, sidechainedcompressor, dynamic EQ, or even edit your tracks manually, cleaning upsibilance problems in your vocals can get pretty tedious.
Lisp is new type of de-esser that aims to speed up this process with its automatic sibilance detection algorithm that is internally tuned to detect the human voice.
Lisp can automatically detect and lower any “ss”, “teh”, and “ch” sounds in your audio by tracking both the amplitude and pitch of its input in real-time. Just set the reduction amount and let Lisp do the rest!
Out of all the free De-Essers so far, Lisp has proven to be the easiest one to use thanks to its automatic detection system, plus it lets you listen to the frequencies that are being reduced, similar to SpitFish, which is a nice bonus to have.
Digital Fish Phones De Esser Plugin
Find out more about Lisp here.
Dead Duck De-esser
This isn’t just a de-esser, but actually a full 25 originalVST audio plugins bundle that also includes a De-Esser.
This bundle includes all the essential mixing tools such asEQ, compression and limiting to creative sound shaping tools such as delays,modulation effects and reverb.
Not only are all of them free, but they also sound and workimpressively well.
So, make sure to get your hands on this bundle asap!
Learn more about the Dead Duck Bundle here.
DeEss by AirWindows (Windows, Mac)
DeEss is a very simple, yet powerful tool that will help you remove most of the sibilance in your tracks for completely free.
It works by tracking slew rates, not by filtering and frequencies. It keeps a string of recent slew rates, and if it sees high slews that keep going back and forth (flipping direction) that’s how it triggers.
To use it, just crank up the effect so you can plainly hear where it hits and then use the ducking control and the treble rolloff to tailor the kind of “esses” you do want.
Download DeEss here.
Best Premium De-Esser VST
FabFilter Pro DS ($179)
With its ‘Single Vocal’ detection algorithm, FabFilter Pro-DS can accurately identify sibilance in vocal recordings and attenuates it transparently.
Whenusing the ‘Allround’ mode, Pro-DS becomes a great tool for high-frequency limitingof any material, like drums or even full mixes. Try it out yourself!
FabFilter Pro-DS offerseverything you need to get the best result possible, presented in a simple andeasy-to-use interface.
Wide band or linear-phasesplit band processing, an optional look-ahead of up to 15 ms, adjustable stereolinking with optional mid-only or side-only processing, up to four timeslinear-phase oversampling… and more.
Features
- Adjustable Threshold, Range and detection HP andLP filtering settings
- Wide Band or linear-phase Split Band processing
- Optional look-ahead time up to 15 ms
- Freely adjustable stereo linking
- Optional mid-only or side-only processing
Find out more about Pro DS here.
Waves Sibilance ($29)
Sibilance is a transparent vocal de-esser that is capable ofremoving harsh vocal ‘s’ sounds faster than all the previous de-essers releasedby Waves.
Sibilance allows you to make the vocals brighter withoutadding any harshness to them.
It doesn’t apply gain reduction to narrow frequency bandsalone, but rather uses spectral filters to detect peaks in certain regions andthen applies the processing after having separated the vocals from thoseregions.
This allows Sibilance to only process the problematic areas,leaving the rest of the track’s content unaffected.
Just like with Pro DS by FabFilter, Sibilance is not justmeant to be used on vocals, but on any track where you need to deal withharshness.
Features
- Smooth, glitch-free removal of harsh ‘s’ soundslike never before
- Separates the sibilant parts of the vocalwithout changing the vocal’s original tone
- Easy-to-use threshold and sensitivity controls
- Innovative sibilance detector powered by Waves’Organic ReSynthesis technology
Find out more about Sibilance here.
XILS DeeS ($89)
DeeS can help you get clean and professional sounding vocalsin no time, as well as restore other vocal tracks and get rid of their flaws.
Removing the harshness and the sibilance should be extremelyeasy with DeeS, plus the plugin is easy to use since it’s very visual.
It splits the track into two independent channels; TheVocals, without any sibilance, and the sibilance on its own, each with its ownEQ.
The Detection module helps you to find the right Voicefrequency range to process to remove the sibilants, and specify the quality ofthe processing.
Find out more about DeeS here.
Standard De-Esser by ERA 4 ($59)
If you don’t want to have to deal with loads of knobs andcontrols, then this plugin might be the right one for you.
The ERA De-Esser is the only single-knob plugin that allowsyou to smooth out audio problems caused by excessive sibilance consonants.
It features a real-time processing display that allows youto visually monitor plosive reduction in real time.
Once you have found a setting that works for your particularsibilance issue, you can then use the “Intense” button to get some extraprocessing.
Note: If you want to have more control over what’s happening, then I’d recommend that you check out the Pro Version of this plugin.
Features
- Single knob operation
- Simple and streamlined user interface
- Automatic sibilance reduction
- Precision-grade audio repair functionality
- Uncompromised sound quality
Find out more about Standard De-Esser here.
Oxford SuprEsser ($244)
The Oxford SuprEsser is both a very highly-featuredprofessional De-Esser and a Dynamic EQ.
There is a simple mode for quick fixes, but also an advancedmode for increased functionality and fine-tuning.
he combination of an intuitive FFT display and three listenmodes enables you to easily see and hear exactly where the problem frequenciesare, allowing you to quickly reduce or remove of the offending audio.
Since the SuprEsser can operate at all frequencies,‘plosives’ and other annoyances can also be removed.
Additional features include Automatic Level Tracking, LinearPhase Filtering and a Wet/Dry blend control for final balancing.
Features
- Highly featured professional De-Esser
- Linear Phase Dynamic EQ
- Transparently controls aggressive frequencies
- Automatic Level Tracking follows energy levels(no need to automate threshold)
- Large intuitive graphic display makes findingfrequencies very easy
Find out more about SuprEsser here.
Weiss Deess by Softube ($199)
I really like Softube; I use one of their Saturationplugins quite often, especially because it’s so simple to use, and theirWeiss Deess is also an amazing plugin.
Whether you’re trying to reduce vocal sibilance, thesharpness in a hi-hat or cymbals, or simply reduce some harshness in themastering phase, a good De-esser can come quite in handy.
Weiss Deess has two independent bands and a variety offilter shapes and excellent band-width control, allowing you to home in onprecisely what you need to deal with, without collateral damage.
Additionally, it’s a very visual plugin, which can be veryuseful since you can actually see what is happening to the signal.
Features
- Two bands of de-essing. This is the onlyde-esser you’ll need.
- Stunning and intuitive visualisations make thisde-esser a breeze to use.
- Clean tweak-and-go faceplate, with immenselydetailed controls hidden in side-menu.
- Ultra-professional tool, but without thedaunting, complex look.
Find out more about Weiss Deess here.
Oeksound Soothe2 ($199)
soothe2 is a dynamic resonance suppressor, which means that it identifies problematic resonances in real-time and applies matching reduction automatically.
It applies these reductions where needed, without affecting nearby frequencies; Basically, it attempts to smooth out the sound without affecting nearby frequencies, and therefore keeping the original tone.
Soothe2 puts emphasis on the visual aspect a lot more than most other plugins, since the controls section is very small, while the majority of the window belongs to the waveform display.
This can definitely be very useful to people who still can’t hear the subtle processing that is being applied, since they can actually see it.
Find out more about Soothe2 here.
Top 3 Choices
De Esser Plugin
- Lisp (Free)
- Standard De-Esser ($59) and super easy to use because of the one-knob control.
- Weiss Deess by Softube ($199) Most versatile overall.
Conclusion
In most cases I don’t really think that premium VSTs arethat much better than the free ones, but as far as de-essers are concerned, ifyou truly want to get professional results then I’d stick to a premium one.
Still, it’s much better to use free ones than nothing atall!
I hope this information was useful!
Free De Esser Download
Have a wonderful day!