Topic
Mixing.
35 pieces
The complete guide to de-essing
What sibilance actually is, how de-essers work, how to de-ess vocals without dulling them, and when the tool you need isn't a de-esser at all. A measured, honest guide from the team that builds one.
· 9 min
How to fix a dull or muffled vocal
A dull, muffled vocal is missing presence and air. How to fix it: a presence lift and a little air with EQ, a low-mid cut if it's muddy — plus the honest limit of what EQ can recover when the top end was never recorded.
· 6 min
How to make vocals cut through the mix
A buried vocal is a space problem, not a volume problem. How to make a vocal sit on top of a mix: carve room in the competing instruments, add presence, keep the level steady, and control the esses so it cuts without spitting.
· 6 min
How to add warmth to vocals (saturation, done right)
Warmth on a vocal comes from saturation — harmonics that add richness and body. How to add warmth without harshness or mud: pick a flavour, use a little, blend it in parallel, and watch that it doesn't worsen sibilance.
· 6 min
Parallel compression on vocals, explained
Parallel compression makes a vocal dense and consistent without squashing its life — you blend a heavily compressed copy under the natural one. How it works, how to set it up, and why you must clean the vocal first.
· 6 min
How to tune vocals (pitch correction basics)
Pitch correction ranges from invisible touch-ups to the hard robotic effect — both from the same tools, set differently. How to tune vocals: automatic vs graphical, why retune speed decides the sound, and how to keep it natural.
· 6 min
How to add reverb to vocals (without drowning them)
Reverb gives a vocal space and depth — done badly it turns the voice washy and distant. How to add reverb to vocals: use a send, set pre-delay to keep words clear, match type and decay to the song, and clean the vocal first.
· 6 min
How to use delay on vocals
Delay adds rhythm, depth, and drama to a vocal — slapback, timed repeats, throws, ducking delay. How to use delay on vocals: set it on a send, sync it to tempo, filter the return, and keep the words clear.
· 6 min
How to double vocals (the right way)
Doubling makes a lead vocal wide and thick — but copying one take to both sides does nothing. How to double vocals properly with real re-performed takes, panning, when to use it, and how to keep the stack from turning harsh.
· 6 min
How to de-ess cymbals and overheads
De-essing isn't only for voices. Harsh, splashy cymbals and drum overheads carry sibilance-like energy a de-esser tames better than EQ — ducking the harsh spikes only when they happen so the cymbals keep their shimmer.
· 5 min
How to de-ess an acoustic guitar
Close-miked acoustic guitar has its own sibilance: harsh pick attack and finger-squeak. How to de-ess an acoustic guitar to tame pick and string noise dynamically, without dulling the instrument's natural sparkle.
· 5 min
De-esser settings explained (threshold, frequency, range)
Every de-esser control explained: frequency (where it listens), threshold (how loud an ess must be to trigger it), range (how much it reduces), listen mode, attack/release, and wideband vs split-band — plus the order to set them.
· 6 min
How to make vocals sound professional
The gap between a home vocal and a pro one isn't one plugin — it's five steps in the right order. Clean it up, control the level, de-ess, EQ, then add character. The honest order of operations, with where each piece fits.
· 7 min
How to de-ess backing vocals and vocal stacks
A stack of backing vocals has many near-simultaneous esses that compound into harshness far worse than any single track. How to de-ess vocal stacks on a bus, why you can push them harder than a lead, and how to keep the air that makes stacks lush.
· 5 min
How to add air and brightness to vocals (without harshness)
Air is the open, expensive sheen on a pro vocal — but boosting the top end amplifies sibilance right along with it. Why air and de-essing overlap, and the order that adds sparkle without spit: de-ess first, then add air.
· 5 min
Why does my vocal sound harsh? (and how to fix each cause)
'Harsh' isn't one problem — it's usually sibilance, a presence buildup, a resonance, or over-processing, and each has a different fix. How to diagnose why a vocal sounds harsh and reach for the right tool instead of dulling the whole voice.
· 6 min
How much de-essing is too much?
De-essing is easy to overdo. The signs you've gone too far — a lisp, a dull top end, mushy consonants — why it happens, and how much reduction is actually right: tame the harshness, don't erase the esses.
· 5 min
How to de-ess a full mix or master bus
Sometimes sibilance survives to the master, made worse by bus compression and limiting. When and how to de-ess a full mix or master bus — gently, narrowly, and only after fixing it on the vocal first.
· 5 min
How to de-ess vocals in Reaper
Reaper has no plugin called 'De-Esser', but ReaXComp does the job. How to de-ess in Reaper step by step with the stock multiband compressor: make a high band over the sibilance, compress only the top, and protect the vowels.
· 5 min
How to remove background noise from vocals
Hiss, hum, and fan noise are the most common thing between a home recording and a pro vocal. How to remove background noise cleanly: learn a noise profile, subtract it, use the least reduction that works, and do it first in the chain.
· 5 min
How to remove plosives (pops) from vocals
That low thump when a singer hits a 'p' or 'b' is a plosive. How to remove plosives from a recorded vocal with a fast high-pass or a quick volume dip aimed only at the pop — and how a pop filter prevents them at the source.
· 5 min
How to de-ess vocals in FL Studio
FL Studio has no plugin called 'De-Esser' — but Fruity Multiband Compressor does the job. How to de-ess in FL Studio step by step: set the high band over the sibilance, compress only the top, and protect the vowels.
· 5 min
How to de-ess vocals in Pro Tools
Pro Tools ships a stock De-Esser, so de-essing here is direct. How to de-ess in Pro Tools step by step: set the frequency over the esses, use Key Listen to confirm it, tune on the worst word, and where the stock tool runs out.
· 5 min
How transparent is your de-esser? Here's how to test it
Every de-esser claims to be transparent; almost none publishes a number. How to measure a de-esser's transparency yourself — how much it disturbs the non-sibilant vocal while it works — and what a good result looks like.
· 5 min
The best free de-essers (and when free is enough)
An honest look at free de-essing: what separates a good free de-esser from a frustrating one, the free options worth knowing, where Sibilance Open fits, and when free stops being enough.
· 6 min
De-esser vs dynamic EQ: when to use which
A de-esser and a dynamic EQ overlap enough to confuse and differ enough to matter. The honest distinction, and a simple rule for picking the right one for harsh esses vs a specific resonance.
· 5 min
How to de-ess vocals in Logic Pro
How to de-ess cleanly in Logic Pro with the stock DeEsser 2, step by step: find the sibilant band with the Detector, set the amount on the worst word, protect the vowels, and where the stock tool runs out.
· 5 min
How to de-ess vocals without dulling them
The usual de-esser dulls the whole top end to tame a few harsh esses. Here's how to remove only the sibilance — the phonemes, the frequencies, and the settings that keep the air intact.
· 7 min
How to de-ess vocals in Ableton Live
Ableton has no dedicated de-esser, but Multiband Dynamics does the job. How to tame harsh esses in Live step by step, where the stock approach runs out, and the phoneme-aware alternative.
· 5 min
Split-band vs single-band de-essing
The most important architectural choice a de-esser makes. Why split-band preserves the air that single-band dulls, how many bands you actually need, and how to tell which one you have.
· 5 min
How to mix vocals: the complete guide
A vocal mix is a short chain of honest decisions in the right order: clean up, de-ess, EQ, compress, colour, space, automate. What each stage is for, why order matters, and how to keep a vocal sounding like a person.
· 8 min
The correct vocal chain order (and why it matters)
The order of your vocal plugins decides whether each one solves a problem or creates one. The default order that works, why de-essing goes early, EQ before or after compression, and when to break the rules.
· 5 min
How to EQ vocals (cut before you boost)
EQ places a vocal in the mix, and it's where a lot of vocals get harsher. How to EQ so a vocal sits clear and present without turning brittle: cut first, a practical frequency map, and why esses are a de-esser's job.
· 5 min
How to compress vocals (control, not crush)
Compression makes a vocal sit steady, and it's the effect most people overdo. How to compress for control instead of crush: starting settings, why two gentle passes beat one hard one, and de-essing before you compress.
· 5 min
How to get a clean, clear vocal
Clarity is the foundation a vocal mix is built on. The five obstacles between the listener and the voice — room, noise, plosives, harsh esses, mud — and how to clear each one, in the right order.
· 7 min