Topic
Technical.
4 pieces
What frequency is sibilance? The sibilant range explained
Sibilance lives roughly between 5 kHz and 10 kHz — a range, not a single frequency. Where deeper vs brighter voices sit, why 'male vs female' is only a proxy, and how to find the exact spot on the voice in front of you.
· 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
De-esser latency: what 5 ms of look-ahead actually buys you
Look-ahead lets a de-esser catch an ess before it peaks — but every millisecond is latency you pay everywhere. Why Sibilance runs 5 ms in the studio and ~1 ms live, and why longer isn't better.
· 6 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