Welcome to my Behringer X32 FX Series tutorials. Today we are going to be looking at the DeEsser. Be sure to watch my YouTube video that I released on the DeEsser as it goes along with this blog post!
The DeEsser is a Behringer X32 Effect that is modeled after the SPL 1219 Dual-Band De-Esser. The original piece of gear was made in the 1990’s. A De-Esser is a way to reduce sibilance in signals typically found in speech and have been used everywhere from live broadcast stations, television, and in the recording studio.
The only layer of controls gives us our independent control for channel A & B for:
- Lo-Band Reduction – This gives our Low Band reduction of sibilance from 0-50 in 1.0 increments.
- Female/Male – This allows us to select between a Female speaker and a Male speaker.
- Hi-Band Reduction – This gives our High Band reduction of sibilance from 0-50 in 1.0 increments.
When inserted, this effect will add a 0.67ms delay to the channel it is inserted on. The effect does not apply any EQ curve on insert.
Lo-Band vs. Hi-Band – Female/Male
The Hi-Band Reduction reduces in the main area of 11.3kHz when the subject is set to Male or Female. However, the main difference is in the Lo-Band where Male is at 6.5kHz and Female is at 7.8kHz. You will see in the video that this reduces depending on how much sibilance is present in the signal and will vary in intensity sometimes cutting more than 15dB. Not only is there a dip, but you will see a high-frequency roll-off starting in the 1-3kHz region.
Practical Use
I LOVE using the DeEsser on almost every live speaker when I am mixing. The combination of speakers who pronounce their words very clearly and condenser microphones which are very sensitive to transients make for lots of sibilance! Next time when you have a speaker at your church, try using the DeEsser on them and dialing in a bit of reduction, it will make a much more pleasant listening experience.
Want to see more Effects Tutorials?
To view more of my Behringer X32 Effects Tutorials, click here: dBB Audio FX Series