3. Sibilance and plosives

De-essing in Studio One 4, which has no dedicated de-esser, and how to deal with plosives that slipped into the take.

Compression evens out the voice, and that brings up the sibilance relative to the rest. A bright mic like the NT2-A marks it even more. If it hurts your ears at high volume, it needs controlling.

The de-esser in Studio One 4

A de-esser lowers just one frequency zone, only when it appears. Studio One 4 has no dedicated one, but the Multiband Dynamics does the job.

Multiband Dynamics

Multiband compressorstock Studio One Pro 4

Studio One's stock multiband compressor. Compresses the lows without touching the mids: the tool for making every bass note weigh the same.

Multiband Dynamics splits the signal into frequency bands and compresses each one separately. On bass it solves a problem a regular compressor can’t: some notes sounding far bigger than others.

The problem it solves

A bass is not even by nature. Depending on the note, the fundamental lands in a different part of the spectrum, and on top of that the room you record in reinforces some frequencies. The result: two notes played with the same force, one sounding twice as fat as the other. A regular compressor, seeing a low peak, compresses the whole bass: it also pulls down the mids and the attack, and the instrument “breathes” oddly. The multiband pulls down only the lows of that note and leaves the attack intact.

How it’s used on bass

Low band (up to ~150 Hz): the one doing the real work. Firm compression here evens out the weight of every note.
Mid band: at rest or very gentle. This is where the bass’s intelligibility lives; compressing it too much dulls the instrument.
High band: normally untouched.

Where you’ll use it

In mixing, on the bass track or bus, after the corrective EQ. It’s also the emergency tool when a single note of the riff “explodes” and you don’t want to pull down the whole instrument because of it. If you don’t need it, don’t insert it: it’s easier to ruin than a regular compressor.

Alternatives (for reference)

TDR Nova (free, 4-band dynamic EQ)
FabFilter Pro-MB (the multiband reference)
Fat Channel XT with the compression module (also stock)

Captura de Multiband Dynamics (de tu Studio One Pro 4)Pending — this one is on you

The Multiband Dynamics open on the bass bus, with the low band (below ~150 Hz) compressing and the rest of the spectrum at rest. The crossover points between bands and the gain reduction meter of each band should be visible.

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A de-esser with the Multiband Dynamics

Insert it after the compressors.
Leave only the top band active, set to 5–8 kHz. The others, with no compression.
Lower that band’s threshold until you get 3 to 6 dB of reduction on the sibilance only.
Use a fast attack and a fast release.
Compare at equal volume, on a phrase with a lot of “s” sounds.

Where your sibilance isbetween 5 and 8 kHz

It varies with the person and the mic. To find it, boost a narrow EQ band a lot and sweep that zone on a phrase with sibilance: where it bothers you most is your frequency. Then remove that boost.

How much is enough

Try pushing the de-esser until it’s too much: the “s” starts to sound like a “z”, or the person seems to have a lisp. From there, back off about 2 dB. The voice has to keep its sibilance, just without it hurting.

Plosives

If a “p” or “b” came in as a low thump:

By hand, first: split that fragment into its own event, lower its volume and give it a short fade-in.
With EQ on that fragment: a higher high-pass, at 150 to 200 Hz, on that event only, removes the thump and keeps the consonant.
If there are many: the problem was the take. Check the distance and the pop filter for next time.

Other noises

Compression also brings up mouth noises and breaths. If you only notice them now, go back to editing: they get fixed on the event, not with more plugins.

🟠 Better to set it now· in mixing

If you leave sibilance for the end, the presence EQ and the master's limiter will exaggerate it further. It's worth having it under control before adding brightness.

Common mistakes

What NOT to chase yet

Quick path: sibilance and plosives

Quick path

Multiband Dynamics after the compressors, with only the 5–8 kHz band.
Threshold down to 3 to 6 dB of reduction on the sibilance.
If it already sounds like a lisp, back off 2 dB.
Stray sibilance and plosives: fix them by hand from the event.
Check on a phrase with lots of sibilance, at normal volume.

Expected result

Sibilance that’s present but not sharp, with no low thumps on the “p” and “b”. The voice sounds natural, and you can turn it up without it bothering you. Now you can add brightness and find it a place in the band.