Learn · All Quick-Starts · 2 min
EA-DS
quick-start.
Tame esses on a vocal without lisping it.
4 steps · every control name is the real one · Vocal
01
Find the ess
Hit MONITOR and sweep FREQUENCY between 4–10 kHz until the esses jump out of the monitor signal — that's your centre.
02
Set THRESHOLD
MONITOR off, pull THRESHOLD until the GR meter moves only on sibilant syllables — 3–6 dB is plenty.
03
Choose SPLIT or WIDE
MODE SPLIT attenuates only above the crossover and leaves the body untouched (the default choice). WIDE ducks the whole signal for that classic broadcast move. SIDECHAIN HP / BP picks how the detector listens.
04
Cap it with RANGE
RANGE hard-limits the maximum attenuation (default 12 dB) — however hot the ess, the unit can never over-de-ess past it.
Pro moves
Once it's working.
- De-ess BEFORE a bright compressor or exciter — they exaggerate whatever sibilance survives.
- The BP sidechain mode (one octave around FREQUENCY) is more surgical than HP when only one narrow ess band offends.
