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Sibilance is a major problem in recording – the emphasized s, sh, ch, z, j sounds in speech called sibilants can be hard to control.

De-essing is any technique used to reduce or eliminate these excess sibilant sounds.

De-essing is a dynamic process, only working when the level of the signal in the sibilant range exceeds a set threshold. It differs from equalization, which is a static change in level, but can also be used to reduce the level of sibilant frequencies.

SPITFISH is a dead-easy to use de-esser, aimed mainly at mono or stereo vocal tracks. Just like classic analog de-essers, this unit dynamically filters out harsh, annoying s-like sounds that would otherwise ‘spit’ in your face.