Studio Application 1
Vocal mixers dealing with bright condenser microphones, heavy vocal compression, or top-end air boosts.
Fat Berry DSP / De-esser plug-ins Buying Guide
Control the consonant. Keep the voice.
De-esser plug-ins control distracting vocal consonants. Shusssh provides adaptive detection, Sensitivity, Amount, automatic Focus and Output, with a UI Listen command. Judge the treatment on the particular voice and phrase rather than assuming one frequency range fits every singer. Shusssh: Control sharp vocal sibilance while keeping the words clear. Find a phrase where the consonants distract from the words. Set the treatment there, then play a softer phrase to make sure the voice still feels natural. Listen to the whole sentence rather than looping only the sharpest sound. Compression later in the chain can bring those consonants forward again, so check the order in your own session. Use the smallest useful reduction and return to the mix before deciding whether the voice needs any further tone shaping. Try every paid option free for 30 days on your own tracks.
Written & tested by Rory Browne (Founder & DSP Developer) · Last updated:
Compare 1 de-esser plug-ins
Use Cases & Fit
Who de-esser plug-ins are for — and how to choose
Vocal compression and high-shelf air boosts bring intimacy and excitement to a performance, but they also bring up 5–9 kHz consonant bursts by 6 to 10 dB. A good de-esser acts only during the 30–80 milliseconds of an offending consonant, leaving vowels and breath air completely untouched.
Studio Application 2
Podcast, dialogue, and voiceover editors who need natural, lisp-free consonant control across long sessions.
Studio Application 3
Mix engineers taming harsh hi-hat bleed, piercing guitar pick attack, or sibilance feeding vocal reverb sends.
At the desk
How do you choose and dial in de-esser plug-ins?
Mark the actual distracting words in the mix
Do not set a de-esser in solo by staring at a spectrum analyser. Play the vocal against the drums and guitars, note which exact words poke out painfully, and loop those two bars.
Position the de-esser relative to your compressors and EQs
A de-esser before compression stops bright "s" bursts from triggering vocal ducking; a second gentle de-esser after top-end EQ catches any sibilance emphasised by your air boost.
Stop before vowels turn into a lisp
If "see" starts sounding like "thee", either raise the detector frequency slightly, narrow the bandwidth, or reduce the maximum attenuation range to 3–5 dB.
De-ess your vocal reverb and delay sends
Even when the dry vocal sounds natural, hitting a plate reverb with an extra 6 dB of de-essing on the send keeps the reverb tail velvety and free of metallic splashes.
Signal-chain placement
Place one de-esser after subtractive EQ/compression and before bright additive EQ, or place aggressively on the pre-fader send feeding vocal reverbs and delays.
Side-by-side specifications
De-esser plug-ins comparison table
The specifications below come from the published catalogue and release metadata. All licences are perpetual single-user licences (3 machine activations, 14-day full refund window).
| Plug-in | Price (USD) | Formats | OS Support | Best For / Sonic Role | Walkthrough |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shusssh | $29.99 | VST3, AU | Windows 10 or later, 64-bit (x86-64) · 12.0 | Control sharp vocal sibilance while keeping the words clear. | Watch demo ↗ |
How we test at -16 LUFS
Listening tests & common mix mistakes to avoid
Primary listening check
Listen to both the loudest chorus belt and the quietest intimate verse line on headphones. The vocal should sound open and articulate while sharp sibilant spikes recede into the mix.
Four-step studio audition checklist
- Use the detector/sidechain listen mode to sweep and find the exact centre frequency where the singer’s "s" whistles loudest (usually 5.5 kHz to 8.5 kHz).
- Adjust threshold so gain reduction triggers only on "s", "sh", and "t" consonants, staying at 0 dB during open vowel phrases.
- Cap the maximum reduction range so an unusually loud consonant never over-ducks by 12+ dB.
- Compare at low monitoring volume where sibilance sits clearly against the snare and hi-hat.
Common mistakes when using de-esser plug-ins
- Setting the detector frequency too low (around 3 kHz) so the de-esser ducks the consonant bite and intelligibility of every word.
- Leaving the threshold so low that the de-esser acts as a static high-frequency cut on the entire vocal.
- Boosting 10 kHz by 6 dB to compensate for an over-aggressive de-esser.
The tools
De-esser plug-ins, made by Fat Berry.
Each card links to current formats, controls, demos and the live price on its product page.
De-Esser
Shusssh
Control sharp vocal sibilance while keeping the words clear.
Hear and inspect Shusssh ↗In-depth technical guides
Related production & mixing guides
Studio notes
Read it, then hear it.
Frequently Asked Questions
De-esser plug-ins FAQ
Is Shusssh free to download and use?
Shusssh is a paid plug-in at $59.99 USD regular price, with Windows VST3 and Mac VST3 / AU installers and 3 machine activations.
Can I use a de-esser on instruments other than vocals?
Absolutely. De-essers are studio workhorses for taming harsh hi-hat bleed on snare mics, piercing overhead crashes, acoustic guitar finger squeaks, and aggressive synth fizz.
What frequency range does vocal sibilance live in?
Most vocal sibilance centres between 5 kHz and 8.5 kHz, though deeper voices and "sh" sounds can reach down to 4 kHz while airy condenser sibilance can extend to 10 kHz.