Nasty, ear-piercing, track-mangling sibilance! It’s been the bane of recording engineers since Harry Shure met Sally Tascam.

  - Overt “Esses” and “Tees” ruining many a fine vocal track.

  - Sizzling cymbals bleeding through an otherwise dandy drum sum.

Do either of these scenarios sound like familiar audio engineering challenges you’ve ever been incumbent with?

I have good, good news that can be imparted to you with a single word, my friend: Pro-DS! If you, dear reader, have need of a diamond-grade DeEssing tool that is easy to use, brilliant by design, and exceptional in terms of quality, then this article is definitely a needful read pour vous.


Purchased as a single plug-in, Pro-DS normally may be had for the moderately-weighted cost of $199. Considering that it’s a niche product, typically used for a single purpose, the cost could be considered by some to be rather steep. That is, until the product is carefully given a thorough trial run.

To claim that Pro-DS is*Impressive* would be a gross understatement.

Arghhh! The blessed vocal track is just about perfect. The tracking went well, the latest take is free of “pitchiness”, mic placement and EQ are bang on. You apply tasty compression by dialling up your favourite ’76 and 2A just right. That sweet vocal EQ couldn’t be better.

Then your ears are no longer being romanced – they’re raped by one of the recording vocalist’s most lethal foes – sibilance.

Nasty, in-your-face, brash, piercing SSSsibilance. You try the well regarded VST’s from yesteryear, you try EQing, you try a couple of current payware DeEssing offerings, but then the vocal ‘air’ is lost and the vocal track is very ‘flat’. . . . and at last, you find yourself carefully editing by hand in Wavelab, Sound Forge or Acoustica Premium.

It isn't any fun – editing out plosives and/or sibilance “by hand”. It’s time consuming and can result in audible editing clicks when the resultant editing is processed within your DAW. Sibilance has been the bane of many an engineer’s existence. Actually, nasty, piercing SSSs just plain suck!

Wouldn't it be just wonderful if there were a way to easily remedy sibilance with just one or two knobs, and keep the quality of a vocal track intact?

Guess what!? There is . . .

The $199 SPL DeEsser Collection plug-in can be properly reviewed with one, simple word. “Necessary.”  If I were to end this review right now, without typing another letter on the page, the review could be considered complete. This set of powerful, specialized plug-ins is a worthwhile investment for any serious home producer. Nevertheless, it’s no fun to be a professional writer and not actually . . . write. *Smile. Stay with me. I promise, I won’t keep you long, but I really am very excited to share my experience and findings about the SPL DeEssers Collection with you. *Quick Note: Until July 15th, 2013, this plug-in is on sale for only $149.