Techivation have announced the launch of the latest addition to their M-series plug-ins, M-De-Esser, which utilises a spectral shaping algorithm to tackle sibilance and harshness in vocal recordings.
The plug-in’s main parameter, Sensitivity, is provided on a large central control, which is used to set the threshold at which the spectral processing is triggered. The threshold is set relatively to the overall signal level, meaning that it is not affected by changes to the input level. There are a number of parameters that determine how the processing behaves, with a Strength control setting a maximum amount of gain reduction that will be applied, and a Softness dial governing the amount of spectral smoothing along with the knee shape of the spectral compression. A Frequency Range slider then allows users to define which range of the signal the plug-in will apply the processing to.
There are three operation modes: Fast, Medium and Slow. The first will cause M-De-Esser to prioritise the preservation of transients over any smoothing, whilst the last takes the opposite approach, favouring smoothing at the cost of more obviously affecting transients. As you’d expect, Medium then offers a mix of the two. An Air function then allows users to add additional harmonics within the selected frequency range — something which the company say can be helpful in restoring some energy to tracks that have required heavy processing — whilst a Mix control makes it possible to blend between processed and unprocessed sounds.
Two buttons labelled Diff and Filter then provide some helpful monitoring functions. The former provides a Delta listening mode, making it possible to audition the difference between the original and processed signals, whilst the latter can be used to listen to just the band defined by the Frequency Range slider. There are also LR and MS modes, which offer left/right and mid-side operation modes respectively, with a balance control to focus the processing on each of the two channels, if required.
As has become the norm with Techivation’s offerings, the plug-in is equipped with a range of useful functions such as built-in A/B comparison facilities, 80 to 150 % GUI scaling options, and built-in Undo and Redo buttons.
Compatibility
M-De-Esser is supported on PCs running Windows 7 and above, and Macs running macOS 10.9 or higher. VST, VST3, AU and AAX plug-in versions are available.
Pricing & Availability
M-De-Esser is available now, and is being offered for an introductory price of $45 until 31 August 2023, after which it will cost $129. During the same period, owners of any other premium Techivation plug-ins are eligible for a loyalty offer price of $35, whilst those who own all of the company’s plug-ins (or T-De-Esser Pro) will pay just $25.
