I guess you know de-essing isn’t only for vocals, you can also use it to tame sharp-sounding hi-hat, and synth leads, and even use it to suppress harshness while mastering.
The Weiss Deess is part of the Weiss DS1-MK3, but is available as an individual plug-in, I am writing a review about the individual plugin anyway.
The first good impression about Weiss Deess is the two completely independent bands, which can help you narrow the offending sibilance even if you decide to use it on a master bus. Also, it has a variety of filter shapes and excellent band-width control, allowing you to nitpick precisely what you need to deal with, without collateral damage.
Personally, when I am doing any mixes, I dislike looking at a visualization of the stuff I am working on, but it doesn’t hurt to try as it can help you narrow things down faster, for example, the Weiss Dess features a large, colorful, and intuitive display shows FFT readouts as well as your filter shapes, so you can clearly see what effect you’re having on your signal. I am not saying you shouldn’t use visualization but trust your ears as visualization might be deceiving at times.
Key Features
- The best-sounding de-esser available, with code-ported algorithms from the industry-standard DS1-MK3.
- Two bands of de-essing. This is the only de-esser you’ll need.
- Stunning and intuitive visualizations make this de-esser a breeze to use.
- Clean tweak-and-go faceplate, with immensely detailed controls hidden in the side menu.
- Ultra-professional tool, but without the daunting, complex look.
- Low-latency mode allows you to de-ess while tracking a vocal.
- All the versatility you need in terms of filter shapes, frequencies, etc.
System Requirements
- Mac OS X 10.12 or newer (older OS versions may work but are not tested (64-bit only).
- Windows 64-bit, versions 7, 8, or 10 (64-bit only).
- Intel Core 2 Duo, AMD Athlon 64 X2 or newer.
- Screen resolution 1280x800 or larger.
- Supported sample rates: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, and 192 kHz, in both mono and stereo.
- 8 GB RAM or more is recommended, as well as at least 8 GB hard disk space for installation (individual plug-ins take less space, while sample libraries may require additional disk space).
- A Softube account is required to register and install the software.
- An iLok account is required for authorization of the software.
- Internet access for downloading installers and managing licenses.
- iLok generation 2 and up, if you intend to use a physical iLok dongle for authorizing your plug-ins (note that an iLok dongle is not a requirement).
- In theory, any 64-bit VST, VST3, AU, or AAX (11.0.2 or higher) compatible host application should work.
- The most recent maintenance release of the DAW application is recommended.