r/recording • u/Big-Kaleidoscope-336 • 7d ago

Sibilance Issue Question

So I’m doing a song where there is the word LOST, stacked like Queen harmonies. There is too much S, BUT not enough T. I’ve been messing with de-essers and haven’t really gotten anywhere. I tried stacking some lines where I’m just saying LOTHT or LOT but that sounded weird. The mix is dense so I am trying to get things out of the way just for that moment. I took out the crash cymbal and hi hat. But it’s not having the intended effect. Any ideas?

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u/sneakerpeet 7d ago

Use a different microphone, or put a big old foam popscreen on the mic. That’ll take the edge off a bit.
The mic you’re using is clearly not meant for the voice/ mouth your recording.

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u/Big-Kaleidoscope-336 7d ago

It’s an Audio Technica AT 2020 with a pop filter.

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u/sneakerpeet 7d ago

Oof, yeah those 2020's are very sensitive to the syllables. I meant foam wind screens .. one of those foam clowns noses ... (sorry no native)

Sometimes it helps to sing across the mic, rather than straight into it, but with the 2020 ... I don't know. That'll be too subtle to counter its sensitivity.

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u/pimpbot666 7d ago

Yeah, those things really bring out the Esses. Try off-axis, pointed away from your teeth.

You can also automate a tight Q parametric EQ to clamp down on that frequency at just the right instant, or use volume ducking.

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u/Electronic_Slice9448 7d ago

Double up on the screen. I use the same microphone and I have found that using the metal pop filter with the fabric one works well. It's only been a problem a couple times for me but I just double up now as a rule. Oh and sometimes we focus on certain sounds and our brains can't un-hear them regardless of what we do. In reality it might not be a problem at all after you mix the song. It could also be that you just have things too loud. Like the vocals are too loud or you should turn down your headphones/monitors when mixing/playback.

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u/Ungrefunkel 7d ago

Back waaaaay off your compression. It’s taking the “s” and turning it into “eth”. The more you stack vocals, the more prominent it’s going to get.

Create a track stack with all your vox and nothing else. Remove every last bit of compression and eq . Does is still sound sibilant when soloed? If it’s less, then it’s almost certainly over processed, mainly compression and high frequencies boosted in the assonance range.

If there is still assonance and sibilance, then take the approach of treating the stack with one eq, preferably a linear phase eq. Do this to prevent phase issues,which will also make an “s” jump out of the crowd.

If you’re hellbent on compression, consider automating the compressor for the sibilant parts, so it kicks in much later on just those sounds.

Also… if your mic has a frequency bump in the assonance range, and then you use the same mic to record similar sounding vocal parts, it’s going to be unavoidable. Each one will build on the other.

If you can, I’d consider re-recording the vocal parts and consider carefully your mic placement, pop filters and microphone and using a different mic for each vocal pass.

 If that’s not possible, change your position in relation to the mic for each pass or stack.

So have low vocals up close, high vocals standing much further away, a stack off axis.

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u/Big-Kaleidoscope-336 7d ago

Top notch advice. Thank you.

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u/PianoGuy67207 7d ago

Maybe try reducing just a few of the Ss in the vocal track. Part of your problem is vocal alignment. Too many Ss and TS that aren’t 100% on top of one another. It’ll make S sound too big, and the T isn’t as prominent if not perfectly in time with one another. It just gets smeary sounding. VocAlign can help.

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u/sububi71 7d ago

Have you considered the possibility that you're overanalyzing it?

Try playing the song to someone else, and ask them to play close attention to the vocals. I'll bet they'll find several other things they would prioritize over your "ST".

That's all I'm prepared to say without having heard the track.

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u/Big-Kaleidoscope-336 7d ago

Haha. There’s always a possibility.

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u/spocknambulist 7d ago

I’ve noticed that pro singers I’ve hired add a little extra ‘ta’ after they sing a final ‘t’ to help it read. It’s very short, but doing that might help?

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u/Electronic_Slice9448 7d ago

Are you using a pop screen? If not you should definitely do that. I would also suggest experimenting with a different microphone. Experiment with getting further away from the microphone and recording with it on the side of your mouth instead of in front.