Waves Audio Renaissance DeEsser User Guide

Renaissance DeEsser

Software audio processor

User's Guide

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Table of Contents:

Chapter 1 – Introduction.
Chapter 2 – Quick Start and basic adjustments.
Chapter 3 – Renaissance DeEsser Controls and Displays.
Chapter 4: Factory presets.

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Chapter 1 – Introduction

Thank you for choosing Waves Renaissance DeEsser . Waves created Renaissance DeEsser to
provide the finest audio quality and ease of use to maximize productivity.

What is a DeEsser?

A DeEsser is an audio processor designed to attenuate high frequency Esss sounds. Some
phonetics create high energy peaks in certain frequencies. For example S or Th sounds are

created in the front of the mouth by the tongue and teeth which are also closer to the receptive
component i.e. microphone membrane. This can result in unwanted distortion or extreme
presence in the higher frequencies. The DeEsser is very effective in attenuating these to a more
natural sound eliminating the distortion and high frequency peaks.

How does it work?

The DeEsser is a compressor that uses a side-chain filter for detecting the energy in the high
frequencies rather then the energy of the whole wide-band.
This way compression can be applied specifically when the energy in the side-chain exceeds a
certain threshold.

What’s unique about the Renaissance DeEsser?

The Renaissance DeEsser relies on technologies used in Waves C4, Renaissance VOX and
Waves DeEsser and it has several new proprietary features that make it better then other
DeEssers including Waves DeEsser. We can’t tell you all the secrets but here are a few main
advantages:

• Phase compensated Crossover – This is very important in order to avoid undesirable

coloration to the sound and to eliminate phase modulation that would other wise occur as an
artifact of the amplitude modulation applied by the compressor. This same type of crossover
is used in the well-accepted Waves C1, and C4.

• Adaptive threshold – The threshold in Renaissance DeEsser is not the normal “absolute

value” threshold that you usually have. dynamically adapting to the input signal in order to
provide a more unified DeEssing effect yielding more natural sounding results.

Attenuation range control - The Renaissance DeEsser let’s the user specify the maximal

•

desired gain reduction for better control of the DeEssing effect.

• Enhanced visual feedback – As the DeEsser works only on part of the spectral range of the

input, the graphic user interface of Renaissance DeEsser incorporates a graph that lets you
see what you hear.

The TDM version is a Double precision 48bit process, dithered back to the 24th bit.

So its just for DeEssing?

The DeEsser does just DeEssing just like a compressor only applies compression and an
Equalizer only does EQ. In fact Renaissance-DeEsser can be used to control the level of any
high frequency sounds, not only human voice ‘Esses’. A DeEsser can be very useful for tracking,
mastering, live performances and on- air situations.

Here are some classic uses for the Renaissance DeEsser:

• First, the DeEsser should be placed before the EQ and general vocal compressor.

• Use the DeEsser in mastering rock music to calm down a Hi Hat that ended up to high. The

DeEsser is ideal for this without making the whole mix loose its hat.

• You have a great vocal take that you want to shine up with some HF enh ancement but the
esses really get out of hand without a DeEsser.

• Sammy the sportscaster is spitting away at your condenser.

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