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De-Essing Vocals: Taming Harsh Sibilance (S & T) in Live & Studio Mixes

1. What Causes Harsh Vocal Sibilance?

Sibilance occurs when air rushes past teeth on 'S', 'T', and 'Z' sounds, creating high-energy frequency spikes between 5kHz and 8kHz.

2. Split-Band De-Essing Mechanics

A split-band de-esser compresses ONLY the specific 6kHz sibilance band when it exceeds threshold, leaving lower vocal body frequencies completely uncompressed!

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