Antares TA-1VP What is a De-Esser, Equalization, Low Pass - High Pass Filters

2 – Introducing the TASCAM TA-1VP Vocal Producer

What is a De-Esser?

When recording spoken or sung material, the sibilants (Ss, Ts, CHs, and SHs) in the track often sound louder than the rest of the signal. The effect is unnatural and often irritating. The solution to this problem is to compress only the sibilants, thereby lowering their level relative to the rest of the track. Processing a signal this way is called de‑essing.

The diagram below shows how analog hardware is traditionally configured to accomplish de-essing.

Equalization

The TA-1VP’s two bands of equalization each offer seven different filter types: Low Pass (6 dB/octave and 12 dB/ octave), Low Shelf, Band Pass, Notch, Peaking, High Shelf, and High Pass (6 dB/octave and 12 dB/octave). Each filter type has its own characteristics and applications. The graphs used in the next section show the frequency response for each type with the settings used to generate the curves notated next to the graph.

	IN	COMPRESSOR	OUT
IN				OUT

SIDECHAIN

INPUT

HIGH

PASS

FILTER

Only the sibilants pass through the highpass filter. When the input signal contains sibilant material, the output of the filter causes the compressor to compress the signal. The compressor only operates when a sibilant is present.

The TA-1VP uses a digital algorithm to implement the de- esser function. While the details of the algorithm are quite complex, the resulting effect is functionally equivalent to the diagram above.

Low Pass - High Pass Filters

The low pass and high pass filters available in the TA-1VP offer both a 6 dB per octave and a 12 dB per octave roll- off characteristic. The 6 dB per octave versions offer a more subtle effect, while the 12 dB per octave roll-off is useful for attenuating sub-sonic noise, rumble, mic stand noise, high frequency hiss, and other environmental noises encountered in the recording process. Additionally, the 12 dB per octave versions provide a “Q” control that allows you to create a variable height peak at the cut-off frequency.

6 LP

LOG MAGNITUDE

(dB) 0

-6							LOW PASS FILTER
							Frequency: 1,000 Hz
							Gain: N/A
-12							Bandwidth: N/A
-18
50	100	300	1000	3000	10000	22050
	FREQUENCY

6 HP

LOG MAGNITUDE

(dB) 0

-6							HIGH PASS FILTER
							Frequency: 1,000 Hz
							Gain: N/A
-12							Bandwidth: N/A
-18
50	100	300	1000	3000	10000	22050
			FREQUENCY

TASCAM TA-1VP 13