902 De-Esser

About

902 De-Esser is a vocal and pitch plugin by Plugin Alliance. It emulates the dBx 902 de-esser, a unit first released in the 1980s. It has two knobs and no threshold control, and it adapts automatically to the level of the signal. It adds a mix knob, an air control and a listen function to the classic design.

What it sounds like

The de-esser applies equally smooth reduction to loud and quiet passages, because it compares the selected high frequency to the rest of the signal.

Features

• Emulation of a classic de-esser
• Two-control workflow: target frequency and gain reduction
• No fixed threshold; adapts to signal level
• Mix knob blends processed and unprocessed signal
• Listen function for the sidechain and gain reduction
• Air control adds high frequency boost

Good for

• Vocals
• Cymbals
• Guitars