HigherAdvanced Higher
De-esser
A de-esser reduces harsh sibilant sounds in speech or vocals.
Level relevance: introduced at Higher; tagged for every later level where the same concept remains useful.
Explanation
A de-esser targets strong 's', 'sh', or similar high-frequency sounds. It is useful when a vocal is clear but certain consonants become too sharp or distracting in the mix.
Topics
ProcessingVocalsDynamics
Curriculum statusofficial concept
Review statusdraft
Sources
- Higher Music Technology course specification, May 2023, version 3.0 · accessed 2026-07-08
Used for Higher technology skills, technology concepts, and music concepts.