Plug-in chain

[brandoncross]

If it sounds good, it is good. If it where me I'd eq, comp, de-ease tho.

[Henchman]

Brandon, I eq, de-ess and compress. Simply because, IMO, once you compress the signal. A de-Esser is going to have a harder time being effective,mas the peaks have already been reduced.

But that's just my logical thinking.
Doesn't mean I'm right.

[piratepost]

Compress then De-ess or De-ess then compress?

[Frank S.]

I almost always go with EQ>Comp>De-esser. I find that the comp will make the esses stick out more if the de-esser comes first, which leads to having to de-ess even more.

But...like brandoncross said...if it sounds good, it's good.

[brandoncross]

Originally Posted by Frank S.

I almost always go with EQ>Comp>De-esser. I find that the comp will make the esses stick out more if the de-esser comes first, which leads to having to de-ess even more.

That's what I find too but really I don't compress much at all so it's. It too important where the de esse goes.

[ErikG]

Perhaps it's time to try another mic?
U87 can make any sibilant issues worse.

[minister]

Originally Posted by ErikG

Perhaps it's time to try another mic?
U87 can make any sibilant issues worse.

Also, I also find that pop filters, ALL of them especially the Stedman, exacerbate sibilance. They also cause comb filtering. Try recording without them. It is a revelation.

That said, when I use a De-Esser, I put it before EQ in case I need to adjust for the De-Essing. Whatever sounds good.

[justubert]

Thanks for the info ya'll! I thought that there might of been a tried and true way of doing it but I guess if it sounds good it is good. Cheers!

[jahtao]

The best and most logical thing to do is to have your de-esser first in the chain. FACT!!!

Then EQ then compressor.

That way you can play with your EQ and compressor without worrying about what its doing to the de-esser

[mattiasnyc]

Originally Posted by justubert

I recently landed a job at a post house and I'm mostly doing voice-overs. The signal chain is: voice > U-87 > UA 710d > Apogee Symphony > Logic Pro 9. My Question is, what plugins should I be using in the mix and what order should they be in. I've been doing it like this: EQ > De SSer > Compressor

Depends on the talent and what the job is.

If I'm delivering to a video editor who I know will "mix" (note the "") the audio himself and prepare it for the internet for example, or on a tight turnaround for broadcast (say sports) then I'll amplify, compress, de-ess IF NECESSARY, EQ and low-cut. I'll go as hard as I feel is reasonable to get a nice and level source without killing all dynamics. I do this because I know the video editor won't have tools or skills to get it done well.

On the other hand, if you have a great talent in a great room and you're delivering for a bigger budget project then it makes sense to process very little and give the other engineer more options. In cases like that I might amplify, compress peaks very lightly and low cut. No hard compression and no de-essing necessary.

So it depends.

Also, I tend to put the actual processing in the following order more often than not:

maybe noise gate (light to cut room tone, like fans etc)
low cut
compressor
de-esser
EQ