Overview

This collection contains 2 Analog Code plugins that emulate both the classic single and modern dual band versions of SPL’s analog hardware de-essers - considered by many to be the very best in professional recording. Just like the hardware versions, no other de-esser plugin gets the job done as easily and precisely while maintaining the character of the original source.

Traditional de-essers compress the frequency range where esses typically occur. Without constant knob-tweaking, these de-essers can deliver lispy- or nasally-sounding vocals, especially on tracks with high amounts of sibilance. SPL´s Auto Dynamic De-Esser eliminates these challenges by monitoring the entire frequency spectrum and automatically detecting the sibilant frequencies.

The bandwidth is set so narrowly around the range of the sibilance that neighboring frequencies remain unaffected. This frequency band is mixed back into the main signal phase-inverted to cancel out the sibilance. The result is precise de-essing that is incredibly simple to apply, while preserving the original character and timbre of the voice - even at high reduction settings.

The SPL De-Esser plugins also contain features not found on the original hardware, such as an M/S Stereo mode that allows you to de-ess a full mix and without losing the high frequencies of cymbals, guitars or keyboards. This makes the SPL De-Esser a valuable tool during mastering.

Features

  • The most musically sounding De-Essers out there!
  • Auto-Threshold (automatically compensates for vocalists moving off/on mic during a performance)
  • A/B Switch to compare settings
  • Selectable algorithms for Male/Female
  • M/S (Mid/Side) Stereo mode

Customer Reviews

  • Best deesser

    ★★★★★
    by MiamiDude
    I tried so many deesser plugins, this one just works. Put it on vocals, hats, cymbals, Easy and no fuss. Choose a preset and turn the knob. Very natural sounding! Top!
  • Good plugins but need an update

    ★★★★☆
    by lastwolf
    really good and easy to use de-essers. getting the most use out of the dual-band so far. However, the plugins need an update because they can't be resized. They are really small in 2023 on a 5k… Read More
  • Effective

    ★★★★★
    by thedenmaster
    I have tried waves de-essers and not had the best results. Found them to be difficult. This makes it very easy to find the hot spots and clean them out in seconds. Fantastic.
  • Great desser with german quality

    ★★★★★
    by Latino
    This is awesome desser but i wish pa will add a mix knob it will make it no comparing with any one
  • SINGLE BAND GO CRAZY

    ★★★★★
    by mav
    both are really good, but i have to say im overly pleased with the single band Desser. ive replaced my fabfilter Pro-DS almost every time with this one. And im shocked, doesn't have many controls but… Read More

Specifications

Supported Plugin Formats
AAX DSP, AAX Native, AU, AAX AudioSuite, VST2, VST3

Supported Operating Systems
macOS 14 down to macOS 11
Windows 11 down to Windows 10

Mac
Intel, or Apple Silicon

PC
x64-compatible CPU

System Requirements
Display resolution: 1440 × 900px or 1280 × 960px or higher
Memory: 2 GB RAM

Downloads

With the Installation Manager you can select, download & install all the Plugin Alliance products. Select any and all formats you need for your system! Mac & PC.

ChangeLog

De-Esser Collection

SPL De-Esser - Changelog

Version 1.15.1 (Oct 9, 2023)
- General: fixed CPU spikes on Mac OS

Version 1.15.0 (Aug 15, 2023)
- General: added native Apple Silicon compatibility for AAX
- General: added macOS Ventura support
- General: improved plugin loading time in the DAW
- General: fixed issue causing Logic to crash when closing the plugin UI
- General: improved font drawing behavior

Version 1.14 (Mar 15, 2022)
- General: added native Apple Silicon compatibility for VST3, VST2 and AU
- General: added macOS Monterey support
- General: added Windows 11 and Windows 10 21H1 support
- General: discontinued Windows 7 support
- General: discontinued macOS 10.9 and 10.11 support
- General: fixed metering behavior in block sizes of 2048 samples and higher

Version 1.13 (Mar 22, 2021)
- General: Compatibility with Logic on Apple Silicon devices via the Rosetta-2 layer
- General: Fixed possible artefacts when freezing or bouncing tracks in Pro Tools
- General: Fixed automation highlighting disappearing in Studio One
- General: Improved license dialog visibility in dark mode

Version 1.12 (May 27, 2020)
- General: Qualified for use with the Windows 10 May 2020 Update
- General: VST3: Fixed potential hangs in a DAW upon loading
- General: Fixed logical issues in undo / redo behavior
- General: Fixed UI resizing issues in Ableton Live on Windows
- General: Fixed audio processing initialization issues on amp and delay products

Version 1.11 (Nov 06, 2019)
- General: Qualified for use with macOS 10.15 Catalina
- General: Qualified for use with Windows 10 November 2019 Update
- General: Fixed plugin validation in Logic under macOS Catalina
- General: Fixed preset name restore in Logic when reopening a session
- General: Fixed opening authorization dialog triggering automation
- General: Improved instantiation times for plugins
- General: Improved license functionality and branding for subscription
- General: Removed 32-bit support on macOS and Windows

Version 1.10 (Jul 10, 2019)
- General: macOS 10.14.5 Update compatibility
- General: Windows 10 1903 Update compatibility
- General: Fixed activation issue in Windows hosts set to non-English language (e.g. Cakewalk)
- General: AU: Fixed issue with increased CPU and memory on reopening UI
- General: VST3: Fixed issue with adapting to host knob mode, and now prioritizing linear
- General: VST3: Fixed issue with VST3 preset permissions
- General: VST3: Improved synchronization between parameter states and some UI functions, e.g. toolbar reset

Version 1.9 (Nov 16, 2018)
- General: macOS Mojave compatibility
- General: Windows October 2018 update compatibility
- General: adding Windows High DPI support for VST2/3 plugins
- General: Fixed potential crashes in Cubase and other VST2 / VST3 DAWs
- General: Fixed potential CPU spikes and audio dropouts
- General: Fixed rendering in Pro Tools on the start of a session
- General: Fixed missing presets in Wavelab and other VST3 DAWs
- General: Improving keyboard control, fixing issues with catched keys preventing it from passing through to DAW
- General: Fixed parallel use of host sessions (e.g. with Live)

Version 1.8 (May 24, 2018)
- General: Microsoft Windows Redstone 4 compatibility
- General: Added computer keyboard control for plugin parameters
- General: Fixed Mouse scroll wheel not working in Windows 8
- General: Fixed an issue where plugins will not validate or load after a certain amount of plugins have been loaded (Windows)
- General: Fixed visual GUI freezes when adjusting DAW parameters, meters, analyzers (Mac)
- General: Fixed possible issue with Pick Pack licenses
- General: Small licenser stability fix

Version 1.7 (Oct 23, 2017)
- General: Mac OS High Sierra compatibility
- General: Fixed possible crash on online activation (Mac OS High Sierra)
- General: Fixed Logic Pro X not validating AU plugins (Mac OS High Sierra)
- General: Fixed CPU spikes and crashes with Cubase (Windows)
- General: Fixed bug that could lead to "AAE -6 error" in ProTools (Windows)
- General: Fixed crash with FL Studio
- General: Fixed crash when cross-opening plugins in various hosts
- General: Fixed crash when using mixdown in Audition
- General: Fixed crash in Final Cut Pro
- General: Fixed delayed parameter handling and crackling issues in Cubase with VST3
- General: Fixed bug where plugin settings were not saved in Harrison Mixbus
- General: Fixed bug that led to AAE error -9317 in ProTools when instantiating plugin
- General: Fixed bug where plugins did not render properly when "x ray" option is enabled in Sonar
- General: Modifications to factory presets were lost when reopening session
- General: Fixed mouse wheel behaviour with second monitor setup (Windows)
- Some plugins: Value labels do not appear every time when clicking on parameter in UI
- General: Faster instantiation time for plugins (Windows)
- General: Adding support for automation highlighting in Presonus StudioOne
- Fixed bug that caused Waves LV1 Mixer to hang

Version 1.6.1 (Dec 20, 2016)
- General: Mac OS Sierra compatibility
- General: Fixed automation issues in AU and AAX
- General: Fixed license dialog use of special characters
- General: Improved AU preset support
- General: Performance improvements

Version 1.6 (Apr 1, 2016)
- Added SoundGrid support
- General: Major UI codebase update
- General: Fixed possible crash when authorizing plugin
- General: Added gain reduction meter support for StudioOne 3
- General: Installers show version info in Windows "Programs And Features"
- Added EUCON pagetables

Version 1.5.4 (Jan 18, 2016)
- General codebase update
- Removing RTAS format support

Version 1.5.3 (Jul 18, 2015)
- General codebase update

Version 1.5.2 (Jun 22, 2015)
- General codebase update

Version 1.5.1 (May 27, 2015)
- Fixed wrong installation path for 32-bit Win VST plugin version

Version 1.5 (Apr 14, 2015)
- Added AAX DSP format
- Fixed gain reduction meter and overload clip

Version 1.4 (Nov 18, 2013)
- Licenser update (V3): Fixes and new features
- Prevent wrong mouse wheel behavior in 32-bit hosts on 64-bit Windows (Windows bug) (87, 95, 156)
- Fixed keyboard events after text input in Pro Tools Windows (325)
- Fixed parameter value display in VST3 (330)
- Fixed toolbar triggering automation (335)
- Fixed window size issues (279, 327)
- Fixed possible preset issues in Pro Tools 11 (312)

Version 1.3.1 (Jun 28, 2013)
- fixed installer for 32-bit Windows

Version 1.3 (Jun 21, 2013)
- added support for Pro Tools 11
- licenser update: fixes and new features
- fixed automation with VST3 offline processing

Version 1.2 (Apr 05, 2013)
- otimized performance
- fixed issues with possible high CPU load
- fixed Avid related issue in Pro Tools 10 that could lead to sporadic crashes
- fixed issue that could lead to values jumping in Ableton Live

Version 1.1.3 (Jan 16, 2013)
- added support for high resolution displays (e.g. Apple Retina)
- licenser: improved Pro Tools activation

Version 1.1.2 (Oct 31, 2012)
- licenser: minor fixes
- licenser: fixed activation issue under Mac OS 10.5 / Pro Tools 8
- licenser: fixed potential crash in online activation under Mac OS
- licenser: fixed issues with USB stick activation
- licenser: fixed file handling with offline activation

Version 1.1.1 (Jun 22, 2012)
- Licenser update: added toolbar and USB activation
- Fixed response issues in AU format
- change company string to Plugin Alliance

Version 1.1 (Mar 30, 2012)
- Added Dual-Band De-Esser
- Added presets

Version 1.0 (Mar 13, 2012)
- Initial release