Is a De-esser the solution?

[EndGamePR]

I've been banging my head against a wall for a little while, and maybe someone here can help. I'm not an expert at audio production. I'm a former radio guy, but we had engineers who set all of the equipment up for us. As a result, I'm still learning that part of things.

I noticed recently that if you listen to my shows over iPod earbuds, my "s" sounds are a bit "whistly" -- to the point where they hurt the ears at times. This is an issue with the way I talk that I've never been able to eliminate. I do have a slight whistle in my "s" sound sometimes. When I worked in radio, I never noticed it, but back then the sound was processed much more than it is in my podcast. My current setup is a traditional XLR microphone run through a mixer. My shows are recorded into a digital recorder.

I have noticed that when listening on earbuds, if you switch the EQ on the iPod over to "small speakers", it fixes the problem. However, I shouldn't have to expect my listeners to do that.

I tried raising the low end frequency a bit when recording, and I've also tried to use the bass boost in Audacity during the post-production process. While this reduces the whistle, unfortunately the show ends up sounding either muffled or too bassy. I've also tried backing off the mic a little bit, but that didn't seem to help.

I've even gone as far as editing the really bad whistling "s" sounds out, but this is so ridiculously time-consuming that it's not really a solution.

With no modifications, the show sounds great through my computer speakers or in my car ... but not over the headphones.

Is a De-esser the solution? I really don't know much about them. I know there's a plug-in for Audacity and I tried it. Unfortunately it crashed Audacity over and over, so I gave up.

Is this a situation where I can't possibly account for the quality in each way listeners might listen?

I'm frustrated. Can you tell?

[WyethDigital]

Most of the studies say most people listen to podcasts on their computer, so it may not be as large a problem as you think.

I'm also a little curious about the results you say you get between the speakers and your earbuds. If the whistle is so bad as to hurt your ears, don't you think it would show up (even a little) on your speakers? This makes me wonder if it's not so much a problem with your recording as it is with your earbuds. Try eliminating them from the equation first. Have you tried a different pair? Have you tried listening to your podcast on your earbuds from your computer?

I'll give your show a fresh listen on my earbuds this week and see if I notice the same thing.

Eric

[EndGamePR]

Oh it does show up on the computer and car speakers a bit. It's there ... it's just not as much of a problem because the speakers aren't actually IN your ear.

I'm actually wondering if the solution would be a new and better microphone. The one I have isn't a cheap one, though .. so I dunno.

[EndGamePR]

I think I've got the problem just about licked. I recorded the voiceover for the latest VaHigherEd Podcast (www.vahighered.com (http://www.vahighered.com)) this morning. I lowered the high end slightly and the mid-range a little bit as well. I checked the sound in my earbuds and the sibilance wasn't NEAR as bad. It was definitely in the acceptable range ... i.e. it didn't hurt your ears at all :)

This is all the result of replacing my mixer and digital recorder at the same time a couple of months back. I shouldn't replace more than one thing at a time.

[Noise Project]

Hi,

I would say adding bass is one thing that won't be the answer to the problem- adding something at the low end ins't going to take away something at the high end. It sounds to me (from my little experience recording at home and with bands) that a de-esser might very well be a good answer. You can download Spitfish: a great FREEWARE de-esser from: http://www.digitalfishphones.com/main.php?item=2&subItem=5.
It should be very easy to use and should help stop silibance effectively. I have used this when recording my own vocals for songs. It is a VST plugin and should run in Audacity.

When I mix my tracks, I often find an infuriating difference between headphones, earbuds, computer speakers and my studio monitors - sounds which appear great on my monitor speakers are bad when played back through 'normal' speakers. My listening room is not accoustically treated and is small and square which doesn't help - really skewing the sound. I would try to get hold of a good pair of headphones which are reasonably neutral, and use a condenser microphone. Hope the above link is of some help.