The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of ACCUSONUS INC. The software described by this document is subject to a License Agreement and may not be copied to other media. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or otherwise transmit- ted or recorded, for any purpose, without prior written permission by ACCUSONUS INC, hereinafter referred to as Accusonus. All product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

ERA De-Esser is covered by at least the following patents: https://accusonus.com/patents

Copyright © ACCUSONUS INC. All rights reserved.

Accusonus Inc. Lexington, Massachusetts USA

2 Contents

Introduction4 Welcome...... 4 Overview...... 4 Features...... 4

Installation & Activation5 System requirements...... 5 Supported formats...... 6 Supported sample rates...... 6 Supported plug-in hosts...... 6

ERA De-Esser Operation8 Processing...... 8 Processing modes...... 9 Processing indicator...... 11 Output gain...... 12 A/B switch...... 13 ON/OFF switch...... 14 Resizing the plug-in window...... 15

Support 16 Get in touch...... 16

3 Introduction

Welcome Thank you for choosing accusonus ERA De-Esser. In order to better understand the main concepts and operation of ERA De-Esser, please take the time to read this user manual. You can also check out the FAQ or blog section of our site for educational content and follow us on Facebook and YouTube for tips & tutorials.

Overview ERA De-Esser is an one-knob audio effect plug-in that offers precision-grade de- essing and automatic audio repair functionality without compromising audio quality. Based on the multi-patented accusonus algorithms, ERA De-Esser simply works and allows for efficient sibilance removal from audio recordings.

Figure 1: Accusonus ERA De-Esser

4 Features - Single knob operation

- Simple and streamlined user interface

- Automatic sibilance reduction

- Precision-grade audio repair functionality

- Uncompromised sound quality

- Minimal CPU usage

- Low latency

- Resizable UI

Installation & Activation

You can find the latest ERA De-Esser installer in your accusonus ”My Account” page, in the Downloads section (http://accusonus.com/dashboard). For more in- formation about installation and activation see the Activation Manual, which you can find along with the installer.

System requirements Your computer must have:

• a modern architecture CPU.

• a minimum of 2GB RAM memory.

• at least 50MB free space on your hard disk.

• a minimum screen resolution of 800x600 pixels.

5 Supported formats ERA De-Esser is available as a mono or stereo audio effect plug-in in the following formats:

Mac

• AU (32/64-bit)

• VST (32/64-bit)

• AAX Native (64-bit)

for macOS 10.9 or later

Windows

• VST (32/64-bit)

• AAX Native (64-bit)

for Windows 7 (with SP1) or later

Supported sample rates ERA De-Esser supports the following sample rates: 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz.

Supported plug-in hosts ERA De-Esser is fully tested in the following DAWs and NLEs:

• Adobe Audition CC 2018

• Adobe Premiere CC 2018

• Apple Logic Pro 10.4

• Audacity 2.2.2

• Avid Pro Tools 12.8

• Final Cut Pro 10.4

• Presonus Studio One 3 Pro

6 Warning: ERA De-Esser is designed to be used as an audio effect plug-in inside Digital Audio Workstations or Non-Linear Editing systems. Only the plug- in formats listed above are supported. ERA De-Esser does not operate as a stand-alone application.

Warning: There are just too many combinations of DAWs and plug-in formats out there, so there’s always something we might have not tested. If you don’t see your DAW above, you can always download the free, fully-functional 14-day trial and see if ERA De-Esser is supported for yourself. If you encounter any problems, let us know at [email protected].

7 ERA De-Esser Operation

Processing

Figure 2: ERA De-Esser - Processing Knob

This is the main control of ERA De-Esser. Most of the time you don’t have to do anything else. Just dial in the amount of processing you want and you’re done! The knob values range from 0% to 100% and control the amount of processing applied to the audio signal.

8 Processing modes

Figure 3: ERA De-Esser - Processing Modes

Under the processing knob, there is a 3-position toggle button you can use to select between 3 modes. Each mode “focuses” the sibilance reduction on a specific part of the signal’s frequency spectrum. The 3 options are:

• Narrow

• Normal

• Broad

There is also a second button named Intense. When enabled, it will increase the processing intensity. It works indepedently of the three modes.

9 Tip: Using the different modes allows you to focus the plug-ins detection and processing to the problematic regions.

Tip: When you have found a setting that works for you, you can use the Intense button to get some extra processing.

Example: We are all familiar with the harsh “ess” sounds singers or speakers can produce during voice recordings. These sounds are concentrated in the higher frequencies, but the range could differ depending on the source. For this reason, you can use the appropriate mode to tell ERA De-Esser to focus only on the problematic frequency region. Broad mode will apply processing on a wider frequency range, opposed to Narrow mode, where processing will be applied on a narrower part of the spectrum.

10 Processing indicator

Figure 4: ERA De-Esser - Processing Indicator

On the right top of the plug-in window, there is a processing indicator. It is actually a visual cue to ERA De-Esser and will help you understand when and how much process is happening. The number of active leds depends on the: a) amount of processing and b) input level.

11 Output gain

Figure 5: ERA De-Esser - Output Gain

Due to the nature of sibilance reduction, the level of the output signal can be lower than the level of original signal. The output gain works as a make-up gain and allows you to adjust the level of the output signal. Note that this gain is also bypassed when the ON/OFF switch is set at OFF. This is very helpful when comparing the original and the processed signals.

Tip: You can double-click on a control to reset it to its default value.

12 A/B switch

Figure 6: ERA De-Esser - A/B switch

There might come a time where you’re not sure which setting is better. Note, that you can adjust the plug-in controls (Processing, Output Gain and Mode) indepen- dently for the A and the B setting. You can use the A/B switch to quickly compare two settings and help you in your decision.

13 ON/OFF switch

Figure 7: ERA De-Esser - ON/OFF switch

The ON/OFF switch allows you to turn on or off the plug-in processing. When the switch is at the OFF position, all processing is bypassed and the original signal comes through ERA De-Esser untouched.

Tip: We suggest to use the ON/OFF switch (instead of the DAW’s bypass control for the plug-in). This will keep your audio in sync with the rest of your tracks in your DAW session.

14 Resizing the plug-in window ERA De-Esser offers the option to resize the plug-in window. This can be espe- cially helpful if you have large or high-resolution screens or you just want to focus on a specific task. Click the zoom icon at the top right corner and choose between three settings.

Figure 8: ERA De-Esser - Window Resize

15 Support

Get in touch Use this form to contact our technical support team, if you haven’t found an answer to your question in our FAQ section.

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