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 de- scribed 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 transmitted or recorded, for any purpose, without prior written per- mission by ACCUSONUS INC, hereinafter referred to as Accusonus. All product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

ERA 4 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 & Activation6 System requirements...... 6 Supported formats...... 6 Supported sample rates...... 6 Supported plug-in hosts...... 6

ERA 4 De-Esser Operation8 Processing...... 8 Processing modes...... 9 Processing indicator...... 11 Output gain...... 12 Real-time Processing Display...... 13 Listen to the ”ess” button...... 14 A/B switch...... 15 ON/OFF switch...... 16 Resizing the plug-in window...... 17

Support 18 Get in touch...... 18

3 Introduction

Welcome Thank you for choosing accusonus ERA 4 De-Esser. In order to better under- stand the main concepts and operation of De-Esser, please take the time to read this user manual. You can also check out our Accusonus Help Center or blog of our site for educational content. Also, follow us on Facebook and YouTube for useful tips & tutorials.

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

Figure 1: Accusonus ERA 4 De-Esser

4 Features - Single knob operation

- Simple and streamlined user interface

- Automatic sibilance reduction

- Real-Time Processing Display

- Listen to the ”ess” button

- Precision-grade audio repair functionality

- Uncompromised sound quality

- Minimal CPU usage

- Low latency

- Resizable UI

5 Installation & Activation

You can find the latest De-Esser installer in the Downloads section. For more information about the installation and activation procedure, see the Activation Manual, which you can find along with the installer or in the Accusonus Help Center.

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.

Supported formats 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 10.10 or later

Windows • VST (32/64-bit)

• AAX Native (64-bit)

for Windows 7 (with SP1) or later

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

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

• Adobe Audition CC 2017 (or higher)

• Adobe Premiere CC 2017 (or higher)

• Apple Logic Pro 10.4.3 (or higher)

• Apple GarageBand 10.3.2

• Audacity 2.2.2 (not 2.3.0 yet)

• Avid Pro Tools 12.6 (or higher)

• Avid Media Composer 2018.12

• Final Cut Pro 10.4 (or higher)

• Presonus Studio One 3 Pro (or higher)

• Reaper v5.9

Warning: 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. 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 De-Esser is supported for yourself. If you encounter any problem, contact us and we would be happy to help.

7 ERA 4 De-Esser Operation

Processing

Figure 2: ERA 4 De-Esser - Processing Knob

This is the main control of 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 controls the amount of processing applied to the audio signal.

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

8 Processing modes

Figure 3: ERA 4 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 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 4 De-Esser - Processing Indicator

On the right top of the plug-in window, there is a processing indicator. It is ac- tually a visual cue to 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 4 De-Esser - Output Gain

Due to the nature of sibilance reduction, the level of the output signal can be lower than the level of the 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 Real-time Processing Display

Figure 6: ERA 4 De-Esser - Real-Time Processing Display

At the bottom of the plug-in window, there is a real-time processing display. De- Esser will show you where the sibilance exists (with light green) on the incoming signal’s waveform (with black). The more processing you apply on the signal, the more sibilance regions will be detected, hence more sibilance regions will be shown on the waveform.

13 Listen to the ”ess” button

Figure 7: ERA 4 De-Esser - DIFF button

On the right side, under the Output meter, you can find the DIFF button. Enable it to listen to the ”ess” that De-Esser is removing during processing. In other words, you’ll hear the difference between the input and the output signals.

Tip: Enable the DIFF button and adjust the main processing knob, until you listen to a bit of the voice being removed along with the unwanted ”ess”. Turn the knob back a little bit, choose the desired processing mode and there you are! This way, the signal will stay as natural as possible.

14 A/B switch

Figure 8: ERA 4 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) in- dependently for the A and the B setting. You can use the A/B switch to quickly compare two settings and decide which one is better.

15 ON/OFF switch

Figure 9: ERA 4 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 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.

16 Resizing the plug-in window De-Esser offers the option to resize the plug-in window. This can be especially 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 10: ERA 4 De-Esser - Window Resize

Warning: Low resolution screens such as 800x600 cannot correctly display the plug-in for zoom options above 100%. Additionally, some hosts may clip the plug-in window in such low resolutions.

17 Support

Get in touch If this manual didn’t cover your queries or if you haven’t found an answer to your question in our Help Center, you can also use this form to contact our technical support team or reach us at [email protected].

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