
Some guitarists feel amp sims don't sound warm or smooth, but that can also be an issue with physical amps. This is why guitar players often turn down a guitar's tone control to reduce highs. Distortion adds harmonics, so distorting highs just piles on more highs.
Single-coil pickups have a naturally brighter sound than humbuckers, so they tend to highlight potential high-frequency issues. One fix is a narrow, sharp cut at a specific frequency to sweeten the sound, as described in The Ampire Sweetener. However, now that version 6 has a De-Esser, we can use its dynamic response for intelligent sweetening.
How the De-Esser Works
A de-esser reduces excessive vocal sibilants ( s sounds) by compressing only high frequencies. This lowers the sibilants' level, while leaving the rest of the vocal relatively untouched.
Although the EQ3's dynamic EQ can produce this effect, for guitar the De-Esser is more plug-and-play. The controls that narrow in on ess sounds make it easy to narrow in on the guitar sounds you want to tame.
How to Set the Controls
The de-esser can go either before or after an amp sim. Placing the de-esser after the sim can clean up the highs that the sim generates, but pre-amp sim placement lets you suppress high frequencies before they're distorted (fig. 1). Try both options-the effect is quite different.
Figure 1: Typical pre-amp sim settings for the De-Esser.
To zero in on the best pre-amp sim De-Esser settings:
1. Loop your guitar, and listen to the amp sim output.
2. Set Range = Full, Shape = Narrow, and S-Reduction to 0.00.
3. Enable Listen, and vary the Frequency control. The sound will be nasty, because you're trying to highlight where an amp sim performs at its worst. Find the most objectionable-sounding frequency, which will likely be around 4 to 7 kHz.
4. Turn off Listen, and turn S-Reduction counter-clockwise to reduce the highs feeding the amp.
In the audio example, the first part doesn't have the De-Esser inserted. The second part does. Remember that the De-Esser functions dynamically, so the effect will be most obvious on the loudest chords. In this example, compare the last two measures of each part. You'll hear how the de-esser in the second part removes that slight high-frequency edge.
Post-Amp Sim De-Essing
When inserted after the amp sim, the De-Esser becomes more of an effect that can modify the amp sim sound. I'd recommend the following to become familiar with this effect:
1. Loop your guitar, and listen to the amp sim output.
2. Start with Range = Full, Shape = Narrow, and S-Reduction at -60.00.
3. Use the Frequency control to dial in the high-frequency range you want to reduce.
4. Vary the S-Reduction control for the amount of attenuation.
For more of a humbucker character with single-coil pickups, choose Wide instead of Narrow. Wide splits the audio into two bands, and reduces levels above the Frequency setting. Narrow splits the audio into three bands, and reduces levels in the middle band. Then, vary the Frequency control. The optimum setting will likely be at 6 kHz and below (fig. 2). Again, choose the amount of high-frequency attenuation with the S-Reduction control.
Figure 2: Settings for a heavier, humbucking-type distortion sound.
Final Thoughts
Whether to insert the De-Esser pre- or post-amp sim depends on the amp sim. The audio example uses Ampire, which is one of the better amp sims. Inserting the De-Esser before the amp is really all that's needed. Sims with nastier high frequencies benefit more from post-amp placement, because the De-Esser can give a more drastic effect.
In any case, the above suggested settings are starting points. The best approach is to loop your guitar, enable your amp sim, and play with the controls. You might be surprised at how the De-Esser can add the extra touch that's needed to turn an amp sim from good to great.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
27/06/2026
There's no doubt that you've seen the world through Amy Vincent's ey...
27/06/2026
Brings together saturation & lo-fi effects
Following on from the release of their Voxcraft vocal-processing plug-in, UJAM have announced the launch of Retro...
27/06/2026
A record 4.84 million Australians choose SBS as the Socceroos advance at FIFA Wo...
27/06/2026
Why CRAS Upgraded to Symphony I/O MK II When an audio school runs studios all day, every day, gear doesn't just need to sound good , it needs to survive rea...
27/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/06/2026
Krotos Video to Sound Plugin Now Available for Adobe Premiere Pro
Brie Clayton June 26, 2026
0 Comments
Editors can analyze footage, generate synchron...
27/06/2026
Mirai Media Elevates Digital and Broadcast Productions with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton June 26, 2026
0 Comments
Studio uses Ultimatte 12 HD and Po...
27/06/2026
DURHAM, N.C. - JUNE 26, 2026 - Lutra Cafe & Bakery has opened its first brick-and-mortar location at American Tobacco Campus after owner Chris McLaurin operated...
26/06/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
26/06/2026
Strike Fighter League (SFL), a professional air combat digital sport combining f...
26/06/2026
Wisycom has announced three new additions to its professional wireless ecosystem...
26/06/2026
Eurovision Services inaugurated an expanded Master Control Room (MCR) in Madrid on June 1, 2026, building on a broadcast hub the company has operated in the cit...
26/06/2026
Midco Sports and the University of North Dakota (UND) have announced a two-year ...
26/06/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D) and VuWall, both part of the Panoptec Technologies Group, have appointed Vutec (Pty) Ltd as exclusive distributor for their KVM and ...
26/06/2026
Visit Seattle, the official destination marketing organization for Seattle and King County, has launched what it describes as the world's first drone scoreb...
26/06/2026
CP Communications provided RF video, audio, and crew communications support for ...
26/06/2026
Produced by longtime partner Echo Entertainment, the action-sports property is now a team-based year-round league
The inaugural season of the MoonPay X Games L...
26/06/2026
The deal establishes MultiDyne Robotics and Motion Control, maintaining the well-known MRMC brand.MultiDyne Video & Fiber Optic Systems has acquired the assets ...
26/06/2026
PX1 will debut at Sonoma as TNT leans into super-slo-mo, drones, SMT data integr...
26/06/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
26/06/2026
Virtual session musician plug-in gains new percussion options
Celemony's latest update for their virtual session musician platform complements the exist...
26/06/2026
Half-size model joins Console 1 line-up
Shortly after the release of their new Flow Studio controller, Softube have announced the launch of another new surf...
26/06/2026
ELT Group and Rohde & Schwarz sign a cooperation agreement to explore commercial...
26/06/2026
For Teddy Swims sold-out I've Tried Everything But Therapy tour, event technology specialists, PRG, provided video, automation and lighting across 19 date...
26/06/2026
Modern exhibition and event venues face the challenge of seamlessly integrating traditional conference technology, professional broadcast workflows and IP-based...
26/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/06/2026
Neko Oji: The Guy That Got Reincarnated as a Cat Edited with DaVinci Resolve Stu...
26/06/2026
Adobe to Acquire Topaz Labs
Brie Clayton June 25, 2026
0 Comments
Adobe has seen strong demand for its AI products for creatives, including Adobe Fire...
26/06/2026
Berklee Students Earn Dedicated Section at Raindance Film Festival in London Five documentary short films produced in the Africana Studies Department screen a...
26/06/2026
How IMS Productions and FOX Sports scaled coverage of the 109th Indianapolis 500.
The last lap of this year's Indianapolis 500 delivered the kind of ending...
26/06/2026
Flicker Productions to produce five-part docu-reality series following women who have fallen for men in prison and have become TikTok sensations, with brands an...
26/06/2026
Catch up on the latest developments across Baselight and Daylight v7, Nara and F...
26/06/2026
26. June 2026 News
DFT is pleased to announce that a second Polar HQ film s...
26/06/2026
New documentary Freedom Founder: Thomas McKean and the American Revolution airs ...
25/06/2026
Launching a Career in Broadcast Engineering: Academic Paths and Essential Certif...
25/06/2026
This superstar shooter/storyteller from Central Indiana hopes to make his mark in the blossoming sports-documentary and -features space
In the live-sports-vid...
25/06/2026
Presidio and the National Hockey League have announced a multiyear renewal of their North American partnership. Presidio will remain an Official Technology Inno...
25/06/2026
Strike Fighter League (SFL) is the world's first professional air combat digital sport that combines elite human performance and physical immersion with cut...
25/06/2026
Rise, the award-winning advocacy group for gender diversity in the broadcast and media technology sector, is pleased to announce the global mentoring cohort for...
25/06/2026
The 2026 American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) All-Star Game will...
25/06/2026
Mediaproxy has named Heartland Video Systems (HVS) as its exclusive partner for US television broadcasting. The Wisconsin-based systems integrator will represen...
25/06/2026
Backblaze has formed an agreement with CoreWeave to create The Essential Cloud for AI.
Under the multi-exabyte, $335 million agreement, Backblaze will provide...