Entzerrer

Entzerrer, in audio engineering, is a de-esser—a processor designed to reduce or suppress excessive sibilance in vocal tracks. It targets high-frequency energy produced by sibilants such as s, z, and sh, aiming to preserve intelligibility and brightness while avoiding harshness or piercing tones.

Most implementations operate by sensing the sibilant region and applying gain reduction to that band. This can be done with a dedicated high‑frequency compressor, a dynamic equalizer, or a multiband dynamics processor. Common approaches include selecting a frequency range (often around 5–8 kHz, though the exact range varies with voice and material) and applying a soft knee, threshold, ratio, and appropriate attack and release settings. Some devices use lookahead to respond quickly to transient hiss without introducing pumping artifacts.

Controls typically include threshold, ratio, attack, release, and a chosen frequency and bandwidth (or multiple bands in multiband de-essing). Digital plugins may offer additional features such as automatic sibilance detection, sidechain emphasis, or adaptive processing. Analog hardware often relies on specific circuit designs to achieve natural-sounding attenuation.

Usage and considerations: entzerers are widely used on vocal tracks in music production, broadcasting, podcasts, and voice-overs. They can greatly reduce harshness without dulling overall tone, but over-aggressive settings may produce lisps or an unnaturally dull voice. Proper use requires listening in context and adjusting parameters to balance intelligibility and naturalness.

Etymology: Entzerrer is German for de-esser. In English contexts the term de-esser is standard, while Entzerrer appears in German-speaking audio literature and equipment labeling.