Parish Audio releases S1 De-Esser, a FREE de-essing plugin

Parish Audio has released S1 De-Esser, a free VST3 plugin for macOS and Windows.

S1 De-Esser is designed to smooth sharp S, SH, and T sounds without adding artifacts to your entire vocal track (read: without giving your singer the lisp).

So, like any other de-esser, instead of pulling down the top end with EQ, it reacts when sibilance becomes too loud and reduces that area while leaving the rest of the performance intact.

The interface looks a bit generic to me, but the overall layout is fine. More importantly, it is intuitive enough for quick use, which is what you want from a de-esser when you are trying to fix a vocal and move on.

The main controls cover the usual de-essing workflow. Amount sets how strongly the plugin responds, Frequency targets the sibilant range, and Focus controls whether the processing is broad or more precise around the selected frequency.

Threshold determines when the reduction starts, while Attack and Release shape how quickly the processing reacts and lets go. Range is useful because it limits the maximum reduction to prevent the vocal from becoming dull or lispy when a few problem consonants hit too hard.

There is also a Mix control for blending the processed signal with the original. That can be handy if you want gentler parallel-style control instead of full-strength de-essing.

The Monitor function is my favorite feature here because it lets you hear the material being removed, so it is easy to check whether S1 is really targeting sibilance instead of shaving away important vocal detail.

There’s also a display that shows how much processing is happening during playback, so you get a visual sense of whether the plugin is doing light smoothing or heavier correction.

Parish Audio is also running a Summer Sale at the time of writing, with 50% off its paid plugins. The sale includes tools like D1 Delay, Vocal Pro, Aurora Chorus, HE1 Harmonic Enhancer, Vocal Smoother, and others.

There are a few other freebies in the store, too. Infinity Reverb, Insta-Gate Noisegate, and MK1 Overdrive are free guitar pedals, so check those out if you’re already grabbing the de-esser.

S1 De-Esser is available as a free VST3 plugin for macOS and Windows. The product page lists it as an instant download.

Download: Parish Audio S1 De-Esser (FREE)

More:

• Subhankardas releases Nebula De-Esser, a FREE de-esser plugin
• GARUC Audio releases FREE Deess-ertic Lite de-esser plugin

Last Updated on July 2, 2026 by Tomislav Zlatic.