Lindell Audio 902 De-Esser

The original “intelligent de-esser”: A classic tone that naturally adapts to any signal

Great de-essing doesn’t have to be complicated

The original dBx 902 de-esser was an instant classic when it was released in the 1980s. With an ingenious design and extremely simple workflow, it quickly became a mainstay in major studios all over the world, finding its way onto countless hit records. Today, Lindell Audio brings this design to the DAW, adding new features that make it even better than the original.

Automatic de-essing that instantly adapts to any instrument

Don’t let its looks deceive you: the minimalist 2-knob workflow of the Lindell 902 de-esser is made possible by some very sophisticated engineering under the hood. One of the most remarkable things about the 902 is that it doesn’t have a threshold control. But this is a feature, not a bug. The 902 compares the level of the high frequency you select to the rest of the signal, allowing for equally smooth de-essing whether your signal is whisper quiet or screaming loud.

Reduce harshness on any source without second guessing

The lack of complex controls on the 902 makes it easier to use—and harder to mess up—than most other de-essers. No fixed threshold means you no longer have to compromise by over-processing loud sections or under-processing quiet ones. But all this wouldn’t mean much if it didn’t sound any good. Fortunately, the 902 is also one of the best sounding de-essers ever made, suitable not only for voice, but also for controlling excess brightness on cymbals, guitars, or any other instrument with potentially harsh transients.

Now with new features only possible in the digital domain

The Lindell 902 takes a bona fide studio classic and updates it with extra features for the 21st century including a graphical layout showing exactly what the de-esser is doing in real time, a “mix” knob, an “air” control to bring back brightness after de-essing, and a “listen” feature to hear exactly what the de-esser is doing.

Features

• Faithful emulation of a classic de-esser heard on countless hit records.
• Incredibly simple workflow: Just set the target frequency and desired amount of gain reduction.
• No fixed threshold control means the de-esser automatically adapts to the level of your signal, for equally smooth de-essing in loud and quiet passages.
• Mix knob to blend processed and unprocessed signal together.
• Listen function to audition the de-esser sidechain and gain reduction independently.
• Air control to apply a smooth high frequency boost to regain lost high frequency content.

System Requirements

• AAX, AU, VST3
• macOS 15 down to macOS 12
• Windows 11 down to Windows 10