oct)¶

Choose how aggressively the de-esser's sidechain filter attenuates frequencies outside the sibilant band. Higher slope values produce a sharper cutoff, reducing collateral attenuation on mid-range frequencies.

Before you start¶

The de-esser must be enabled in the audio chain (single-click DESS in the CHAIN widget).
Open the De-Ess editor by double-clicking DESS in the CHAIN widget, or open the Aetherial Audio Channel Strip and double-click DESS in the RX chain for the RX De-Ess editor.

Steps¶

In the De-Ess editor (titled "Aetherial De-Esser — TX" or "Aetherial De-Esser — RX"), locate the Slope push button in the left column, bottom area.
Click the Slope push button. Each click cycles to the next value: 12 dB/oct → 24 dB/oct → 36 dB/oct → 48 dB/oct, then wraps back.
The button label updates to show the current slope, e.g. "24 dB/oct".
Speak a sibilant phrase (e.g. "Sally sells sea shells") and listen for the most natural sound with minimal attenuation on non-sibilant parts of your voice.

What each control does¶

Control	Label	Description
Slope	Slope push button	Cycles the sidechain bandpass cascade count. Each stage adds 12 dB/oct of rolloff outside the sibilant band.

Tips¶

Start with 24 dB/oct (2 stages) — this provides a good balance between sharp cutoff and smooth sound.
For heavy sibilance that triggers on many words, try 12 dB/oct — the gentler slope preserves more natural timbre.
For extreme "S" sounds on an otherwise clear voice, 48 dB/oct can target only the harshest sibilant band with minimal mid-band impact.

Gain-reduction meter smoothing (v26.6.3)¶

Beginning in v26.6.3, the gain-reduction meter uses an improved smoothing algorithm. The meter animation timer now stops when the gain-reduction value has settled, reducing unnecessary repaints. The meter redraws only when the smoothed value or a pending repaint flag indicates a visual change is needed. This optimization applies to both the docked Aetherial De-Esser applet and the Aetherial De-Esser — RX instance accessible through the Aetherial Audio Channel Strip.

Color theming (v26.6.1)¶

Beginning in v26.6.1, the De-Ess editor and its internal widgets (the sidechain response curve, knobs, and gain-reduction meter) read colors from the theme engine. The editor container registers under the applet/deess container key, so theme authors can assign distinct colors to the De-Ess editor panel. Curve colors (axis labels, grid lines, bandpass curve, threshold line, and centre-frequency ball) use the same theme namespace as other Aetherial applets. Knob components (arc, background ring, pointer, and labels) read from color.knob.*.