iZotope has announced the release of a smarter de-esser plugin that splits audio into sibilance and tonal channels to let you separately de-ess, de-click, and reshape only the parts of your vocal that need it.
Designed to deliver effortlessly smooth and polished vocals, Velvet is the latest installment in iZotope’s popular Catalyst series, alongside new plugins like Aurora and Plasma.
Unlike traditional de-essers that can often dull the overall character of a vocal, Velvet’s dedicated sibilance and tonal channels allow for transparent and targeted processing of any problematic parts, preserving the natural warmth and clarity of your vocals.
Velvet features
- Intelligent de-essing: Dynamically reduce harsh sibilance only where it’s needed, leaving the tonal quality untouched.
- Sibilance learn: Velvet automatically identifies sibilant frequencies and sets up intelligent EQ nodes for immediate and effective de-essing.
- Dynamic tone shaping: The Lift and Tame controls adaptively shape vocals toward a variety of high-quality target profiles, without affecting sibilance.
- Intuitive de-click: Transparently eliminate distracting mouth sounds, pops, and clicks with a simple fader adjustment.
- Channel soloing: Precisely adjust settings for both the sibilance and tonal channels, ensuring focused and accurate processing. Or use the delta button to hear exactly what’s being processed.
- Pro presets: Get started quickly with 50 professionally designed presets.
Velvet for Windows and Mac (VST3, AU and AAX) is available to purchase for $49 USD at Plugin Boutique, Native Instruments, and from the iZotope store.
Owners of any paid iZotope product can crossgrade to Velvet or any other Catalyst series plugin for $29 USD until May 21st, 2025.