What is the role of a de-esser plugin in vocal processing, and how does it work to reduce sibilance?

The role of a de-esser plugin in vocal processing is to reduce sibilance, which are the harsh, hissing sounds that often occur when a vocalist pronounces 's', 't', 'sh', 'ch', and 'z' sounds. Sibilance can be particularly noticeable and distracting in vocal recordings, especially after compression or EQ has been applied. A de-esser works by detecting these high-frequency sibilant sounds and then applying gain reduction to those frequencies, thereby reducing their prominence in the overall vocal ....