Sonnox Elite Oxford Plugins AU VST RTAS TDM MAC OSX INTEL (REPACK)-XVX 39654 Views. Developed by Sonnox, the Oxford EQ plug-in for UAD-2 and Apollo interfaces is based on the EQ section of the iconic Sony OXF-R3 console. Introduced in the early ’90s, this console is regarded as the pinnacle of modern digital mixing console design. Sonnox Oxford Inflator v3 is a unique enhancement plugin designed to add loudness, harmonic excitement and warmth to your mixes. Available in VST, AU and AAX. Sonnox Oxford VST Plugins BundlePack WiNTEAM AiR 09/2007 34 MBSonnox Oxford Plug-ins include: The SuprEsser, a highly efficient de-esser and dynamic EQ; The Restore Suite for sophisticated audio.
There’s a new look and a new home for Sony Oxford’s suite of plug–ins, but the best news of all is that they are now available in VST and Audio Units formats.
We have already covered most of the Sony Oxford range of plug–ins in Sound On Sound, and they’ve received uniformly excellent reviews. Recently, the software division of Sony that created these plug–ins have executed a management buyout led by Rod Densham, now MD of the new enterprise, an independent company trading under the name of Sonnox. The processors have been renamed the Sonnox Oxford Plug–ins, and new plug–ins are in development. To help promote the range, various bundles are being offered to make buying multiple plug–ins more enticing, and most importantly, they have all now been ported to native VST, Audio Units and RTAS formats, meaning that all users of mainstream recording software now have access to them.
The EQ and dynamics were derived from Sony’s flagship Oxford digital console. They use the same DSP code as the original hardware and so produce exactly the same sonic end result. The EQ is a straightforward enough five–band parametric design with additional high and low shelving filters, and, in my opinion, is up there with the best. The dynamics plug–in also has a great reputation, and a comprehensive feature set which includes both gating and compression, as well as expansion, side–chain EQ, a separate limiter and an adjustable warmth control. The Inflator plug-in is a little less conventional, as it takes a unique algorithmic approach to making mixes or individual tracks sound very loud and punchy, achieving extremely impressive results that have to be heard to be fully appreciated.
The limiter includes a unique Enhancement slider that increases subjective loudness and warmth in a way that sounds not unlike tape saturation. The reverb takes an algorithmic approach and, to my ears, delivers the type of sound you’d expect from classic hardware reverb units by the likes of Lexicon, Klark Teknik and AMS, yet without imitating any of them specifically. It has separate control sections for the early reflections and reverb tail, and comes with a useful library of presets covering everything from ambience to cathedrals. The control section strikes a good balance between flexibility and ease of use, and the CPU load is far less than for a convolution reverb.
Transient Modulator
The one Sonnox plug–in we haven’t yet reviewed is Transient Modulator, so I’ll take a more detailed look here. Like SPL’s Transient Designer, Transient Modulator is a dynamics processor that reacts to the transient content of a signal rather than simply to its level. This approach allows the user to process dynamic material, such as drum parts, to enhance the attack of the drum hits or to push them back in the mix to soften over–aggressive attacks. In other words, the process can be used both to bring out and to suppress the transient elements of sounds. Furthermore, by enhancing the attack of a sound and then dropping the overall level, the original impact can be maintained while suppressing room ambience and drum ring. There are several other plug–in versions of this effect, but Sonnox’s implementation is, as ever, unique in several respects.
The interface is visually similar to that of other Sonnox plug–ins, with only one plug–in window, and because of the relatively small number of controls, it occupies little screen real-estate. The native version is protected using an iLok key.
As far as I can work out, the transient modulation process looks at the ‘rate of change’ of the input rather than the instantaneous input signal level, as a standard compressor would do. Like a compressor, Transient Modulator has a Ratio control, but in this case it can go to both positive and negative values, where negative values denote gain reduction and positive values gain increase. The Overshoot Value control is roughly analagous to a compressor’s Attack control (but on the processing side rather than the side–chain detecting side) so that at low settings only the start of the transient is processed, while longer settings extend the processing further into the beat. Very short settings can bring out instruments such as bells without significantly changing the sound of drums playing at the same time, though in a typical mix, I found that settings from around 50 percent upwards were usually the most effective. A vertical gain reduction meter at the centre of the plug–in window gives an indication of how much dynamic processing is taking place and whether transients are being enhanced or suppressed.
Recovery Time sets how long it takes for the processing to settle back to a neutral position, rather like a compressor’s release time. If set too long, this could lead to the next transient not being processed effectively, while short values ensure that even fast passages are processed, but possibly at the expense of smoothness. Just as you’d set a compressor’s release time as fast as possible without incurring pumping or other artifacts, Transient Modulator’s recovery time would normally be set as fast as possible without compromising the sound or introducing unmusical side–effects.
Rise Time is a parameter that affects the transient detection algorithm. A fast rise time ensures that no transient goes unnoticed, while increasing the value allows shorter transients to be ignored, leaving only longer ones to be subjected to processing. In practice, this seems to be very close to the way a compressor’s attack time control affects the side–chain performance.
Dead Band Value is a less familiar parameter, apparently intended to enhance the contrast between dynamic events. It is calibrated in decibels, and what it seems to do is prevent any processing occurring where the resulting gain increase would be less than the value set by the Dead Band Value control. For example, if you set the Dead Band value to 4dB, any processing resulting in a gain increase of less than 4dB will be ‘cancelled’, and only changes larger than 4dB will be carried out. This opens up all kinds of possibilities, such as setting the processing to treat only the snare drum in a drum loop, assuming the snare drum is the most dynamic sound in the loop.
We’re back on more familiar ground with Threshold. As you’d expect, this sets a level (relating to the input signal) above which processing occurs and below which no processing takes place. Unlike the transient modulation process in general, Threshold relates purely to level rather than perceived dynamic activity.
As the processing can increase the level of transient peaks (by up to 24dB), an output-level control is included to avoid clipping. It is also possible to modify the output signal by adding a fairly subtle overdrive, one function of which is to introduce soft clipping to help avoid digital overshoots. Signals that would have exceeded the maximum permitted level by 6dB can be accommodated without clipping taking place at maximum overdrive settings. In addition to acting as a safety net for clipping, the Overdrive section also adds tape/tube–style density and warmth to the sound, but still in a subtle and musical way. Stereo input- and output-level metering, with clip indication, is provided in the plug–in window.
Applications
The positive–ratio applications of Transient Modulator are fairly obvious, the main one being that drum hits can be emphasised without bringing up the room ambience or head ring between hits. Negative ratios, on the other hand, suppress transients, making drum sounds appear more ambient. With some signals, they also allow overall levels to be increased, because transient peaks within the signal have been reduced. Because the process uses ‘lookahead’ to anticipate peaks, processed transients remain clear and sharp, whether boosted or reduced.
Transient Modulator offers some unusual controls, including ‘Dead Band’, which forces the plug–in to ignore transients that would only result in a small amount of processing.Though I made an earlier comparison with SPL’s Transient Designer, having played with both systems for a while I have come to the conclusion that they are very different, both in approach and sound. Transient Modulator doesn’t materially affect the sound of transients but rather controls their level, while the Transient Designer actually reshapes both the attack and decay characteristics of percussive sounds, independently of input level, using just two simple controls. Which approach is best depends very much on your intended application and musical taste. I soon reached the conclusion that Transient Modulator is most appropriate for fine–tuning the dynamics of drum sounds without changing their inherent character too much, whereas the SPL process is more about shaping drum sounds. Both are fantastically useful processes but it would be pointless to try to decide which one comes out on top, as they are so different, both in operation and in their results.
With the Sonnox process, the result is not unlike varying the distance between mic and drums: you can ‘zoom in’ to get hard attacks with moderate room ambience, or you can pull back to get a more roomy sound with less of that ‘in your face’ drum impact, but without losing detail or crispness. It takes just a little experimentation to get familiar with the controls, but this isn’t a difficult plug–in to use and the results can be exceptional.
It’s also worth trying on non–percussion instruments that have a well–defined attack, such as guitar, where the process can be effective in improving definition or taming excessive string attack. This could be valuable on acoustic guitars that have been recorded using aggressive piezo pickup systems, but it also works on some bass guitar sounds, where the overdrive function can also be used to warm up sterile sounds. The designers even claim that the plug–in can be useful for treating vocals, where negative ratios can be used to reduce the effect of popping. It can also be used for processing stereo mixes, though some care has to be taken in this application, especially at the mastering stage. From my experiments so far, it’s worth trying Transient Modulator in all kinds of different applications, because you often get better or more interesting results than you might imagine, but I still found the most immediate benefit was in improving slightly woolly-sounding drum recordings, where the audible benefits are very obvious.
Conclusions
If you work mainly with off–the–shelf drum loops or instrument samples that are already processed to perfection, Transient Modulator may be of less use to you than if you are processing real drum and percussion recordings, though there’s no inherent reason not to use it with samples if you like the results. The process is also equally as applicable to electronically generated percussion sounds as it is to acoustic drums, and also works on non–percussion instruments providing they have a well–defined attack character. If ‘real’ drums feature heavily in your work, Transient Modulator is a very desirable tool for polishing those sounds without destroying their inherent character. The longer I work with this plug–in, the more it grows on me, and it genuinely offers something that no other competing product does.
As with all the Sonnox plug–ins I’ve tried so far, this one exudes class and is a truly professional processing tool. I’ve used them all for serious recording projects and they definitely deserve a closer look, especially now that they’re available for native systems and not just tied to speciality DSP platforms. The EQ is one of the best I’ve come across, as is the comprehensive dynamics section, but the more specialist Inflator and Transient Modulator are great examples of non–mainstream processors that can really save the day in a difficult situation. Similarly, while there are loads of reverb plug–ins available, the Sonnox model has a very classy sound with a character that’s different to a typical convolution reverb. If any plug–ins deserve the ‘Professional’ suffix, these ones do.
Prices
Plug–in Native TDM Powercore
Oxford EQ £200 £495 £350
Oxford Dynamics £200 £495 £350
Inflator £115 £275 £220
Transient Modulator £115 £275 £220
Oxford Limiter £195 £295 £250
Oxford Reverb £235 £575 n/a
All prices include VAT. Sonnox also offer bundles which offer up to a 40 percent saving over individual plug–ins.
Pros
- True to the Sony hardware (where applicable).
- High–quality sound.
- Available in native, TDM and Powercore formats.
- Transient Modulator offers a unique take on dynamic processing to modify drum sounds in a way that’s difficult or impossible by other means.
Summary
These plug–ins were impressive when they were first launched for Powercore and TDM, but they are available to a much wider range of users now that they have been ported to the most common native formats. As with most really high–quality plug–ins, they aren’t cheap, but then quality rarely is.
information
See ‘Prices’ box.Source Distribution +44 (0)20 8962 5080.
+44 (0)20 8962 5050.
TEAM AiR | 09/2007 | 34 MB
Sonnox Oxford Plug-ins include: The SuprEsser, a highly efficient de-esser and dynamic EQ; The Restore Suite for sophisticated audio restoration; and most recently, the revolutionary Fraunhofer Pro-Codec, a real-time plug-in for auditioning and encoding audio to multiple formats including iTunes. The Sonnox design team continues to embrace new technology, supporting both Avid’s ProTools | HDX and Universal Audio’s UAD-2 platforms as well as most popular native workstations.
Sonnox Oxford Reverb
The Oxford Reverb plug-in is a highly flexible stereo reverberation generator, designed to complement existing Sonnox Oxford applications in providing the user with the highest technical and sonic performance coupled with artistic and creative facility. As well as providing stunning presets, the user has full control over all of its many parameters, including a very comprehensive early reflections section, and integrated 5-band EQ. The Sonnox Oxford Reverb allows the powerful facility to create virtual spaces freely, depending on artistic need, ranging from magesy download dry reflection ambiences, room and hall simulations, sound effects, all the way to wide open reverberant spaces with a very large range of possible texture and spatial character.
Features:
- Extremely flexible reverberation generator.
- Detailed control over early reflections.
- Bring sounds forward or push them back.
- High quality Sonnox Oxford sound.
- Incorporated 5-band parametric EQ.
- Over 100 realistic, useful presets for music & post-production.
Sonnox Oxford Inflator
The Inflator is a unique process that can provide an increase in the apparent loudness of almost any programme, without obvious loss of quality or audible reduction of dynamic range, yet avoiding damaging increases in the peak level of the signal. The inflator process can also bring power, presence and warmth to programme material and even provide headroom overload margin above digital maximum with a subtlety and musical character reminiscent of tube systems. Use the Inflator to produce louder mixes than you thought possible without overloads or compression pumping, or use it to add natural warmth and character to acoustic or jazz mixes.
Features:
- Increases the loudness of almost any programme material.
- Creates warmth, character and dynamic excitement, similar to that of analogue systems.
- Provides virtual headroom above digital maximum to allow percussive peaks to pass without causing signal overload.
- Creates artistic effects ranging from magesy download subtle tube-like harmonic characteristics for warmth, presence and ‘in your face’ fatness, to outright saturation distortion modelling.
- Features two modes of operation – direct and band split – for maximum flexibility and artistic creativity. These two modes also ensure optimal DSP usage.
Sonnox Oxford Limiter
The Oxford Limiter has been developed from magesy download decades of professional audio experience to provide a very high degree of quality and facility in programme loudness control and limiting functions. By employing highly accurate logarithmic side chain processing, along with innovative adaptive timing functionality using look ahead signal acquisition, the limiter provides exemplary performance, whether one is seeking general transparent level control, programme loudness maximisation or heavily applied artistic sound effects. Unique processing in the form of the Enhance function provides the sample value limiting needed to reliably avoid overloads in digital workstation environments and allows unprecedented volume and punch to be applied to programme beyond that available from magesy download conventional limiting functions. Comprehensive metering is provided which displays not only conventional peak sample value, but additionally allows the user to monitor the true validity of the programme in order to avoid the generation of damaging reconstruction overloads in the target equipment which are often invisible during production (sometimes termed ‘inter sample peaks’). A further function allows the user to dynamically correct for reconstruction overloads in real time, thereby achieving maximum possible modulation levels without the risks of producing illegal signals often associated with compression and limiting. Comprehensive dithering functionality with selectable and variable depth noise shaping ensures first class mastering output quality in either 24 bit or 16 bit modes.
Features:
- Unique Enhance section – provides sample value limiting and enhances perceived loudness
- Ability to add harmonic distortion, where artistic style requires
- Variable soft knee control
- Attack and Release controls
- Reconstruction Meter shows ‘actual’ signal rather than sampled signal
- Auto compensate feature – corrects recon errors without losing overall programme loudness
- 16 and 24 bit dithering with 5 selectable types
- User has control over variable depth noise shaping
- 16 presets – some quite extreme !
Sonnox Oxford Dynamics
The Oxford Dynamics plug-in is modeled on the extremely flexible and capable unit used in the OXF-R3 professional mixing console. Resulting from magesy download many years research into professional dynamics applications, it offers separate Compress, Limit, Expand, Gate and side chain EQ functions, with full independent control of all parameters. Features such as selectable time constant curves and variable soft compress functions allow the user to confidently tackle all common uses of compression, from magesy download subtle unobtrusive level control and mastering functions to the production of great artistic effects. The use of a feed-forward architecture with logarithmic side chain processing, making use of look-ahead techniques, ensures exemplary sonic characteristics and dynamic accuracy, with an artistic capability simply unavailable from magesy download other single units, analogue or digital. This highly sophisticated and professional product has the power and flexibility to obviate the need for many of the separate applications most users keep for specific uses.
Features:
- Channel Dynamics with separately controlled sections for Compressor, Limiter, Gate and Expander.
- Channel Dynamics includes fully featured 2 Band side chain EQ which can also be used in signal path.
- Separate Bus Compressor / Limiter with surround multi-format support and selectable Sub channel filtering and gain contribution control.
- Selectable linear and exponential time constant curves.
- Highly accurate logarithmic side chain processing.
- Fully variable soft ratio function for extreme programme tolerance and highly musical compression.
- Variable harmonic enhancement for extra loudness, presence and ‘punch’.
- Selectable re-dithering function for word length reduction in mastering situations.
- Extremely low signal path noise and distortion, below -130dBr.
- All functions are fully automated.
Sonnox Oxford EQ
The EQ plug-in is based on the OXF-R3 EQ section. It is a fully functional 5-band application with selectable shelf settings on LF and HF sections. Additionally, separate variable slope low pass and high pass filters are provided. The EQ also features 4 different selectable EQ types that cover most of the EQ styles currently popular amongst professional users, including some legacy styles which are renowned for their artistic capability. The use of novel coefficient generation and intelligent processing design provides unparalleled performance that surpasses analogue EQ in both sound quality and artistic freedom. This plug-in may well provide all the EQ you ever needed.
Features:
- Five band parametric design
- LF and HF Filters providing up to 36dB/Octave
- Four different EQ types
- Fully decramped HF response
- Support for sample rates up to and including 192kHz
- Fully automatable (inc. separate automation for A and B settings)
- Includes six plug-ins in total for optimal DSP usage (Mono and Stereo versions of EQ, Filters, and EQ and Filters)
Sonnox Oxford Vst Plugins Bundle Pack-air
Sonnox Oxford Transient Modulator
The Transient Modulator is an application that allows dynamic level of signals to be modified by the transients in the programme material over time. The effect is to bring transient events in the programme forwards, or push them into to the background, such that the attacks of instruments can be accentuated or softened depending on settings.
Sonnox Plugins Or Sale
Features:
- Radically changes the dynamics of instruments.
- Accentuates or flattens attacks and transients.
- Brings sounds forward or push them back.
- Increases or reduces the effects of ambience.
- Produces rounded and dynamic percussive effects.
- Hardens up and give life to dull or flat-sounding recordings and mixes, without the unwanted changes in overall timbre associated with multi-band compression techniques.
- Variable harmonic enhancement for extra loudness, presence and ‘punch’.
- Increases overall modulation potential by the reduction of very short peaks.
Sonnox.Oxford.Reverb.Native.VST.v1.0-AiR
Sonnox.Oxford.Inflator.Native.VST.v1.5.1-AiR
Sonnox.Oxford.Limiter.Native.VST.v1.1.1-AiR
Sonnox.Oxford.R3.Dynamics.Native.VST.v1.3.1-AiR
Sonnox.Oxford.R3.EQ.Native.VST.v1.6.1-AiR
Sonnox.Oxford.TransMod.Native.VST.v1.3.1-AiR
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