In this extended free video tutorial, Julian mixes a track using just Sonnox Oxford Plugins.

Sometimes it’s useful to limit your choices and to dig a little deeper into a restricted set of tools. In this case, Julian mixes a track using just Sonnox plugins. Actually, the eagle-eyed among you will spot a single Pro Expander, a LoFi and an Xpand! 2 but the principle still stands.

For the majority of mixing tasks EQ, compressors and a reverb or two will get you most of the way there and this is pretty much what happens here. The excellent Oxford Limiter would have been on the master but the volume jump when bypassing all the plugins in the session would have been unhelpful so it was omitted.

These plugins are for the most part replicating the role of traditional studio tools but Sonnox is all about transparent processing with very fine control. As you might expect the Oxford EQ gets used a great deal. This EQ prioritises feel and is one of the few EQs available which pays the appropriate amount of attention to Q/Gain dependency. This is often overlooked but really affects how an EQ feels to use.

The Oxford Dynamics plugin features a compressor, limiter, gate and expander and while it’s only used in its compressor guise in this example, it’s very capable in all of these roles at the same time. One area where there is an obvious gap in the provision of plugins from Sonnox is that they do clean better than most but they don’t really do dirt. One place where a little bit of vibe is available is in the warmth section of the Oxford Dynamics. the manual is a little mysterious about what this does, only saying that it imposes “a harmonic profile onto the signal that increases the density of higher value samples within the programme, in order to boost average modulation levels without an increase in peak levels or the risk of digital clipping” Any clearer to you? - nope, me neither.

However, this is very similar to the language used to describe the effect Inflator has, so perhaps the two processes might share more than a colour scheme. Warmth isn’t used in this example in the compressor but it is used in the Envolution example where it is also available.

Speaking of Envolution, this is one of the tools which doesn’t really have an equivalent in traditional studio tools. Transient designer type plugins are so often used to enhance the attack of drums but in this case one is used to reduce the transient of a bass guitar to tuck it in behind the kick drum.

Oxford Dynamic EQ sees use on the overheads, taming a harsh ride cymbal but even when the ride isn’t being played it reacts strongly to the upper midrange energy in the snare but because the plugin is designed with close attention to the Q/gain dependency, its effect is very benign. The Q/Gain dependency of a static EQ doesn’t really affect the listener but the same can’t be said of a dynamic EQ.

Inflator is of course in use here. One of those plug-ins, which just makes stuff sound better was always going to find use in a mix like this but on the drums, the tendency for a lot of the Inflator effect to brighten sounds would have been unhelpful. Instead of using less of the effect, turning the Curve control down keeps the added brightness in check.

There’s More…

Lastly, Oxford Drum Gate finds use, though this isn’t examined in any detail it might be returned to in a subsequent video and the reason the Pro Expander and the Xpand! 2 are in this session might also be revealed!