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 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 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. They use the same DSP code as the original hardware and so produce exactly the same sonic end result. The EQ and dynamics were derived from Sony’s flagship Oxford digital console. 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 processors have been renamed the Sonnox Oxford Plug–ins, and new plug–ins are in development. 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. We have already covered most of the Sony Oxford range of plug–ins in Sound On Sound, and they’ve received uniformly excellent reviews. 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.

Sonnox oxford