Contents 1 Introduction 3 2 Equaliser Design 4 3 Front Panel Controls 5 4 Response Display 6 4.1 Tips for using the response display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 4.2 Switching a section IN or OUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 4.3 Changing the Frequency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 4.4 Changing the Gain or Slope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 4.5 Changing the Q or Overshoot . . . . . . . .
1 1 INTRODUCTION Introduction The Oxford EQ and Filters plug-in draws on the considerable experience in professional audio and studio systems earned by the Oxford Team, the team that designed the OXF-R3 console system. The Oxford EQ plug-in is based on the OXF-R3 EQ section and provides a truly professional EQ processor for Pro Tools, VST and Audio Units users. The Oxford EQ is a fully functional 5-band application with selectable shelf settings on LF and HF sections.
2 2 EQUALISER DESIGN Equaliser Design Programme equalisers have expanded beyond their original use as distance correction devices for film and vision, into highly creative tools that represent a leading part of the sound engineer’s artistic palette. A great many EQ designs have been developed over the years that have been attributed with qualities that lend themselves to particular uses and sounds.
3 3 FRONT PANEL CONTROLS Front Panel Controls The EQ and Filter controls are presented in a user-friendly layout, and the function of most of the knobs and switches should be immediately obvious. Full information on each control is provided in a later section of this manual: Description of Controls. Note the numeric displays for each rotary control. These provide instant feedback of your EQ and Filter settings, in addition to the graphic ‘response display’ provided at the top of the plug-in layout.
4 4 RESPONSE DISPLAY Response Display The upper area of the Oxford EQ plug-in is taken up by the EQ and Filter response display: In addition to more conventional knob control, the EQ can be controlled from this graph if the ‘drag handles’ option is selected via a drop-down options menu that appears when you click the Sonnox button in the top left of the display. By default, the drag handles will be shown on the graph.
4.1 Tips for using the response display 4 RESPONSE DISPLAY hand side of the graph can be used to increase or decrease the scale of the graph. The default graph scale, and other options, can be changed by clicking the Sonnox button and selecting the Graphs entry on the drop-down menu. Note that the response graph setup is saved and restored across instances. 4.
4.2 4.2 Switching a section IN or OUT 4 RESPONSE DISPLAY Switching a section IN or OUT Double click on a graph handle to toggle the section IN button You can also double click and drag without needing to click a third time. Control + double click This will apply the toggle to the handle hidden behind the top one, if there is one. When a section is switched out, the handle remains true to the gain position of the control. Also note that moving a handle will automatically enable that section, ie.
4.5 Changing the Q or Overshoot 4.5 4 RESPONSE DISPLAY Changing the Q or Overshoot There are three ways to do this: • If your mouse features a scroll wheel, scroll up or down to broaden or tighten the Q or overshoot. For finer resolution, use SHIFT + scroll. • If there is a right button on your mouse, drag the handle up or down with the right button. For finer resolution use SHIFT + right drag. • Otherwise, use left button drag + ‘alt’ key up or down to broaden or tighten the Q or overshoot.
4.7 4.
5 5 5.1 BANDPASS SECTIONS Bandpass Sections EQ Type 1 This style has minimal Gain / Q dependency, smaller amounts of boost or cut still have relatively high Q, and it is therefore precise and well defined in use. However it is sometimes difficult to obtain overall EQ fill on combined sources and subtle EQ on vocals and the like, as the user needs to adjust the Q control to maintain an effect when the gain is changed.
5.2 5.2 EQ Type 2 5 BANDPASS SECTIONS EQ Type 2 Type 2 EQ is the same as Type 1 in boost, but has constant-Q responses in cut. This is the only type offered in the Oxford EQ that has unsymmetrical curves. Therefore EQ applied in a boost cannot be readily reversed by cutting afterwards.
5.3 5.3 EQ Type 3 5 BANDPASS SECTIONS EQ Type 3 This style of EQ has a moderate amount of Gain / Q dependency whereby the Q reduces with gain. This provides the EQ with a softer characteristic as EQ is progressively applied and since the effective bandwidth is increased for low gain settings, it sounds louder and more impressive when used at moderate settings. The gentler Q curve also lends itself better to overall EQ fills and more subtle corrections in instrument and vocal sources.
5.4 5.4 EQ Type 4 5 BANDPASS SECTIONS EQ Type 4 EQ Type 4 builds on Type 3, using a far greater Gain / Q dependency which maintains an almost equal area under the curve in the boosted region with gain control operation. It is extremely soft and gentle in use and is most suited to overall EQ fill and character modification for mixed parts (and completed mixes) where subtle changes in overall impressions are required.
6 6 SHELVING SECTIONS Shelving Sections In the Oxford EQ, the highest and lowest bandpass sections can be independently switched to provide a shelving function. Although shelving functions are often considered elementary, they are by no means all the same, and their importance to the sound engineer should not be underestimated. Various types in common use are considered to favour certain types of use or are considered preferable by users of differing persuasions.
6.1 6.1 Shelving Overshoot Control (HF shelf Q control) 6 SHELVING SECTIONS Shelving Overshoot Control (HF shelf Q control) When the HF shelving function is selected, the Q control provides control of the ‘overshoot’ function. With the Q control set to minimum (yellow plot) the section has no overshoot and performs a basic and accurate shelving function. This is most like the responses provided by the original SSL 4000 EQs and many other outboard units often described as ‘clean’ EQs.
7 GML 8200 EMULATION (PRO TOOLS TDM & AAX DSP ONLY) loss of around 10% (of the boost gain) in the overshoot region and further defines the effect described above. This setting provides a response most like the legacy Neve designs and their derivatives, and the later SSL G Series EQs. This response produces an optimum effect by providing what the ear expects to hear as the gain control is operated, and can explain the enduring popularity and renowned musical qualities attributed to EQs of this type.
7 GML 8200 EMULATION (PRO TOOLS TDM & AAX DSP ONLY) Characteristically gentle GML 8200 shelving curves with frequency range to 26KHz and with full +/-20dB boost and cut gain ranges. GML 8200 Bandpass GML 8200 band pass section responses, showing full frequency ranges from 15Hz to 26KHz with +/-20dB gain ranges. www.sonnox.
8 8 DESCRIPTION OF CONTROLS Description of Controls The plug-in’s user interface consists of two sections for EQUALISATION and FILTERING functions. Response Display Displays the currently active EQ and filter response curves. The graph will rescale to match the current sample rate. LF and HF Filter Sections The LF and HF buttons switch the relevant filter in/out. The numeric button above determines the slope of each filter from 6dB – 36dB/octave in 6dB/octave steps.
8 DESCRIPTION OF CONTROLS The +/- rotary controls set boost or cut gains for each section. If your host supports scroll-wheel operation to the knob controls, then each increment or decrement of the scroll wheel will increase/decrease the gain value by exactly 0.5dB, thus allowing for an accurate incremental step. The IN buttons enable individual sections of the EQ to be switched in/out. A and B Buttons Two complete EQ / filter settings can exist simultaneously.
9 9 9.1 SPECIFICATIONS Specifications Pro Tools | HDX – Instances per chip Variant 5-Band EQ & Filters 5-Band EQ 3-Band EQ Filters www.sonnox.
10 10 PRESET MANAGER TOOLBAR Preset Manager Toolbar The Oxford EQ plug-in comes equipped with its own onboard Preset Manager, which is displayed as a toolbar at the top of the plug-in window, just as if the host created it (see above). The reasoning behind this is to allow increased portability of your presets across all the host applications, while also providing a consistent and versatile interface.
12 11 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Supported Platforms • Avid Pro Tools (AAX Native and DSP 32/64-bit) • VST hosts (32/64-bit) • AU hosts (32/64-bit) • Mac Intel OSX 10.6 or higher • Windows 7 and 8 (32/64-bit) 12 System Requirements For latest System requirements, please visit www.sonnox.com. All versions • Free iLok account • Appropriate product licence • iLok2 Pro Tools • Approved Digidesign/Avid CPU and hardware configuration • Pro Tools 10.3.
13 13 COPYRIGHT AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Copyright and Acknowledgements Trademarks and content copyright © 2007-present Sonnox® Ltd. All rights reserved. Sonnox® and the five dots logo are registered trademarks of Sonnox Ltd. This product is manufactured and supplied by Sonnox Ltd. This product is protected by one or more European and/or US patents. DIGIDESIGN, AVID and PRO TOOLS are trademarks or registered trademarks of Avid Technology Inc. VST is a trademark of Steinberg AG.