Sonnox ToolBar and Preset Manager Operation Manual Version 1.
1. Introduction All of the Oxford Plug-Ins include a proprietary Preset Manager, implemented as part of the Sonnox ToolBar, which is displayed at the top of the plug-in window as if the host had created it. The reasoning behind this is to allow increased portability of your Presets across all host applications, while also providing a consistent and versatile interface.
3. Sonnox ToolBar and Preset Manager 3.1 ToolBar Basics The Sonnox ToolBar contains the Preset Manager and other useful controls such as Undo and Redo. Using the Preset Manager for Oxford Plug-Ins, you can create any number of Presets and recall them for later use, and you can create a named Preset on one platform and load it on a different platform.
The ToolBar can be enabled or disabled from the menu accessed by clicking the Sonnox button: From the same menu, Show Preset Name Path can be enabled. This will show the full folder path if Presets are organised in a hierarchical directory structure (see below). The graphic shows the ToolBar sitting on top of an Oxford TransMod display.
3.2 Loading a Preset When you click the Load (blue) button of the Preset Manager, you will be presented with an alphabetically-sorted hierarchical menu of the available Presets that reflects the directory structure you have chosen, and you can navigate the menu to choose which Preset to load. Once a Preset is loaded, its name will appear in the large text display window in the middle, to remind you from where the current settings originated.
The Load Next (red) and Load Previous (green) buttons, labelled as ‘+’ and ‘-’, will step forwards or backwards through the hierarchy of Presets, loading each one in turn. This allows quick comparisons, or quick stepping from one to another. Successive clicking of the Load Next button will step through every Preset in every directory within the current directory.
3.3 The File Menu The File menu allows access to important controls. The File / Save as new preset selection allows you to create a new Preset from the current settings of the plug-in, and allows you to select where in the directory structure you wish to save it. The name of the Preset is the same as the file name you give it. You also have the options to Overwrite the current preset now, Overwrite the current preset with a query request, or Cancel the operation.
3.4 Quick Copy and Paste using the Quick Paste Buffer The Sonnox ToolBar maintains a settings buffer that can be used for quick copies. This can be accessed via the Copy settings… and Paste settings… selections in the File menu. This mechanism can be used to quickly copy settings between alternate instantiations of the plug-in, possibly in different tracks in the mix. 3.5 Undo and Redo The Sonnox ToolBar maintains sixteen levels of Undo and Redo.
3.6 A/B Selection The A/B button (to the right of the ToolBar) allows you to compare two sets of settings with a single click. Whenever this button is clicked, the current settings are saved into a backup store, and the contents of the backup store moved to the current settings.
4. Preset Manager – Early Versions The Sonnox Preset Manager has evolved over recent years. Early versions of the Preset Manager are included with some of the current Oxford Plug-Ins, although they are being phased out. These versions have basic load/save functionality and the quick copy/paste feature is accessed in a different way. One very early version does not include undo/redo.
4.1 Loading and Saving a Preset When you click the Preset Manager’s Load button, you will be presented with an alphabetically-sorted hierarchical menu of all the available Presets that reflects the directory structure you have chosen, and you can navigate the menu to choose which Preset to load. Once a Preset is loaded, its name will appear in the large text window in the middle of the display, to remind you where from the current settings originated.
The Delete button allows you to delete a user-defined Preset. By default, the Factory Presets are created as read-only files, thereby preventing their accidental deletion. The A/B button allows you to compare two sets of settings with a single click. Whenever this button is clicked, the current settings are saved into a backup store, and the contents of the backup store moved to the current settings.
By default, the displayed Preset name will include its path down from the current directory, so that you can tell which subdirectory a Preset comes from. You can turn this option off using the main plug-in menu option Display Preset Path Names. You may wish to do this, for example, if you have deeply nested directories of Presets, and there is not enough room on the plug-in display to fit both the path and the name.
5. Folders and Directory Locations All Sonnox Preset filenames have the suffix ‘.spt’. It is recommended that you create a subdirectory within the Factory Preset directory in which to store your own Presets. You can do this when you save your first Preset, or by using a window browser in Windows. If you wish, you can re-organise the Factory Presets along with your own Presets into any hierarchical directory structure that reflects the way you work.
5.1 Folders and Directory Locations (Windows) On Windows XP and Windows 7 (32-bit) for VST hosts, the default directory for the Factory Presets provided with the Oxford Plug-In is located at (.spt files): C:\Program Files\Sonnox\Oxford Plugins\Presets\Native\Oxford Plug-In On Windows Vista and Windows 7 (64-bit) for VST hosts, the default directory for the Factory Presets provided with the Oxford Plug-In is located at (.
6. Copyright and acknowledgements Trademarks and content copyright © 2009-Present Sonnox Ltd. All rights reserved. These products are manufactured and supplied by Sonnox Ltd. DIGIDESIGN, AVID, and PRO TOOLS are trademarks or registered trademarks of Digidesign and/or Avid Technology, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. VST is a Trademark of Steinberg AG.
