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If you want to gain access to the very best plug-ins, you’ll need a Pro Tools HD rig, right? This might have been true a few years ago, but not any more. However, it is fair to say that there are some great plug-ins that have remained TDM-only. One such example is the Sony Oxford range. However, we can now officially stop moaning, for the plug-ins in this series are the latest to go native. What’s more, they’re cross-platform and cross-format: there’s VST support for Windows users and AU and RTAS support for Mac. OS X VST support is also on the way. Sony Oxford have also become an independent company: Sonnox. We’re told that the plan is to develop the product line further in the future.

So what’s the catch? Well, almost inevitably, these plug-ins aren’t cheap – the cheapest is £135 – though Sonnox’s ‘pick ’n’ mix’ pricing system means that the more you buy, the cheaper each one gets.

We’re reviewing the 6 Pack Bundle, which contains the EQ, Dynamics, Inflator, Transient Modulator, Reverb and Limiter plug-ins. You can buy all of these online (as well as at the usual outlets), and you’ll have to authorise them with an iLok before you use them. If you fancy giving any or all of the plug-ins a blast before you part with any cash, you can download the 15-day demos (though an iLok Key is still required to use them).

Six of the best

Of the six plug-ins currently available, EQ and Dynamics are the bread and butter ones (both are sourced from Sony’s OXF-R3 console). Features of the EQ include five fully parametric bands with separate high- and low-pass filters, A/B buttons, four EQ styles and a full frequency display. It looks and sounds impressive, with the key to its success lying in the four EQ styles that it’s modelled it on. These range from early SSL to classic Neve and beyond.

In use, each style behaves very differently, meaning that the EQ has four distinct ‘sounds’. Combine these with its precision (accurate values can be typed in if you want) and those filters, and you begin to wonder whether you’ll ever need another EQ plug-in at all. It’s just a shame their GML 8200 emulation option isn’t included (that remains TDM only).

The Dynamics plug-in clearly also means business. With individual gate, expander, limiter and compressor processors, this is a powerful tool indeed. There’s also a ‘warmth’ processor: this gives you control of peak signals and the way they overload. Factor in the EQ sidechain option and you’ve got one of the most flexible dynamics plug-ins we’ve seen.