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Two of the six plug-ins – Limiter and Inflator – deal with peaking signals, but in slightly different ways. Inflator follows the route of other maximising processors, with the emphasis being on increasing perceived loudness, while the Limiter is a more standard peak program processor. In practical terms, Inflator is clearly aimed at the specific task of making your mixes sound loud, while the Limiter gives you loads of control, for extreme flexibility. Both sound very impressive.

Almost an odd one out among all these dynamics processors, the Oxford Reverb shuns convolution technology in favour of a traditional artificial processor. This means a familiar structure (early reflection, reverb tail and EQ) and plenty of controls. With well over 100 presets (including some useful classic emulations), the reverb sounds great, and seems no more CPU-taxing than other similar plug-ins. Another advantage is that the interface is child’s play to use.

Fine-tuned designs

With so much on offer here, it’s difficult to pick out highlights and go into any real detail. However, there are a few things that you should bear in mind.

Firstly, you should remember that these are already well-established plug-ins, meaning that the developers have already had time to iron out problems and fine-tune their design. What’s more, there are plenty of nice touches – such as the option to choose how the knobs respond to the mouse – as well as some really useful, classic presets. That said, with some of the plug-ins having no presets at all, there’s always room for improvement.

Given their pedigree, you might expect the Sonnox plug-ins to be CPU-hungry, but on the whole, their consumption is on a par with that of similar products (the only one that really hits the juice is the Limiter).

So yes, these are very desirable plug-ins, which just leaves us to consider the issue of price. It’s certainly on the high side, and with so many EQ and dynamics options to choose from, you might wonder whether it’s one worth paying. Our view, though, is that the quality and flexibility of these processors – particularly the EQ and dynamics – makes them worth the extra cash.