With Envolution, we were able to fine-tune those decisions. Punching Through We often use a transient shaper on kick and snare duties, pulling a little sustain out of a kick drum to control the low end, or for shaping the snare to bring attention to the initial snap of the stick hitting the skin. Additionally, there’s a DIFF button, which outputs only the changes in the signal, which can be useful for hearing what the processor is doing, or conceivably for creative sound design. The main output section has its own fader for gain staging, a mix knob, and a Warmth control which adds in additional harmonic saturation. The ‘attack’ portion, referred to here as ‘Transients’, has attack, hold, release and sensitivity controls in addition to the main gain knob, while the ‘Sustain’ portion has hold, attack and release controls alongside the main gain control.īoth Transient and Sustain portions can be made frequency conscious, by clicking one of the FREQ buttons, which opens up a basic one-band EQ, which can be switched from Focus (think standard parametric, with variable Q) to Tilt (which provides either a hi- or low-frequency shelving EQ, with 6 or 12dB/octave slopes). While many transient-shaping tools, such as the highly revered SPL Transient Designer hardware, offer only basic tools – the SPL Transient Designer having just two knobs, Attack and Sustain – the Sonnox Oxford Envolution provides parameter junkies with everything they could want. Unique processing in the form of the Enhance function provides the sample value limiting needed to reliably avoid overloads in digital workstation environments and allows unprecedented volume and punch to be applied to programme beyond that available from conventional limiting functions.Ĭomprehensive metering is provided which displays not only conventional peak sample value, but additionally allows the user to monitor the true validity of the programme in order to avoid the generation of damaging reconstruction overloads in the target equipment which are often invisible during production (sometimes termed 'inter sample peaks').Ī further function allows the user to dynamically correct for reconstruction overloads in real time, thereby achieving maximum possible modulation levels without the risks of producing illegal signals often associated with compression and limiting.Ĭomprehensive dithering functionality with selectable and variable depth noise shaping ensures first class mastering output quality in either 24 bit or 16 bit modes.Transient shapers are most commonly used on drums and other percussive signals, to add either presence or distance to the signal, but they can also be used on many other instruments to either bring up or push back the transients or the room sound, just as you otherwise would with a compressor or expander. By employing highly accurate logarithmic side chain processing, along with innovative adaptive timing functionality using look ahead signal acquisition, the limiter provides exemplary performance, whether one is seeking general transparent level control, programme loudness maximisation or heavily applied artistic sound effects.
The Oxford Limiter has been developed from decades of professional audio experience to provide a very high degree of quality and facility in programme loudness control and limiting functions.