Limiter Joins Sony Oxford Plug-In Lineup

Jul 26, 2005

Click image for closeup

Sony introduced the Oxford Limiter Plug-In at the Summer NAMM convention. The new plug-in can provide engineers and producers with high levels of flexibility and performance, whether the goal is general transparent level control, program loudness maximization or heavily applied artistic effects.

The Oxford Limiter uses logarithmic side chain processing with adaptive timing functionality and "look-ahead" techniques. The "Enhance" function adds volume and punch to material without over-loading.

Comprehensive metering functionality displays conventional peak sample value as well as inter-sample overloads, allowing dynamic correction of reconstruction overloads in real time. Sophisticated dithering functionality with selectable and variable depth noise shaping enables superb mastering output quality in either 24- or 16-bit modes.

The Oxford Limiter plug-in features three processing functions: Level control, Loudness Enhancement and Output Metering with program analysis. Features include:

• Input Gain Fader: Controls input gain to limiter processing from -18dB to +18dB
• Input Meter: Displays effective input level from --20dBr to + 18dBr
• Numerical Gain Display: Consistently displays effective gain, and allows manual setting entry
• Attack control: Adjusts attack timing from 1mS to 20mS (with signal look ahead)
• Release control: Adjusts limiting release timing from 1mS to 10 seconds
• Curve Control: Adjusts soft limiting threshold from 0dB (hard) to 10dB (soft)
• Gain reduction meter: Permanently displays total peak gain reduction due to limiting
• Auto Gain switch: Engages an additional long-term gain process to provide gain scaling compensation to accommodate wide input level ranges

Output section:

• Enhance: Controls unique additional dynamic loudness enhancement, from 0 to 100 percent
• Output Fader: Adjusts output level from --20dBr to 0dBr
• 16-Bit Dither Selector: Selects 16-bit output word length dithering, which includes 4 selectable noise-shaping types with unique "depth" control.
• Output Meter: Displays plug-in final output levels
• Recon Meter Selector: Switches meter to display actual reconstructed signal levels.
• Auto Comp Selector: Enables additional processing to allow automatic compensation of potential reconstructed overloads (i.e. inter-sample peaks)
• Peak Hold Selector: Selects meter display peak hold function for long-term peak level monitoring

The Oxford Limiter Plug-in for Pro Tools TDM (PTH-LIMG2) is currently available, with a suggested list price of $530. A version for LE systems (PTL-LIMG2) is also currently available, with a suggested list price of $350.

For more information, visit their web site at www.sony.com.