Contents 1 Introduction 3 2 Main Features 5 3 Operation 6 3.1 Signal Processing Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 3.2 Resolution, Kernel Sizes, and Delays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 3.2.1 Delay Compensation and Audio Buffer Sizes . . . . . . . . . . 10 3.2.2 Over-Taxing the Host . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 3.3 Advanced Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 3.3.1 Trigger and Gain-Ducking Modes . . . . . . . . .
1 Introduction The Sonnox Oxford SuprEsser was designed primarily to be the last word in ‘de-essing’ applications. While we worked on creating the best possible de-essed sound, we found that we needed more control than was available on conventional De-Essers. Most de-essing work can be carried out in ‘simple’ mode but sometimes, to do the job properly, it is necessary to utilise all the controls of the underlying engine — a full-blown dynamic EQ, or frequency- conscious compressor.
band are shown on the graph, alongside the FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) display of the narrow band signal, which includes retention of the peak level and the frequency containing the most energy. At the heart of the Oxford SuprEsser is an enhanced version of the compressor section of the Sonnox Oxford Dynamics plug-in, which is renowned amongst professional users for its consistent delivery of the precise and transparent control of peak signals.
2 Main Features • Highly featured professional De-Esser • Linear-phase Dynamic EQ • Transparently controls aggressive frequencies • Automatic level-tracking follows energy level (eliminating the need to automate threshold) • Large intuitive graphic display makes finding frequencies very easy • Full spectrum operation (20Hz–20kHz) • Three different ‘Listen’ modes • Very easy to use • Advanced mode for ultimate control of the Dynamic EQ • Many creative as well as corrective uses • Presets provide good starting
3 3.1 Operation Signal Processing Overview Basic SuprEsser signal flow The Oxford SuprEsser contains a pair of mutually opposing filters — by default one is a narrow bandpass filter, the other is the complementary narrow band-reject filter. This results in one signal path containing just the contents of the band of interest, and another signal path containing the input signal with this band entirely removed; when mixed back together in equal ratios, you get the original signal.
Advanced Mode Signal Flow In addition to the four EQ types, there are four different compressor modes that are concerned with which signal is passed to the sidechain and which signal is passed to the main input of the compressor. See Section 2.3 Advanced Operational Modes for more information on this.
3.2 Resolution, Kernel Sizes, and Delays The linear-phase filters used by the Oxford SuprEsser require an ‘Impulse Response Kernel’ to model the response of the internal Oxford Filters. The size of this kernel (as measured in samples) determines both the plug-in delay and the accuracy of the model, which in turn affects the performance, especially at lower frequencies.
buffer size, the delay will be somewhere in the region of 4116 to 12308 samples. See the section below for information on reducing the delay. Oxford SuprEsser LL/LowLatency This small kernel version has a kernel size of 512 samples.
3.2.1 Delay Compensation and Audio Buffer Sizes The plug-in delay produced by the Oxford SuprEsser depends both on the kernel size/resolution and the audio block size. The block size is the size of the sample buffers passed to the plug-in by the host, and is usually specified in your audio hardware preferences/configuration/setup page. The reason that the plug-in delay depends on the block size is that the plug-in must accumulate a whole kernel sized block of samples before it can process them.
3.2.2 Over-Taxing the Host The Oxford SuprEsser uses a process called convolution to implement filtering, a process that is expensive on CPU resources. When using very large kernel sizes, in combination with small audio buffer sizes, it is possible for the plug-in to take longer than an entire audio block to complete processing, with the result that (from a monitoring point of view) the playback breaks up. This can manifest as obvious clicks and pops, or more subtly as occasional quiet clicks.
3.3 3.3.1 Advanced Operation Trigger and Gain-Ducking Modes There are four major operational modes selectable via the TRIGGER and AUDIO buttons in the Advanced Mode (MORE:) section, as described below: Mode: Signal to: Trigger Audio Comp Side Chain Band Filtered Filtered Gain ducking occurs only in the signal signal narrow band, triggered by the narrow Band Result band. Band Wide Delayed Filtered Gain ducking of (wide) input signal, input signal signal triggered by narrow band signal.
Band-Band Mode In this mode (the default) both the trigger signal (to the compressor sidechain) and the main compressor signal is the narrow-bandpass-filtered signal. The output of the compressor is then fed to the crossover block (the ‘Listen’ section) for mixing back in with the version of the input signal that has been filtered with the corresponding narrow-band-reject filter.
threshold follows the general level of the signal post the narrow-band-reject-filter, (ie. everything except the troublesome frequencies). Furthermore, the crossover controls (in the LISTEN section) have no effect on the signal because the output of the compressor is already a complete wide-spectrum signal. Wide-Band Mode In this mode, the trigger signal (to the compressor sidechain) is the delayed input signal, and the main compressor signal is the narrow-bandpass-filtered signal.
sound in which a fully compressed signal (with no dynamic headroom) has some punch added back into it. In this mode, the LISTEN section has no effect on the signal because the output of the compressor is already a complete wide-spectrum signal. 3.3.2 Automatic Level Tracking Auto Level Tracking mode is enabled by selecting the LEVEL TRACKING/AUTO IN button. This is ON by default.
Setting the After-Silence Start Level If the above algorithm is tending to under-correct when the vocalist starts singing after a pause, you can, if you wish, set the ‘After-Silence Start Level’ by moving the threshold fader while the plug-in is receiving silence or is non-active. If you move the threshold level while there is silence or no signal, this will tell the plug-in what level to assume when the signal comes back after going away for a while.
LF-Cut Filter Mode When you reduce the left edge of the bandpass filter all the way down to 20Hz, you activate LF-Cut Filter mode. This means that the lower edge of the bandpass window is effectively at 0Hz, and this is useful, for example, when working on eliminating sub-bass plosives and thuds/booms that contain DC components.
4 4.1 Description of Controls Basic Screen Controls When you insert the plugin, the display defaults to a zoomed out mode, so you can see immediately the overall picture of where the centre band is in the spectrum. Whenever you move the centre band in any way, the centre frequency of the band is clearly displayed (in yellow) at both the top and bottom of the display in an easy-to-read format.
In VST and Audio Unit hosts • Shift + Left-Click and drag up/down: Fine adjustment of value • Control/Command + Left-Click: Set to default • Shift + Scroll wheel: Fine adjustment of value In Pro Tools • Command + Left-Click and drag up/down: Fine adjustment of value • Alt + Left-Click: Set to default • Command + Scroll wheel: Fine adjustment of value Other controls (for example, faders, buttons and the graphic display) are generally consistent with the rules outlined above for touch pad control.
4.1.2 Options Menu Clicking the Sonnox button produces a drop-down options menu: Clip Lights These options determine the approximate time that an overload indicator will stay on for when the plug-in has detected a full-level sample at either its input or output. Enable Sonnox Toolbar Displays or hides the Sonnox Preset Manager Toolbar (see Section 4). Show Preset Name Path Shows the hierarchical directory path for Presets that are stored in sub-folders of the default Preset folder.
4.1.3 Input Monitor Section Input Level Meter This meter is designed to give exactly 1dB per LED for the top 18dB of dynamic range, and 2dB per LED thereafter. This gives a clear and intuitive impression of the working headroom. Level Trim dB Touch Pad This allows you to adjust the input signal level by up to +/- 12dB.
OUTSIDE Button This sets the crossfade so that you are listening only to the output of the band-reject filter — which is everything outside of the bandpass window, hence the name. In this mode, if you sweep the centre frequency of the band filter up and down the spectrum, the troublesome noises will disappear when you have hit the area to work on. 4.1.
band-reject filters. Generally speaking, you want the highest setting for maximum separation between troublesome and non-troublesome sounds. However, you may find musical or creative possibilities in using gentler slopes. For example, when using lower settings there is a smoother blend between gain-ducked components and the original, which will be more noticeable when using large amounts of gain reduction.
enough to catch the hard front edges of consonants like T’s. ATTENUATION Meter This meter gives an indication of how much gain reduction is occurring, both instantaneously, and with a peak-hold level that indicates the maximum reduction in the previous couple of seconds. The meter operates in increments of exactly one dB. MORE: ACCESS Button When you need to access the complete set of dynamics controls, click on the ACCESS button to open up the ‘advanced’ control set.
18dB of dynamic range, and 2dB per segment thereafter. This gives a clear and intuitive impression of the working headroom and dynamic range. There is a peak-hold feature that holds the highest peak in the last two seconds, helping to give you a better impression of the working dynamic range — the number of segments between the peak and general level. 4.
LEVEL TRACKING Section AUTO IN Button This controls the mode of the threshold functionality. In ‘Auto-LevelTracking’ mode (ie. with the IN button selected), the compressor’s trigger threshold follows the general level of the wide input signal, and the THRESHOLD fader adjusts the threshold relative to that general signal level.
ATTACK Touch Pad This defines how quickly the gain reduction can kick in. While fast attack times often seem to be the best idea, slower attack times can sound more musical and natural. In general, for de-essing, fast attack times are required — as fast as possible without distortion. When working with low frequency sounds, however, you may want slower attack times. HOLD Touch Pad This defines how long the gain reduction holds its level before it is allowed to decay away.
For example, when set to 2:1 at around 26 degrees, the compressor gently compresses signals into half the dynamic range they currently occupy above the threshold level. When set to 0 degrees, the compressor acts as a limiter — the output never goes beyond the threshold level, except for transients that escape the compressor because the attack time is too slow. The ratio control is not, however, limited to positive values.
4.3 Graphical Screen Controls Lower Drag Handle (5) Centre Drag Handle (4) Peak Level (3) Gain Reduction (2) Upper Drag Handle (6) Threshold Line (1) .. Zoom (9) Input Signal (8) Peak Frequency (10) Inside Band Signal (7) The Oxford SuprEsser’s graphical display is the key to its intuitive operation. This display provides all the important pieces of information you need to access visually and quickly, such as the correct threshold and filter frequency values.
isolating it better. To help you find the threshold, the most important place to look is the red time-domain peak reading (3). This gives the peak dB level of the audio signal leaving the bandpass filter. Below this, you will see a blue line representing the threshold (1). The distance between these two lines indicates the amount of gain reduction of peaks that you will achieve.
movement. This way you can quickly isolate and listen to each of the peaks that occur regularly, to find out, for example, what consonants they represent. Gain Reduction Indicator This red-shaded area gives a real-time indication of the shape and amount of occurring gain reduction. The shape follows the slope indicators, and roughly corresponds to the shape of the pink FFT region (see 7 above). Threshold Line This line shows the current threshold level.
5 Oxford SuprEsser DS (AAX DSP) The Oxford SuprEsser DS is a highly-featured professional De-Esser AAX DSP plug-in for use with Avid S3L live consoles and Pro Tools|HDX. In order to provide high-quality processing with low latency, the kernel size has been reduced to 128 samples and the GUI focusses on frequencies greater than 1 kHz. This enables highly effective deessing with less than 2 ms of delay at 48 kHz. The SuprEsser DS includes AAX DSP and AAX Native components.
6 Specifications Supported Sample Rates Native (LL, Normal, HR) 22.05 to 44.1 kHz [1] Native (LL, Normal, HR) 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192 kHz AAX DSP (SuprEsser DS) 44.1 and 48 kHz Input-Output Parameters Input Trim -12 to 12 dB Output Trim 0 to -12 dB Wet/Dry 0 to 100 % Filters Width (LL, Normal, HR) 0.2 to 10 octaves Width (SuprEsser DS) 0.2 to 4.
6.1 7 SuprEsser DS – Pro Tools | HDX & S3L – Instances per chip 48 kHz 96 kHz 192 kHz Mono 3 – – Stereo 2 – – Preset Manager Toolbar The Oxford SuprEsser plug-in comes equipped with its own onboard Preset Manager, which is displayed as a toolbar at the top of the plug-in window, just as if the host created it (see above). The reasoning behind this is to allow increased portability of your presets across all the host applications, while also providing a consistent and versatile interface.
8 Supported Platforms • Avid Pro Tools (RTAS, AAX Native and DSP 32/64-bit) • VST hosts (32/64-bit) • AU hosts (32/64-bit) • Mac Intel OSX 10.6 or higher • Windows XP, 7 and 8 (32/64-bit) 9 System Requirements For latest System requirements, please visit www.sonnox.com. All versions • Free iLok account • Appropriate product licence • iLok2 Pro Tools • Approved Digidesign/Avid CPU and hardware configuration • Pro Tools 8 (Native or HD), or higher VST Native • VST compliant host application (e.g.
10 Copyright and Acknowledgements Trademarks and content copyright © 2007-present Sonnox® Ltd. All rights reserved. Sonnox® and the five dots logo are registered trademarks of Sonnox Ltd. This product is manufactured and supplied by Sonnox Ltd. This product is protected by one or more European and/or US patents. DIGIDESIGN, AVID and PRO TOOLS are trademarks or registered trademarks of Avid Technology Inc. VST is a trademark of Steinberg AG.
