Sonnox Oxford Reverb User Manual

Contents
1 Introduction 4
2 PrinciplesofReverberation 5
3 Overview 6
4 AdjustmentProcedure 7
5 RealisticRoomSimulation 7
5.1 Early Reflection Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
5.1.1 Additional Important Points on Early Reflections Processing . . . . . 9
5.2 Reverb Tail Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
5.2.1 Tail Mix Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
5.2.2 Suggested Setup for the Reverb Tail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
5.2.3 Blending Early Reflections and Reverb Tail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
5.2.4 Additional Important Points on Reverb Tail Processing . . . . . . . . . 13
6 Equalisation 14
6.1 Equalisation Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
6.2 Reverb EQ in Music Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
6.3 Reverb EQ in Post Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
7.1 Early Reflections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
7.2 Reverb Tail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
7.2.1 Reverb Tail Input Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
7.2.2 Reverb Tail Effect Modification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
7.3 Equaliser Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
7.4 Overall Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
7.4.1 Input Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
7.4.2 Output Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
7.5 Options Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
8.1 Pro Tools | HDX – Instances per chip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
12 CopyrightandAcknowledgements 31

1 Introduction

1 INTRODUCTION
The Sonnox Oxford Reverb plug-in is a highly flexible artificial reverberation generator,
designed to complement existing Sonnox Oxford applications in providing the
professional user with highest technical and sonic performance, coupled with high levels
of artistic and creative capability.
By avoiding fixed algorithms, and providing user control of all parameters including
comprehensive equalisation functions, the Oxford Reverb provides the professional
engineer with a powerful facility to build virtual spaces freely, depending on artistic needs,
ranging from dry reflection ambiences, room and hall simulations, sound effects, all the
way to wide open reverberant spaces with a exceptionally large range of possible texture
and spatial character.
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2 PRINCIPLES OF REVERBERATION

2 PrinciplesofReverberation
Artificial reverberation models tend to fall into two main types, which can best be
described as convolution and reflection simulation modelling. Both processes seek to
achieve a degree of realism and virtual space by modelling room characteristics. The
convolution model achieves this by recording the actual impulse response (due to
reflections and dispersion) of existing spaces, and imposing the resulting transfer
characteristic onto the programme to reproduce the character of the space. However this
model does not lend itself easily to the user interaction required for the artistic creation of
reverberation effects that are commonly needed in production. Another important factor
is that the user cannot readily simplify a convolution model to avoid conflicts that often
occur between the recorded ambience and the simulated reverb.
The Sonnox Oxford Reverb belongs to the reflection simulation type, as this allows the
wide and varied user control intended from this device, in the pursuit of a high degree of
artistic interaction and creative freedom.
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3 Overview

3 OVERVIEW
Generally speaking, simulation models employ two sections to generate spatial effects.
The first section produces the Early Reflections (see above) that we use to perceive the
dimensional space of environments, and a Reverb Tail section is used to produce the
longer term diffuse tails that occur in real environments, when the reflection complexity
has become so dense that it is no longer possible to discern discrete events. It is the
combination of the effects of these two sections that create the impression of space,
environmental timbre and texture. One useful way to regard this is that the Early
Reflection section creates a kind of ‘wire frame’ model that we lock on to in order to fix
the dimension of the space, and the Reverb Tail forms the ‘plaster’ that fills in the model
and gives the space volume and long-term character.
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5 REALISTIC ROOM SIMULATION

4 AdjustmentProcedure
The Sonnox Oxford reverb provides for a very large degree of parameter control so that
the professional user has the facility to produce reverberation ranging from subtle
ambience and dry spaces, all the way up to the creation of dramatic sound effects. To
achieve this degree of user facility, a significant number of controls need to be present on
the ‘front panel’. Although this may seem daunting initially, with experience, the nature of
the controls and the sonic effects they produce should quickly become self-evident. The
best method to gain this experience is to simply operate the plug-in, taking note of the
effect that results from varying control parameters. Indeed, it is intentional in the design of
this application that the user should interact with it freely in order to create exemplary
results in the normal course of its daily use, which uniquely match the artistic
requirements of the particular production in progress at the time.
It is fully appreciated that during the modification of an existing setup or the building of a
new sound from scratch, the dividing line between something that is just ‘ok’ and
something that is exactly ‘perfect’ is often very subtle, and subject to the artistic
requirements of the production and the environment in which it has been recorded or
produced. The finer detail of the setup procedure should therefore remain at the sole
discretion of the user, and should not be limited by existing setups or any particular
doctrine.
5 RealisticRoomSimulation
Most realistic room space simulations will consist of a mixture of appropriate Early
Reflections and Reverb Tail. However, the control set provided in the Sonnox Oxford
reverb allows many ways to achieve a wide range of artistic effects that will suit a great
many situations, many of which may involve almost completely opposing approaches.
Experimentation is the key to mastering these and therefore the following procedures
should be viewed as initial guidelines for familiarisation purposes only.
5.1 EarlyReflectionSetup
A good method to achieve the correct balance is to listen to the Early Reflections first by
setting the REVERB MIX fader to its ER position, and adjusting the WET /DRY fader for a
comfortable mix (both these controls are in the plug-in’s OUTPUT section).
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5.1 EarlyReflectionSetup 5 REALISTIC ROOM SIMULATION
Start with a neutral setting, with WIDTH and TAPER in their mid position, FEED ALONG
and FEEDBACK at minimum, and LF ROLL-OFF (in the INPUT section) at minimum
(mostly HF content).
It should now be possible to perceive the space changing when you adjust the SIZE
control. Initially, set this to something appropriate.
Toggle through the SHAPE selection buttons, noting the difference between them, and
decide on one that most suits what you are looking for.
At this point the FEED ALONG setting can be increased, noting the effect it has on overall
complexity in the reflections and the timbre of the space. For realistic spaces, settings
around the mid position are often best, but experimentation of the full range is
encouraged.
Listening carefully to the resulting reflections, adjust the FEEDBACK fader with the
PHASE SELECT button selected (the default), to introduce some reiteration into the
space, noting that the space becomes more resonant and the reflections more diffuse.
Without feedback, the reflections will end abruptly when they are finished. This is useful
for creating dry spaces often appropriate for percussion tracks. However, for realistic
spaces, an amount of feedback is required to produce a more natural dispersion and
timbre. Too much feedback will result in ringing effects, which can be particularly intrusive
for smaller spaces.
To give the space a realistic absorption and frequency response character, start
increasing the LF ROLL-OFF control to tailor the HF response caused by the reflections
over time. There is no fixed rule for what works best, and creative freedom should take
precedence. However, generally speaking, larger spaces require greater absorption
settings than small spaces, since a major cause of absorption in real spaces is the
distance that the sound travels in air.
The WIDTH and TAPER controls can now be adjusted to give an appropriate stereo
spread and reflection character to the simulation. Some interplay between the FEED
ALONG and the TAPER controls may be required to arrive at the best overall sound
character, as both can give the effect of increasing the prominence of the reflections.
At this point it is worth adjusting the POSITION fader to determine the listening position
within the virtual space. It should be possible to perceive the effect of entering the space
as the setting moves off the back wall (minimum setting) into the virtual space. It is
important to bear in mind that the primary reflection from the back wall can get quite fast
in smaller spaces if the position is too far forwards, so although the simulation may sound
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5.1 EarlyReflectionSetup 5 REALISTIC ROOM SIMULATION
correct when 100% wet, frequency combing effects may occur when it eventually gets
combined with the dry signal in a mix. Generally speaking, simulations with the source
and destination at the back wall (minimum setting) will always survive the addition of the
dry signal, but under some circumstances, forward settings may not. Therefore it is safest
to start with the POSITION at minimum initially, and make any adjustments while using the
reverb in a mix situation.
Finally, it’s a good idea to run through all the settings, making final adjustments by
offsetting one parameter against another in order to get precisely the result that sounds
best with the programme material. Bear in mind that very often very small changes can
make the difference between something stunningly good or just average!
At this point you should have an early reflection sound that produces a realistic perception
of space, but may lack long-term reverberation and complexity.
5.1.1 AdditionalImportantPointsonEarlyReflectionsProcessing
It is sometimes useful to use an early reflection model on its own (without any Reverb Tail)
where significant environmental reverberation already exists on the recorded track to be
treated. In this case, the recorded reverb can often be included within the simulated space
without conflict, giving the perception that the track was actually recorded in stereo.
The perception of large spaces can be alternatively constructed with relatively small SIZE
settings, by the application of large amounts of FEED ALONG and FEEDBACK. While
such sounds may produce less faithful emulations of real spaces, great sound effects and
very dense general ambiences may be generated this way.
Moderate duration early reflections built using fairly small SIZE settings and large amounts
of FEED ALONG with no FEEDBACK can be very useful for percussion ambiences, since
they end abruptly and thus avoid creating intrusive ‘hubbub’ from reverb run on.
The effect of very large spaces with long Reverb Tails can be constructed with the Early
Reflection processing alone, by using large SIZE settings, moderate FEED ALONG and
large amounts of FEEDBACK. Although such spaces will be less diffuse than Reverb Tail
models (because they always contain cyclic reflections), they are still very useful for
creating the impression of extremely large spaces and generating rich sound effects.
The STEREO SEPARATION fader mixes left and right signals together at the input of the
processing. This is useful where the virtual space is required to be fixed regardless of
input programme panning. But when the programme is a viable stereo source (either
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5.2 ReverbTailSetup 5 REALISTIC ROOM SIMULATION
panned or natural) better placement within the reverb sound field will be achieved with
higher separation settings.
5.2 ReverbTailSetup
The major difference between the early reflection processing and the Reverb Tail is that
the latter contains no geometrically based dimensional information. Being constructed of
mutually unrelated terms, it is designed to generate almost characterless spectral
diffusion and spatial dispersion. Therefore its main purpose is to reiterate the sonic
character and spatial cues provided by the input programme and the early reflection
processing, with the minimum of disturbance throughout its decay period.
However, nuances in the way this is achieved play important roles in the resulting texture,
timbre and spatial quality we perceive in the reverberation effect. Rather than providing
the user with either a fixed model or a limited selection of algorithms, the Sonnox Oxford
Reverb offers full control over the parameters that most affect the sonic character of the
Reverb Tail. This provides the user with the maximum creative facility.
5.2.1 TailMixSection
The first thing is to decide what drives the Reverb Tail section. Generally there is a mixture
of two approaches to driving the Reverb Tail section we can consider. Either we want to
carry the character of the Early Reflections into the Reverb Tail. Or we want to just add
reverberation to the input signal so that the character of the input programme is carried
into the Reverb Tail.
In practice, we almost always need a mixture of both of these depending on the desired
result.
The TAIL MIX section of the ‘front panel’ controls this function by providing the ability to
mix the output of the Early Reflection processing with the input signal, and a delayed
version of the input signal. It is therefore possible to create a mixture of all three signals,
any combination, or just a single source.
The delayed input signal, controlled by the COMP DELAY function, is normally selected to
ER TRACK mode so that the input drive to the Reverb Tail largely coincides with the initial
output signals from the early reflection section.
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