Used for the lead vocals on "Makes Me Wonder", as stated by mix engineer Mark Endert in this September 2007 Sound on Sound interview.

Lead vocal: Waves De–esser, Sony Oxford EQ, Tube–Tech CL1B, Lexicon PCM42, Lexicon 480L

“I love using digital de–essing on the lead vocals. On about every track I mix, the first plug–in insert is probably the Waves De–esser. From there I will do fine–tuning with the EQ. If there’s a narrow band that I want to eliminate or boost, I often use the Sony Oxford EQ immediately after the de–esser. In this case I boosted a little bit around 300Hz, made a small cut around 2500Hz and rolled off some extreme high end. I really like the Oxford EQ for pinpointing frequencies, but as far as sonic shaping is concerned, I prefer the outboard, like the SSL EQ, the GML, or my Neve 1073 modules. You are never going to pinpoint a perfect frequency on a three–band Neve EQ.

“After being treated with the De–Esser and the Oxford EQ, the lead vocals came to the SSL desk, on which I also used EQ, and inserted a compressor. In this case it was a Tube–Tech CL1B, set to a ratio of 5:1. For some reason I like 5:1 on vocals. I added delays on the lead vocals in the choruses — PCM42, eighth note or something like that — and there’s a reverb, most likely a 480L, set to a short reverb time.”

Excerpt from interview:

What other Sonnox plug-ins do you use?

I use TransMod to add extra edge to effects. It’s perfect for adding a little more attack and/or changing the contour or timbre of certain sounds. I’m also using the Oxford EQ, and I think it’s amazing for doing cuts and such without hurting the overall sound. You can really get surgical with it. I’ll also use the Inflator - especially on mix busses.

Excerpt:

The Mix

For the mixing process, Just Blaze and his engineer Andy Wright used a ton of SSL E Channel Strip plug-ins across all of the drums along with Ocean Way Studios plug-in to create a nice, tight “Studio B” ambience. For the bass, the Ampeg SVT3 Pro plug-in was used to add a touch of flavor along with the UA 1176AE compressor and Neve 1081 EQ. On the guitar subgroup there was an 1176AE, the Sonnox Oxford EQ to roll off lows and highs, focusing the the midrange before being finished with a Neve 1081TM EQ for a little high shelf.

Vocal Mix & Effects

Just Blaze’s lead vocal mix chain on this track is formidable. He started with a Teletronix LA-2A Gray, compressing between 5-7 dB, then to a Sonnox Oxford EQ, high-passing up to about 100, then a Neve 1081 EQ for some high boost, followed by Oxide Tape Recorder and finally the UAD Precision De-Esser — quite a chain.For the time-based effects, he had Lexicon 224 Digital Reverb, EMT 140 Plate Reverberator, and Eventide H810 plug-ins, and a bunch of stock Logic tape delays and Space Designer. On his master bus, the mix was finished off the SSL G Bus Compressor, followed by the bx_digital EQ, and finally the Studer A800 Multichannel Tape Recorder plug-in.

Omar Hakim talks about how he uses Sonnox plugins in this video. They're first seen on screen at 2:21

In this video, Steve Mac can be seen using Oxford EQ at 6:38

In this video you can see Tom Staar using Sonnox Oxford EQ at 11:14s.

Obviously the Dynamics, Limiter and EQ; they're standard first ports of call in many a studio I've worked in.

"I'm gonna add my Oxford EQ to roll off some of the bottom end and you'll find out why in a minute."

At 17:35 into their Producer Masterclass with Computer Music Magazine, My Digital Enemy can be seen using the Oxford EQ.

So when did you start using the Oxford plug-ins?

A friend of mine turned me on to them, and when I had chance to listen, they jumped out at me. I really liked the Inflator, Dynamics and EQ.

What made the EQ different from your others?

It just had a very sweet sound to it. It's a subtle quality that my ears, after so many years, just know. If I take the high end and just tweak it up a little bit, there's a certain quality to the sparkle that you get that reminds me of very high-end hardware EQ's. When you take a generic or a cheaper EQ and turn it up, yes it gets brighter, but it feels technical - not musical.

Steve Levine utilizes the Sonnox Oxford EQ, which excels on the UAD platform due to its extensive DSP capabilities, as highlighted by Universal Audio.

How do you use Sonnox plug-ins in your work?

...use Oxford EQs throughout the mix, and the Oxford Limiter on the final bus. There is something about Sonnox plug-ins that just makes it easier for me to get the sound I am looking for...

Tell us about your approach to equalization.

Using "ears only" EQ is extremely important to me. I think the secret of any good mix starts with great EQ'ing. The reverb, careful sub-harmonic treatment and widening mix tricks are important, but it all starts with great EQ.

To EQ properly I found it is very important to hear the live performance in the hall. You need to memorize the actual orchestra sound with your ears, detect any acoustic problems in the venue or in some orchestra sections and then correct them in the mix. The EQ should keep the idiomatic sound from the orchestra but correct frequency problems certain sections may have. In my opinion it's a compromise between the true original sound and the ideal sound from the ideal orchestra. On the Oxford EQ I've found I prefer the Type 3 EQ, due to its curves. But I often forget about the graphics and mix purely by ear.