Pricing and availability
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Price
Average Price: $111
Standard/Professional
$59
$150+
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Budget
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Based on price data from 5 merchants for "Sonnox Oxford Inflator". Prices shown reflect NEW condition. Tracking began Apr 2, 2026.
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Description
Unlock the full potential of your mixes with the Sonnox Oxford Inflator—a mastering plugin that effortlessly boosts loudness without compromising the integrity of your sound. Renowned for its ability to add power and presence without the unwanted artifacts of traditional compression, the Oxford Inflator is your secret weapon for creating mixes that shine. Whether you're enhancing vocals to cut through a dense mix or adding weight to individual tracks, this plugin works wonders across the board.
The Sonnox Oxford Inflator is more than just a loudness booster; it injects a tube-like warmth that envelops your tracks, giving them a cohesive, polished sound often referred to as ‘sonic glue’. With its versatile application on both individual channels and full mixes, this plugin offers you the flexibility to achieve the perfect balance every time.
Experience the Inflator in its full glory with support for both direct and band-split modes, allowing you to tailor the effect to your specific needs. Compatible with a wide range of DAWs, the plugin is fully 64-bit compliant and supports iLok Cloud Authorization, making it easily accessible for both home studios and professional environments.
Key Features:
- Increases perceived loudness without sacrificing quality
- Adds presence and tube-like warmth to your tracks
- Provides virtual headroom above digital maximums
- Offers both direct and band-split modes for versatile application
- Fully 64-bit compliant
- Supports major DAWs, including Pro Tools, Logic Pro X, Cubase, and more
- Compatible with macOS and Windows systems
- iLok 2, iLok 3 USB key, or iLok Cloud Authorization required for use
Product specs
| Software Type | Dynamics |
| Platform | Mac, PC |
| Upgrade/Full | Full |
| Download/Boxed | Download |
| Bit Depth | 64-bit |
| Format | AAX Native, AAX DSP, VST2, VST3, AU |
| Authorization Type | iLok Account |
| Hardware Requirements - Mac | Intel Core 2 Duo or higher, 4GB RAM minimum |
| Hardware Requirements - PC | Intel Core 2 Duo / AMD Athlon 64 X2 or higher, 4GB RAM minimum |
| OS Requirements - Mac | macOS 11.0 or later |
| OS Requirements - PC | Windows 10 or later |
FAQs
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What exactly does the Sonnox Oxford Inflator do for a mix?
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The Sonnox Oxford Inflator enhances the perceived loudness and adds harmonic warmth to your mix, making it sound fuller and more impactful without introducing distortion.
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Is the Sonnox Oxford Inflator compatible with my DAW?
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The Sonnox Oxford Inflator is compatible with DAWs that support AAX Native, AAX DSP, VST2, VST3, and AU formats, making it versatile for both Mac and PC platforms.
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What are the system requirements for running the Sonnox Oxford Inflator?
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For Mac, it requires macOS 11.0 or later with at least an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 4GB RAM. For PC, it needs Windows 10 or later with an Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon 64 X2 processor and 4GB RAM.
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Does the Sonnox Oxford Inflator require an iLok for authorization?
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Yes, the Sonnox Oxford Inflator requires an iLok account for authorization, but it does not require a physical iLok dongle.
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Can the Sonnox Oxford Inflator be used for mastering?
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Yes, the Sonnox Oxford Inflator is commonly used in mastering to enhance loudness and add depth, making it a valuable tool for finalizing tracks.
Videos
Production Expert
Show And Tell Of Sonnox Oxford Inflator
Show And Tell Of Sonnox Oxford Inflator
Production Expert
Inflator tutorial
Sonnox Plugins
Inflator The Loudness Monster
MixbusTv
Sonnox Oxford Inflator and Limiter Review & Giveaway - Warren Huart: Produce Like A Pro
Produce Like A Pro
Sonnox® Oxford Inflator Plug-In Demo
Universal Audio
Sonnox Oxford Inflator Tutorial | Loud Masters In 3 Easy Steps!
Audio Sorcerer
Bring Your Songs To Life | Oxford Inflator | Plugin Of The Week
Radium Records
Sonnox Oxford Inflator - Tutorial
JRRShop
THE BEST KEPT SECRET IN MASTERING | Streaky.com
Streaky
Reviews
PROS
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Enhances perceived loudness without sacrificing headroom
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Unique algorithms distinguish it from typical saturators or limiters
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Real-time parameter information aids in understanding functionality
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Offers depth and density to mixes, making them competitively loud
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Great for experimenting with sound design using "effect" and "curve" sliders
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Versatile enough for individual sounds, mixes, and mastering
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Highly stable and reliable in various workflows
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Often used on every master and sometimes on drum buses
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Known for its unique ability to "embiggen" music
CONS
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Lacks complexity and additional tweaking options
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Requires time to find optimal settings and sweet spots
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Not suitable for those seeking instant improvements without learning its functions
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Sonnox Oxford Inflator.
Use cases and applications
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When the Curve is set downwards, the Inflator is effective for de-harshing material or emulating tape effects, while upwards settings can be too aggressive.
Source -
It's commonly used on drum busses to add punch without compromising the mix's integrity.
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The plugin is frequently used live on lead vocals, enhancing presence and clarity.
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The Inflator can mimic valve amplification, producing artistic distortion effects, especially in direct mode with CLIP 0dBr selected and Effect level at 100%.
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The Inflator is frequently used in mastering chains, particularly for adding saturation and increasing LUFS, without the need for a separate limiter.
Source
Features and functionality
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The Inflator can be set to a mix bus at 100% with the curve around 26, adjusting input and output by 1-2 dBs for optimal results.
Source -
The Inflator lacks oversampling, which some users consider a downside given its competition.
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The Oxford Inflator is primarily a waveshaper, known for enhancing perceived loudness and adding saturation without significantly altering the fundamental sound.
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The Inflator is described as a "transparent clipper," effective for controlling transients on drum busses before reaching the master bus.
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The Curve control at the mid-position enhances warmth and harmonic detail, adding presence to low frequencies, while softening highs without losing presence or attack.
Source
Comparisons
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Several users prefer TDR Limiter 6’s clipper and Newfangled Elevate’s saturator for “cleanly” increasing loudness.
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It's noted that the Inflator can be recreated in Ableton using the stock Saturator for similar effects.
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Users state that the Inflator’s polynomial curve approach is less effective than tanh curves used in other plugins like GClip for saturation effects.
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Multiple users report that Melda's MWaveShaper, a free plugin, can mimic the Inflator's effect when set correctly, but requires more setup time.
Source
User experience
Value and pricing
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While some users feel the original price is too high, the $29 sale price is widely considered a good value for its ease of use and effectiveness.
Source
Critic Reviews
5.0 out of 5
Based on 3 Reviews and 23 Ratings
41029
an oldie but a goodie
if you haven't tried the sony inflator on every source and bus imaginable then you owe it to yourself to check it out..... its so many things at once and its hard to find a bad setting when you wanna 'embiggen' some music. Use caution though! This is a once in a while effect.
281
magic
Don't ask me how it works but it makes everything sound better ... use it on anything and everything ... Great for exposing my dodgy mid to hi freeque's deficiancy R : )
Artist usage
Add artist
What else do you use on your mix?
Lately, I have used the Sonnox Inflator a lot too. It seems to get rid of that screen of mud covering some mixes and just bring them forward in a really cool way. But I also have at least one Inflator on the drum bus and one on the vocal bus as well.
Can you give us some specific examples of how you use them?
...I also set up a drum bus early with the Inflator and send different things there, but very rarely the kick as it needs to be clean and a central point of the production.
Also, if I have a muddy or poorly recorded vocal, I stick another Inflator on the vocal bus. It seems to bring life back into the track. Sometimes I put Inflators directly on a single instrument track just to add some presence...
In an Instagram video, Anthony Rodriguez showcases the Sonnox Oxford Inflator being used in his ProTools session.
In this video at 10:24 Tobi from Neonlight can be seen using this plugin on a snare.
So how do you use the Inflator?
Generally, I like using it on the stereo mix. It adds a lot of energy without compressing the sound. I don't use it in a subtle way and prefer 'slamming' it. Most often, it adds just \the right amount of power and loudness without losing the sense of dynamics. It's an energy enhancer. I have to say though, I use all of these Sonnox plug-ins on everything I do.
"Sonnox Inflator and Limiter. These two are built into my Cubase template. Inflator is great at adding some high end sprinkle without changing the dynamics drastically. It’s like a magic EQ. The limiter just adds a little more juice when needed."
Excerpt from interview:
The Inflator is another secret weapon. A lot of DJs like this and I’m not surprised! Say you have synth part that’s a bit dull and lifeless, rather than using conventional EQ, I often try the Inflator. I guess it’s somewhere between tape saturation and compression. It’s like the energy and lift you’d get with great outboard. It’s a mystery what it actually does, but I love the results! It’s just incredibly good at bringing out the character of a sound.
The Sonnox plugin can be spotted in the video at minute 19.30.
In episode 45 of #Muz Кухня by MUZBIZNESOFFICIAL on YouTube, Denis Kenzo discusses using the Sonnox Oxford Inflator plugin.
Oxford Inflator seen in this video. First seen at 6:30
Album Usage
The Sonnox Oxford Inflator has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Sonnox Oxford Inflator, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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