Sonnox Oxford Drum Gate 2

Oxford Drum Gate 2 builds on the feature set and workflow of the original plug-in and adds time, polarity and phase alignment, updated shell-type classification models, a new adaptive resonant decay algorithm, external sidechain key input, leveller and per-hit clipper tools, and a redesigned user interface.

Positioned as a complete toolkit for tidying up acoustic drums, Sonnox claims Oxford Drum Gate 2 has been designed to offer everything needed to clean up multi-tracked drum recordings.

Advanced Drum Hit Detection

The company says Drum Gate 2 features an updated hit-detection system designed to improve identification of kick, snare, tom and hi-hats across a wide range of performances and recording scenarios, making the gate respond more reliably to different playing styles and mic setups.

Time, Polarity and Phase Alignment

Phase coherence issues are inevitable during acoustic drum recordings with multiple microphones such as top and bottom snare mics, or close mics combined with overheads or room mics. The new Align tab in Drum Gate 2 is said to enhance tone, punch and clarity whilst minimising timing artifacts. The system automatically groups tracks by name, provides visual feedback and offers stereo linking for overheads and room mics. Integrated directly into Drum Gate 2, Sonnox claims it eliminates the need for third party alignment tools and streamlines the multitrack drum mixing workflow.

New Decay Algorithm

Oxford Drum Gate 2 introduces what the company calls an Adaptive Resonant Decay algorithm. Sonnox says this process uses resonance detection derived from its Claro technology to separate the natural decay of each drum hit from bleed and spill, while preserving the transient.

Users have independent control over gain reduction, decay time, high-frequency damping and the high- and low- cutoffs for the resonant region, allowing more detailed shaping of each drum’s sustain and achieving more natural-sounding results. For those who prefer the behaviour of the original plug-in, a Standard mode is also included.

External Sidechain and Triggering

Oxford Drum Gate 2 now supports external sidechain triggering using either audio or MIDI. This is invaluable when working with recordings that have already been beat-detected, recorded with drum triggers, or when gating needs to be synchronised across multiple mic channels.

Three input modes are available: Internal, which uses Drum Gate 2’s own detection, External (audio sidechain from another track or audio key spikes), and MIDI, triggered by Note On messages with selectable channel and note. An ‘All Transients’ mode is also included, which passes all transients above the threshold without using the classification models.

Leveller Clipper

The new Hit Clip feature is described by Sonnox as a way to apply transient clipping on a per-hit basis rather than using a static ceiling. The algorithm calculates the ceiling for each hit based on its post-leveller peak level, ensuring uniform transient treatment across dynamically varied performances without flattening expressive playing dynamics.

Separate controls for soft and loud hits allow engineers to fine-tune how much clipping is applied, while automatic make-up gain maintains the perceived level.

New Features of Oxford Drum Gate 2:

• Time, polarity, and phase alignment with the new Align tab 

• Adaptive Resonant Decay algorithm with HF Damping parameter 

• External sidechain input (audio and MIDI)

• Hit Clip with per-hit dynamic ceiling calculation 

• Claro-derived resonance detection for natural decay 

• New Hi-Hat, All Transients and No Gating detection modes

Improvements:

• More accurate drum type classification (Kick, Snare, Toms) 

• Enhanced transient detection with reduced false triggers

• Overhauled user interface adds a modern look, clearer communication and a faster workflow