Toto-ly Oxford

Jon Ostrin has been Toto's live mix engineer for around 15 years, working almost exclusively with analogue gear. But more recently he's been swept into the digital world, and on Toto's current world tour he uses Sonnox Oxford plug-ins on Digidesign's Venue Live Console, a formidable combination by any standards.

Says Jon: 'There are some great audio processing tools available, but a lot of live engineers are so used to the same, standard outboard racks they've had for years that they don't realise how amazing plug-in processing can sound.

'I've been using the Oxford EQs a lot and they sound great. I ended up using two on my master to equalise the PA system, which gave me ten bands of EQ. Now that might sound like a lot to some people, but I often work the parametric to a really tight bandwidth. With the Oxford EQ I can hit six or seven frequencies at a time without losing any headroom. When you get into conventional graphics, and you're moving things around a lot, you often don't realise how much you're EQing. Then, before you know it, you've lost 2 or 3 db.

'What I've found with the Oxford EQ, is that you can keep the bandwidth nice and tight and really hear the frequency within 30hz or 50 hz. Because of this, I'm able to quickly find the trouble spots in a live setup; I can then dig them out or add them in accordingly.'

For Jon, the kind of versatility he's discovering with the plug-ins has become an essential timesaving device in his busy schedule. With a lot of festivals to attend (a different PA system at each one), plus any number of discreet zones to sound check, the quality, quantity and accessibility of his outboard gear are crucial aspects of the mixing equation.

Adds Jon: 'Having Oxford plug-ins totally self-contained, right in the console, is extremely useful. If I want, I can quickly stack four EQ sections in a line, so even though there are only five bands on each plug-in the combination gives me 20 bands. Or if I've got, say, four different zones at a concert, I can drop them onto the outputs very easily.

'One of the most exciting things about the Venue console is that I can comfortably run 50 plugs-ins without experiencing any latency at all. In a live configuration that would be three full racks of heavy outboard gear with all of the associated technical problems! Now it's simply about pushing buttons and being creative.

'It's important to remember that when you've got about sixty inputs coming at you from the stage, with a lot of changes going on throughout a show, there isn't the time to EQ a whole bunch of inputs every time you start. Now I rely on the tuning of the PA system, plus the ease of recall that Venue and the plug-ins give me.'

Enthusiastic as Jon is about the Oxford EQ, it's not the only plug-in he's been using. He's also had a play with the Transient Modulator, a nifty tool that he's looking forward to using more.

'I started to get into that recently,' Says Jon. 'I've been using it on piano and I've found that it gives some real cleanness in the upper-mid. I can see that it's going to be a really useful plug-in, and I'm looking forward to finding out more about it when I use it on the tour. I think the real test will be when I get to try the plug-ins on a number of different systems, then I'll really be able hear what they are doing as far as transients and real response are concerned.'

Interview and editorial provided by Matthew Pigott Public Relations. +44 (0)7903 723898

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