Product Summary
Oxford Drum Gate 2 is Sonnox’s second-generation intelligent drum processing plugin, built for engineers and producers who record and mix acoustic drum kits with multiple microphones. It combines AI-driven drum hit detection, phase alignment, dynamic transient control, and a brand-new adaptive decay algorithm into a single, tightly integrated plugin that replaces a handful of separate tools in your multitrack drum workflow.
At its core, Drum Gate 2 uses a significantly improved classification model to detect and distinguish between Kick, Snare, Toms, and Hi-Hats across a wide range of playing styles and recording environments. The detection engine has been refined to reduce false triggers and improve accuracy compared to its predecessor — a genuine step forward in reliability for busy sessions.
One of the biggest additions in version 2 is the Align tab, which handles time, polarity, and phase alignment for multi-mic drum recordings. Phase coherence issues between top and bottom snare mics, close mics, overheads, and room mics are a constant headache in drum mixing. Drum Gate 2 tackles this with an intelligent algorithm designed to enhance tone, punch, and clarity without introducing flamming artifacts that other alignment tools can cause. It automatically groups tracks by name, provides visual feedback, and includes stereo linking for overhead and room mics — all without needing a third-party alignment plugin.
The Adaptive Resonant Decay algorithm is another headline feature. Derived from Sonnox’s Claro resonance detection technology, it intelligently separates the resonant decay of each drum hit from surrounding spill while leaving transients untouched. You get independent control over Gain Reduction, Decay, High-Frequency Damping, and High and Low cutoffs for the resonant region. For users who preferred the behaviour of Drum Gate 1, Standard mode is still available as an alternative.
External sidechain support adds serious flexibility. You can trigger gating via Internal detection, an External audio sidechain, or MIDI Note On messages — with selectable channel and note. This is particularly useful when working with recordings that already have beat detection applied, drum trigger data, or when you need to sync gating across multiple mic channels.
The Hit Clip feature is a smart leveller clipper that helps drums cut through dense mixes without flattening expressive dynamics. Unlike static clippers, it dynamically calculates a ceiling for each hit based on its post-leveller peak level, treating soft hits and loud hits differently. Separate controls for Soft and Loud hit clipping amounts give you precise transient shaping, with automatic make-up gain maintaining perceived level.
Carried over from Drum Gate 1: MIDI export for detected hits, Learn/Remove functionality, and Split Threshold for dynamic levelling control.
⚠️ Note: A separate discounted upgrade path is available for existing Drum Gate 1 owners at a reduced price.
Key Features
Detection & Classification
- Improved AI classification model for accurate Kick, Snare, Tom, and Hi-Hat detection
- Enhanced transient detection with reduced false triggers
- New Hi-Hat, All Transients, and No Gating detection modes
Phase & Alignment
- New Align tab for time, polarity, and phase alignment of multi-mic drum recordings
- Automatic track grouping by name with stereo linking for overheads and room mics
- Minimises flamming artifacts common to general-purpose alignment tools
Processing & Decay
- Adaptive Resonant Decay algorithm with Claro-derived resonance detection
- Independent controls for Gain Reduction, Decay, HF Damping, and High/Low cutoffs
- Standard mode preserved for Drum Gate 1-style behaviour
Control & Workflow
- External sidechain via audio or MIDI (selectable channel and note)
- Hit Clip with per-hit dynamic ceiling calculation for Soft and Loud hits
- MIDI export for detected hits, Learn/Remove functionality
- Overhauled UI for faster workflow and clearer communication
System Compatibility
macOS
- macOS 11.0 or higher
- Intel i7 CPU or Apple Silicon M1 or higher
- 8GB RAM minimum
Windows
- Windows 10 or higher
- Intel i7 CPU
- 8GB RAM minimum
Activation: iLok USB key or iLok Cloud (free iLok account required)
⚠️ Oxford Drum Gate 2 Deal Ended
The 33% discount has expired.
Check the link below for current pricing or new offers.
❌ Offer expired on Mar 31
💡 Pricing Note: The prices shown here are based on Plugin Boutique’s listed rate at time of publishing. Your local currency and exact discount percentage may vary depending on your region — click through to see the price in your currency before purchasing.
