A Metal Producer’s Guide to the Best Sonnox Plugins

The debate over audio plugins is endless. Do you really need that shiny new compressor to make your mixes punch harder? The honest answer is… sometimes.

Let’s get this straight: your skills as a mixer matter more than your plugin folder. A killer producer can make a banging mix with stock plugins because they’ve mastered the fundamentals of EQ, compression, and balance. Getting suckered into “Plugin Acquisition Syndrome”—buying every tool you see a pro use, hoping for a magic bullet—is a fast track to an empty wallet and mixes that sound exactly the same as they did before.

That said, some tools are just built differently. They offer a workflow, a character, or a specific function that lets you get to a pro result faster and more intuitively.

That’s where Sonnox comes in. They aren’t known for flashy, skeuomorphic GUIs. They’re known for insanely high-quality, transparent, and precise tools that have been staples in pro studios for decades. They’re the kind of plugins you learn inside and out and then use on practically every mix for the rest of your career.

If you’re a metal producer looking to invest in tools that you won’t outgrow, here’s a rundown of the best Sonnox plugins and how to use them to get crushing results.

Sonnox Oxford Inflator: Instant Vibe and Apparent Loudness

If there’s one Sonnox plugin that feels like straight-up black magic, it’s the Inflator. It’s not a compressor, EQ, or limiter. It’s a unique process that increases the apparent loudness of a track while adding harmonic excitement and density, all without destroying your precious transients.

Why It Kicks Ass for Metal

In a genre defined by dense guitar walls and machine-gun double bass, making individual elements feel bigger without just cranking the fader is a constant battle. The Inflator is a cheat code for this.

• Drum Bus: This is a classic application. It adds a parallel-compression style punch and weight to the entire kit, making it feel more cohesive and powerful.
• Snare & Kick: Need more crack from your snare or more body from your kick? The Inflator can bring out the character and sustain without squashing the initial hit.
• DI Bass: It’s perfect for adding harmonic richness to a sterile DI bass track, helping it cut through on smaller speakers without getting muddy.
• Vocals: A touch of Inflator can help a screaming vocal slice through a wall of guitars, adding presence and aggression.

Actionable Tip

Slap the Inflator on your main drum bus. Start by setting the Curve to a negative value (try -20) to keep it from over-hyping the low-end mud. Push the Effect slider up until you feel the energy lift, then use the Mix knob to blend it in to taste. It can instantly make your drums sound more finished and powerful.

• Pros: Unique, incredibly effective sound. Can add loudness and excitement like nothing else.
• Cons: Very easy to overdo. The GUI is functional but definitely shows its age.

Sonnox Oxford Limiter: The Mix Bus Workhorse

Getting a metal mix loud enough for modern standards without turning it into a distorted mess is an art form. The Sonnox Oxford Limiter is one of the best tools for the job. It’s a transparent, true-peak limiter designed to be the final step on your mix bus or mastering chain.

Why It Kicks Ass for Metal

Its claim to fame is its transparency and its legendary “Enhance” function.

• Loudness Without Artifacts: You can push this limiter hard to achieve competitive volume, and it does an incredible job of preserving the punch and clarity of your mix. Your kick drum will still hit hard, and your cymbals won’t turn to harsh static.
• The Enhance Knob: This is the secret weapon. It’s not just a simple saturation knob. It adds perceived loudness and harmonic density before the signal hits the limiter, effectively making the mix feel bigger and more exciting before you even start limiting.

Actionable Tip

Put the Limiter on your main mix bus. Set your Output Ceiling to -0.3dB to prevent inter-sample peaks. Before touching the threshold, slowly bring up the Enhance slider. Listen to how it adds glue and density to your track—often, 25-50% is plenty. Then, pull down the Threshold until you’re getting 2-4dB of gain reduction on the loudest sections of your song. This is a foundational technique you’ll find in our deep dives on getting powerful, punchy masters.

• Pros: Incredibly transparent limiting. The Enhance feature is a game-changer.
• Cons: Can be CPU-heavy. The interface might take a minute to fully grasp compared to simpler limiters.

Sonnox Oxford SuprEsser: The Surgical Problem Solver

Metal mixes are a minefield of harsh frequencies. Sizzling cymbals, fizzy high-gain guitars, and piercing vocal sibilance can quickly make a mix fatiguing to listen to. The Oxford SuprEsser is an elite-level de-esser and dynamic EQ that surgically removes these problems without damaging the source tone.

Why It Kicks Ass for Metal

Unlike a static EQ cut that dulls the sound all the time, the SuprEsser only acts when a problem frequency crosses a set threshold.

• Taming Cymbal Hell: This is its killer app for metal. You can zero in on the exact piercing frequency of a crash cymbal (often around 6-10kHz) and duck it just on the loudest hits, preserving the air and sparkle on the softer parts.
• De-fizzing Guitars: Got that nasty, high-frequency “fizz” on your guitar bus that sounds like a swarm of angry bees? The SuprEsser can dynamically tame it without neutering the aggression and bite you worked so hard to dial in. You can learn more about this kind of surgical clean-up in our guide to taming problem frequencies.

Actionable Tip

Place the SuprEsser on your overheads track or your main drum bus. Engage the “Listen” function to sweep around and find the most obnoxious cymbal frequency. Set a narrow band around it, and then adjust the threshold so the gain reduction meter only kicks in on the loudest cymbal hits. The result is instant control and a much smoother-sounding top end.

• Pros: Unbelievably precise and transparent. The graphical display makes it easy to see exactly what you’re doing.
• Cons: Can be overkill for simple de-essing tasks.

So, Do You Need All These Plugins?

Here’s the reality check. These are pro-grade tools that can absolutely elevate your mixes. But they are not magic bullets.

The best producers in the world—many of whom are **Nail The Mix instructors**—could get a killer result with the DAW’s stock compressor and EQ. Why? Because they’ve spent thousands of hours training their ears. They know what a great snare sounds like, and they know how to use their tools to get there.

The Oxford Limiter is incredible, but it won’t save a mix with a muddy low-end and no dynamic range. The Inflator can add punch, but it won’t fix a poorly recorded drum kit. The goal isn’t to collect plugins; it’s to master your craft.

Learn From The Pros Who Actually Use Them

Owning the same tools as your favorite producer is one thing. Watching them use those tools in a real session, explaining every decision they make, is how you truly learn.

Seeing how someone like Jens Bogren or Will Putney sets the attack on a compressor for a blast beat, or how much “Enhance” they use on an Oxford Limiter for a specific subgenre, is the kind of detail you simply can’t get from a manual.

That’s exactly what Nail The Mix is for. You get the raw, professionally recorded multitracks from massive bands like Gojira, Lamb of God, and Periphery and watch the original producer mix the song from scratch. You see every plugin, every setting, every fader move.

If you’re ready to stop chasing plugins and start mastering the skills that truly matter, check out our massive catalog of past mixing sessions and see for yourself how the best in the business get it done.