Sony Introduces Oxford Version 3.0 Upgrade
December 5, 2001
Sony Electronics has unveiled the next generation Oxford OXF-R3
digital audio console.
"Many of the top engineers and producers in the world have come to appreciate the enormous power and flexibility of
the Oxford," said Paul Foschino, marketing manager at Sony Electronics' Broadcast and Professional Company. "Now, with
the upgrade to Version 3.0, we're offering significant new features that amplify the console's capabilities including the widening
of the main program bus from two to eight channels to streamline surround recording and mixing, while leaving the multi-track
busses available for other uses. Each channel now has automated joystick panning to the program bus as well as to the existing
multi-track busses."
A key 3.0 feature is a new monitor panel that supports convenient monitoring of stereo, LCRS, 5.1, and 7.1 formats. An
innovative "fold-down" capability allows users to execute quick down mixes from one program format to another, or to check
for compatibility.
Version 3.0 also features the addition of Super Send Groups that allow for flexible grouping into mono, stereo, LCRS,
5.1, and 7.1. Each group send can have its own independent fader and joystick to facilitate simultaneous 5.1, 7.1, LCRS, and
stereo mixes. The Super Send Groups supplement the existing 24 auxiliary sends on each channel.
Reinforcing the Oxford's flexibility and assignability, the board has a comprehensive internal digital patch bay that
allows input and output signals to be easily assigned to the processing channels as needed. On a session-by-session basis, this
routing can be called up instantaneously.
The Oxford also comes standard with features such as four types of 5-band EQ per channel; a comprehensive
dynamics section, including three types of compressors on every channel; 1.2 seconds of programmable delay per channel;
multi-stem recording and monitoring; and 48 multi-track busses.
"Virtually everything about an Oxford -- all routing and every setting for every channel -- gets recalled in a
quarter-of-a-second," Foschino added. "In a live television broadcast setting, for example, the entire setup for a guest band
could be recalled instantly with the engineers ready and waiting for the commercial break to end."
Sony works closely with every Oxford client to optimize (and customize) his or her individual console configurations.
The I/O racks that house the interface cards for these consoles allow each facility to load in their unique A/D, D/A and
AES/EBU requirements.
"You can configure an Oxford console across a very wide range of capabilities and sizes," commented Foschino. "A
post house may need only a few mic inputs with a dozen AES/EBU I/Os while a tracking facility may need a very large
number of mic inputs and AES/EBU I/Os to interface with all their outboard gear."
There are two control panel options. Smaller facilities seeking to keep the console size to a minimum could use the
smaller control surface, which offers 24 addressable channel faders and 17 master section faders, all in a compact package. The
larger configurations all feature 48 addressable channel faders in conjunction with the master section.
For more information, visit their web site at www.sony.com/professional. | 
