Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Oxford Drum Gate 2 v1.02 makes drum phase alignment faster and more transparent than before. This video shows what the updated Align tab adds and puts it to work on a real kit.
If you already use Oxford Drum Gate 2 for gating, ML-based drum detection, or the phase and polarity tools, v1.02 is the update that makes the Align tab genuinely usable under session pressure. Sonnox have rebuilt the workflow around a setup wizard that explains what the plugin is listening for and what changes it made, so the process no longer requires you to trust a black box. Missing audio is flagged before analysis runs, and full undo and redo are now available on the Align tab.
Beyond the workflow improvements, v1.02 adds drag-and-drop track organisation so you can group kick, snare, toms, cymbals, overheads, and rooms exactly as your kit is set up. The Time Anchor and Phase Reference are now fully configurable. Previously the kick was fixed as the Time Anchor; now any mic can take that role. The Phase Reference works the same way, with overheads as the recommended default for most kits. You also get deeper per-track feedback: click any track to see the exact time offset, polarity flip, and phase rotation by frequency band that Drum Gate 2 applied, with bands centred on kick, tom, and snare fundamentals in the low end and wider bands higher up to address comb filtering on overheads.
In this video we hit the Align button and show what the rebuilt functionality looks and sounds like across a full multi-mic drum session.
Gear / products mentioned:
▶ Sonnox Oxford Drum Gate 2 - sonnox.com/products/oxford-drum-gate-2
Related videos / further reading:
▶ [Related video] - production-expert.com/production-expert-1/sonnox-oxford-drum-gate-2-we-test-the-updated-align-tab
Subscribe for weekly plugin reviews, drum mixing tutorials, and practical studio workflow videos.
#OxfordDrumGate2 #SonnoxPlugins #DrumMixing #PhaseAlignment
Oxford Drum Gate 2 v1.02 makes drum phase alignment faster and more transparent than before. This video shows what the updated Align tab adds and puts it to work on a real kit.
If you already use Oxford Drum Gate 2 for gating, ML-based drum detection, or the phase and polarity tools, v1.02 is the update that makes the Align tab genuinely usable under session pressure. Sonnox have rebuilt the workflow around a setup wizard that explains what the plugin is listening for and what changes it made, so the process no longer requires you to trust a black box. Missing audio is flagged before analysis runs, and full undo and redo are now available on the Align tab.
Beyond the workflow improvements, v1.02 adds drag-and-drop track organisation so you can group kick, snare, toms, cymbals, overheads, and rooms exactly as your kit is set up. The Time Anchor and Phase Reference are now fully configurable. Previously the kick was fixed as the Time Anchor; now any mic can take that role. The Phase Reference works the same way, with overheads as the recommended default for most kits. You also get deeper per-track feedback: click any track to see the exact time offset, polarity flip, and phase rotation by frequency band that Drum Gate 2 applied, with bands centred on kick, tom, and snare fundamentals in the low end and wider bands higher up to address comb filtering on overheads.
In this video we hit the Align button and show what the rebuilt functionality looks and sounds like across a full multi-mic drum session.
Gear / products mentioned:
▶ Sonnox Oxford Drum Gate 2 - sonnox.com/products/oxford-drum-gate-2
Related videos / further reading:
▶ [Related video] - production-expert.com/production-expert-1/sonnox-oxford-drum-gate-2-we-test-the-updated-align-tab
Subscribe for weekly plugin reviews, drum mixing tutorials, and practical studio workflow videos.
#OxfordDrumGate2 #SonnoxPlugins #DrumMixing #PhaseAlignment
