Oxygen

Name: Oxygen
Price: 79 USD
Author: Black Salt Audio

by Black Salt Audio · EQ · High-end enhancer

Not rated yet

Oxygen boosts and shapes the top end with Bite, Presence and Air targets, plus Punch and Smooth compression, tape saturation and high-only stereo width.

It aims to add air without harshness and costs $129.

Best for: Vocals, Guitars, Drums, Mix Bus. Genres: all genres.

Keywords: enhancement, vocals, airy, bright, cymbals, drums, bus processing, electric guitar, mix bus, tape, wide, snare, acoustic guitar, aggressive, CPU-light, full mix, mastering, built-in mix knob, mixing, multi-band, parallel processing, perpetual licence, punchy, smooth, strings, static, subscription, transparent, warm.

What it does

Oxygen is a high-end enhancer built to "add air, not fatigue". Instead of a plain EQ boost, it combines a high-band boost with compression and saturation, so vocals, guitars, drums and cymbals get brighter without turning harsh.

Three targets: Bite, Presence and Air, chosen with a smooth crossover filter that has three fixed cutoff points.
Compression modes: Punch for a more aggressive sound and Smooth for a more transparent one, both acting on the boosted highs.
Saturation: a tape saturation circuit that adds harmonics and warmth to the top end.
Width: boosts the side signal in the highs only; available in the stereo version.
Oxygen knob: the master control, working as a wet/dry mix so the effect is applied in parallel.
Presets: a preset selector with producer presets.

A perpetual license includes free updates and support, and a 14-day free trial is available. It is also included in Black Salt Audio's Artist Pass subscription, which covers all 18 of the developer's plugins. The product page gives no version number.

Source: Black Salt Audio product page

When to use it

Oxygen boosts the top end and then controls the boost with compression and saturation in the same plugin. The usual rated choices for adding air, a Pultec-style EQ such as the UA Pultec Passive EQ Collection or PuigTec EQs, and oeksound bloom for gentler tonal balance, shape the top end with EQ curves instead. That suits Oxygen to sources that get harsh or spiky when you simply turn up a high shelf, such as bright vocals and cymbals. It offers only three bands and no free frequency choice, so it is a quick enhancer rather than a precise EQ. Slate Fresh Air is a one-knob alternative with fewer controls than Oxygen.

Best for: bright, airy vocals, snare, acoustic guitars, strings and cymbals without harshness; Audio Sorcerer also suggests the mix bus and mastering.
Genres: any style, especially pop and modern rock.
Look elsewhere if: you need low-end or midrange shaping or exact frequency control; FabFilter Pro-Q 4 or a Pultec-style EQ covers that.

What producers say

Reviewers and forum users like how quickly it opens up a sound, with one warning not to overdo it.

Audio Sorcerer found it "does what it says it will do" and said it gives the highs "just the right push" on vocals and snare.
VI-Control thread users praised the "defined mids and high" and added sparkle on drums, guitars and vocals, and noted very low CPU use, so many instances are practical.
Criticisms: one forum user compared it to an Aphex Aural Exciter and warned "Use it with care", since too much becomes fatiguing.

Where to buy

Plugin Boutique: $79
Black Salt Audio: $129

Tutorials and reviews

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