[BC] Achieving good S/N

[Steve]

Hi Bob:
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Orban" <rorban at earthlink.net>
To: <broadcast at radiolists.net>
Sent: Monday, December 26, 2005 4:18 PM
Subject: Re: [BC] Achieving good S/N

> Yep...it had first rate audio.

> The Conax was a clever device for its time (it was essentially a dual-band
> processor with a clipper in the HF band only),  but current processor
> technology could do far better in terms of HF clarity while still
retaining
> as much dynamic range as the broadcaster desired.
> the Conax would have a lot of problems with the HF content on
> today's CDs. As program material gets brighter, one can no longer rely on
> clipping alone to control HF energy.

Oh, yes, I would have to agree with you on the Conax vs. the high end
processing we need today for CD's. Absolutely. Entirely different kind of
energy. Now, advancing in time when I was PD at KDFC (when it was owned by
Ed) in 1980, we had the Optimod and the station sounded great. I remember
(boy was I brave) during our Sunday night program "Direct-To-Disc" setting
the Optimod in bypass mode. I held my breath when I played the D to D
version (Telarc, I believe) of  The 1812 Festival Overture with REAL
cannons. I'm surprised I didn't launch the transmitter into outer space! I
was sweating while riding gain as skillfully as possible. Saw a few flashes
from the Mod Monitor but we made it through without blowing the rig. :)

> I'm quite familiar with  the Conax; we had one on WPRB when I was active
> there while in college. It  replaced a Gates pre-emphasized clipper (I
forget what
> its actual marketing  name was) that splattered on every "ess." The Gates
only lasted a week
> on-air before I sent it back.

It wasn't the "Level Devil" was it? Talk about pounding the audio within an
inch of its life! And the pumping! Gates sold a quite a few of those if
memory serves me.

Steve





>
>
> Originally, we used no audio processing at all on that station. The mod
> monitor's peak flasher was extended into the control room, and the
operator
> was expected to ride gain appropriately. The flasher was relay-driven, and
> the give-away was hearing live mic in the control room with the relay
> clacking away in the background! Eventually, I designed and built a simple
> audio processor using optical attenuators (like the LA-2). The Conax was
> used for pre-emphasis control.
>
> However,  When I was designing the 8100, I was
> originally hoping to be able to use distortion-canceled clipping with no
> program-adaptive-filter-type HF limiting in the 8100 design, but I found
> enough material even back then that made the "clipping-only" solution
sound
> too distorted.
>
> Bob Orban
>
>
>
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