Optimod-AM 9400 V1.2 Operating Manual - Orban
Optimod-AM 9400 V1.2 Operating Manual - Orban
Optimod-AM 9400 V1.2 Operating Manual - Orban
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3-8<br />
OPERATION ORBAN MODEL <strong>9400</strong><br />
In LW and MW, the audio processor set-up controls are usually used to match the<br />
processor’s ”sound” to a certain type of music or talk programming. HF is different.<br />
In HF, the audio processor is usually adjusted to provide a sound at the receiver that<br />
is as esthetically satisfying as possible, given the probable signal quality at the receiver.<br />
The broadcasting organization usually does not have the luxury of making<br />
fine adjustments to match different types of program material because such fine adjustments<br />
will almost certainly be masked by the variability of the propagation and<br />
interference experienced by the listener. This fact considerably simplifies the adjustment<br />
procedure.<br />
We have tuned the <strong>9400</strong>’s “HF” presets with these compromises in mind. There is a<br />
general-purpose preset and a preset tuned to optimize voice intelligibility. We believe<br />
that further subtleties are inappropriate for the medium.<br />
Working Together<br />
Best results will be achieved if Engineering, Programming, and Management go out<br />
of their way to communicate and cooperate with each other. It is important that<br />
Engineering understands well the sound that Programming desires, and that Management<br />
fully understands the trade-offs involved in optimizing certain parameters<br />
(such as loudness and coverage) at the cost of others (such as brightness or distortion).<br />
Processing for Low Bitrate Codecs and HD Radio<br />
The most common bit rate in the iBiquity HD Radio <strong>AM</strong> system is 36 kbps, while the<br />
bit rate in the Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) system varies according to transmission<br />
mode but is also low. HD <strong>AM</strong> uses the HDC codec, while DRM uses the aacPlus<br />
(MPEG HE-AAC) codec. Both codecs employ Coding Technology’s Spectral Band Replication<br />
technology. Codecs with SBR transmit only lower frequencies (for example,<br />
below 8 kHz) via the codec. The decoder at the receiver creates higher frequencies<br />
from the lower frequencies by a process similar to that used by “psychoacoustic exciters.”<br />
36 kbps is a very low bit rate to achieve entertainment-quality stereo audio, even<br />
with an advanced codec like HDC. To maximize audio quality, the <strong>9400</strong> uses lookahead<br />
limiting for the final peak limiting of the digital processing chain. Unlike clipping,<br />
look-ahead limiting does not add significant spectral contamination to the audio.<br />
It is therefore much more appropriate than clipping for protecting chains that<br />
include lossy codecs because clipping would otherwise force the codec to waste bits<br />
by trying to encode clipping products.<br />
The appropriate equalization and multiband compression for analog <strong>AM</strong> are very<br />
different from those appropriate for HD <strong>AM</strong> or similar channels using lossy codecs.<br />
The equalizer in the analog <strong>AM</strong> processing chain is usually set to pre-process for the<br />
limitations of conventional <strong>AM</strong> radios, while the five-band compressor is generally<br />
operated with medium or faster release times to increase program density, maximizing<br />
loudness and coverage. By contrast, the HD <strong>AM</strong> channel uses no pre-emphasis,<br />
has no limitations on low frequency response, and has high frequency response to<br />
15 kHz. However, the codec does not respond well to very dense material.