Maintaining Audio Quality in the Broadcast Facility 2011 - Orban

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in the Broadcast/Netcast Facility 19 Any library recorded for general-purpose applications should use at least 44.1 kHz sample rate so that it is compatible with digital radio systems having 20 kHz bandwidth. If the library will only be used on FM and AM, 32 kHz is adequate and will save considerable storage. However, given the rise of digital radio and netcasting, we cannot recommend that any forward-looking station use 32 kHz for storage. Because CD audio is 44.1 kHz, sample rate conversion is unnecessary. This eliminates a process that can potentially degrade the audio quality. At this writing, the cost of hard disks is declining so rapidly that there is progressively less argument for storing programming using lossy compression. Of course, either no compression or lossless compression will achieve the highest quality. (There is no quality difference between these.) Conversely, cascading stages of lossy compression can cause noise and distortion to become unmasked. Multiband audio processing can also cause noise and distortion to become unmasked, because multiband processing “automatically re-equalizes” the program material so that the frequency balance is not the same as the frequency balance seen by the psychoacoustic model in the encoder. Storing audio in linear PCM format makes the audio easier to edit and copy without quality loss. Sony’s MiniDisk format is a technology that combines data compression (Sony A- TRAC) and random-access disk storage. While not offering the same level of audio quality as CD-R or CD-RW, these disks are useful for field acquisition or other applications where open-reel or cassette tape had been previously used. They offer notably higher quality than the analog media they replace, along with random access and convenient editing. However, recorders using flash RAM have effectively obsoleted them. Many facilities are receiving source material that has been previously processed through a lossy data reduction algorithm, whether from satellite, over landlines, or over the Internet. Sometimes, several encode/decode cycles will be cascaded before the material is finally broadcast. As stated above, all such algorithms operate by increasing the quantization noise in discrete frequency bands. If not psychoacoustically masked by the program material, this noise may be perceived as distortion, “gurgling,” or other interference. Cascading several stages of such processing can raise the added quantization noise above the threshold of masking, such that it is heard. In addition, at least one other mechanism can cause the noise to become audible at the receiver. The multiband limiter in a broadcast station’s transmission processor performs an “automatic equalization” function that can radically change the frequency balance of the program. This can cause noise that would otherwise have been masked to become unmasked because the psychoacoustic masking conditions under which the masking thresholds were originally computed have changed. Accordingly, if you use lossy data reduction in the studio, you should use the highest data rate possible along with a codec designed for contribution, like MPEG1 Layer2 at 384 kb/sec or Dolby E. This maximizes the headroom between the added noise and the threshold where it will be heard. In addition, you should minimize the number of encode and decode cycles, because each cycle moves the added noise
20 Maintaining Audio Quality closer to the threshold where the added noise is heard. This is particularly critical if the transmission medium itself (such as DAR, satellite broadcasting, or netcasting) uses lossy compression. Pitfalls When Using Dolby AC3 as a Contribution Codec Although the Dolby AC3 codec was designed as a transmission codec, some facilities use it as a contribution codec. (Dolby recommends Dolby E as a contribution codec and depreciates the use of AC3 for this task.) In addition to the obvious issue of “cascaded codecs,” AC3 has a tricky potential pitfall when used as a contribution codec. AC3 metadata (“data about the data” transmitted as part of the AC3 bitstream) includes “dynamic range control” words. Dolby’s intent was to create dynamics compression that is entirely under the listener’s control. In essence, the AC3 encoder applies its input signal to a wideband compressor and transmits the compressor’s gain control signal along with the uncompressed audio that was applied to the input of the compressor. This way, the listeners can enjoy the full dynamic range of the original signal or can apply compression if they prefer a smaller dynamic range. To prevent audible wideband gain pumping, the amount of dynamic range compression available from AC3 was purposely limited. Many consumers prefer audio dynamic range to be controlled more tightly so they can enjoy television programs at low volumes and/or in noisy environments. Producing more dynamic range compression without objectionable side effects requires use of multiband compressors like that found in Optimods designed for digital television, such as Optimod- Surround 8685. When AC3 is used as a contribution codec, it is possible to configure the Dolby AC3 decoder incorrectly so that it applies unwanted and unexpected wideband compression to its output. If your facility is using AC3 as a contribution codec, it is important to double-check the configuration of the decoder to make sure that dynamic range control is not applied to the decoder’s output. It is safest to choose a DRC profile of “None” at the AC3 encoder. This ensures that dynamic compression cannot be accidentally applied to the signal in the decoder. Part 2: System Considerations Wiring and Grounding Analog Interconnection For analog connections, we recommend balanced connections between devices using XLR-type connectors for termination because of their robustness. Use twoconductor foil-shielded cable (such as Belden 8451, 1503A, 1504A, 1508A, or equivalent), because signal current flows through the two conductors only. The shield does
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Maintaining Audio Quality in the Broadcast Facility 2011 - Orban

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