From what I've been able to hear the 223 sounds fantastic.
Have you thought of processing in software, it can be convenient if you're just using a computer as your studio for playlists and IDs. One I like is Sonos Limit, and it's free, just add to any Windows computer.
Some software can take audio from your mixer to the line-in on the audio card, process it in the comptuer, then send the processed through the line-out to the transmitter. What you'd use would depend on the situation and whether you have a live studio or not.
I like Sonos Limit, and this video talks about it, and includes links to Sonos and Vwestlife's presets, which I find to be quite good:
It's a wideband processor and it's not going to hard limit your audio and still sound good, but it will control it to an even level and will help with things like uncontrolled sibilences clipping in the transmitter, giving a smoother sound.
With Vwestlife's Radio.FMT preset, differences in levels song to song are reduced, but without ruining the dynamics or distorting.
My experience with computers is that they require rebooting at inopportune times. I am already using more computers for this project than I want. I like hardware/appliances when I can use them....besides the blinky lights entertain me!!!
I should also note that RadioDJ has a built in compression/AGC mode. It works, but not as well as I think it should.
External computer driven software might be a good temporary solution, although my DBX 266XL is definately helping! I will offer more details in upcoming posts.
I cabled up the transmitter side to the DBX-266XL late yesterday and I am still fine tuning today. It definately helped. I heard a track that I know needs some enhancing, and it brought the sound level up... I also see it backing things down.
The Xmit side sounds better, though I didn't gain any terrestrial coverage, I didn't lose any from lack of audio drive to the transmitter.
Further, I am not getting distortion from overdriving the transmitter which was a problem with some tracks.
Still tweaking a bit.. and would love a Inovonics to complete the package..
Vwestlife's video is great for showing how the Limit software works, but not as good for our real time use in broadcasting.
I've made quick portable systems with just a laptop fed to the transmitter. On the laptop a player like Zara is feeding through Virtual Audio Cable to Sonos Limit, out to the headphone jack, so it's all self contained.
I agree, if you have a studio and want to pass its audio through processing to a transmitter, might as well use a hardware box if you like the sound of what you have, and it will probably save power, space, etc.
I've done pass through, using a computer as a processor, and that's useful if you want higher end sound without paying much. Personally I've found that the AGC/compressors in most DJ software aren't broadcast quality, where Limit is made for broadcasting.
I don't know about RadioDJ, but I've tried Zara's AGC, SAM's (not sure which version), OTS DJ and others that all seem to be heavy handed on the sound, hearing the gain changing, hiss rising and things like that. That might be good if you want a classic radio sound, but I was looking for something cleaner on my wide rangeing format.
Turning the AGC off in the player and piping the player into Limit I was able to get what I wanted, and adjust the processing level, gate and limiting.
You can turn on pre-emphasis, which is used in broadcasting, along with an HF limiter and clipper, which keeps the amount of treble boost controlled. AM-FM broadcasting uses 75us emphasis as standard in the US.
Limit also has a low pass filter to cut off high frequencies, and it's one thing I don't like, AM Wide setting cuts off too much for my radios, I think because it's for European 9 khz station spacing, as I believe the author, John Burnill, is from Italy. I keep the low pass on FM setting instead.
AM actually doesn't use 75us emphasis, they use a similar curve of NRSC-R10.
Bring back 15 kilohertz!
I might not have seen the latest revision, have to check that out. I should know these things, I'm steeped in AM culture and tech, but part fifteen is my undoing because I can stretch out and don't have to worry about 'masks' and all of that.
I remember well when NRSC's original curve was published in Radio World, the 75 us boost right up to near 10 khz and then dropped off. It was good in theory but hard to achieve and the peak would cause transmitter audio circuits to ring, even solid state transmitters.
There were steely sounding voices that I thought were caused by the 10 khz peak. I even thought that helped on narrower receivers in a twisted way, because the ringing would help the sibilences last longer, but it sounded artificial and annoying on wideband radios after a while. The circuits in the recievers might have been adding to the ringing too, like in the IF.
Later they modified it with a little flat tail where the peak used to be, it rounds the peak off, and to compensate for the tail at the receiver, the de-emphasis network was slightly changed. That might be spec, but most radios are poorer. AMAX radios are probably done to spec, and better AM stereo tuners try.
I have been testing with c-quam, and with the Orban 9100b/2 optimod, i am able to test full nrsc spec, as well as the full 12.5 khz bandwidth too, and using the proper nrsc blue eq pre emphasis on both.
My receiver is a Carver tx-11a, with the 10k notch filter bypassed, as has the proper nrsc de-emphasis.
As the tuner has switchable in/out for the de emphasis, i am able to sweep the tx flat, and receive flat response, with the tuners de-emp out, and in this mode it tests flat to 15khz.
Firstly removal of the tuners 10k notch does get rid of the filters annoying ringing, and makes the hf response more pleasant to listen to.
As the nrsc de-emphasis is a shelving type, the top end above 10k has less attenuation than a fixed 75us de-emphasis, so does sound more open, so the processor does not have to deal with more high end boost, and clipping, that fm processing has to.
Also as the processing is done in sum and difference, rather than left/right, i has a more fuller effect, and increasing the positive peaks above 100% does add a sense of brightness and detail, but overdone can cause harshness.
Paul.
Added about 25 more songs onto the already huge playlist and found an obscure recording of Bobby Vee with the Shadows from 1959(Cliff Richard's band from England).
Have a good selection of Chickenman episodes now.
Have so many songs that the same song won't be heard till days later even when listening all the time.
Mark
I don't think the Shadows group that Bobby Vee recorded with and that you reference was the British Shadows, who backed Cliff Richard. Vee got his start, filling in for Buddy Holly just after he perished in that plane crash, and HIS Shadows came from his High School (and included his older brother Bill).
Vee did record with a number of high profile instrumental bands, including the Crickets, and the Ventures - one of my favorite songs of his was from the album Bobby Vee Meets the Ventures - What Else Is New (With You), which wasn't a hit.
I dug out my 13.560 MHz oscillator chip and fired it up. Putting an audio transformer in series with the power lead, I'm able to amplitude modulate the carrier and it sounds OK.
With just a 3 foot piece of wire attached to the output pin, I can hear the signal on a portable about 300 feet.
Someday I'll cook up a buffer amp/output stage to clean it up although the 2nd harmonic barely shows up on the receiver next to it.
That's what I did today. One of many unfinished projects...
Hi guys! Doug here. What can I do with no transmitter? Plenty!
Well, if you're wondering, yeah, the 3000 is half-built. I ran into a snag. I put the thing away until I figure a sure-fire fix. I still haven't replaced all the tools I used to have before the foreclosure...so....
I bought a Spitfire on eBay. It'll be here in a few days. I need a back-up anyway. So I will let you know how it works out. Range right now is not important. Clean, buzz-free audio IS. And that brings up my next problem. The Dell Inspiron 1500 laptop I'm using for music playback and stuff. I call it my "noise box".
I need to hit the pawn shop and find a small Windows 7 laptop, tablet-whatever...Something that plays Zara Radio. Music right now is not as much of a problem as spoken word. It's a hum/buzz with a motor running sound. It's the sound card. No biggie. Just more $$$ to spend!
I got lucky. I recovered my entire CD collection! When I worked at Oldies 95, they dumped their entire CD library in the dumpster! The TM Century Gold Disc 3 series! By contract, when they went all digital, they had to trash the CDs. So, I dug 'em outta the dumpster! Lucky break!
Then I went to work for Renda Broadcasting. They did the same thing! The entire Country and Groovin' Oldies, 70's and 80's music! An Alternative Rock library as well called The Album Network (some 60 Cds). That's 90's stuff. I also started a collection of Smooth Jazz (saxophone) such as Michael Lington, Mindi Abair, etc...
So music I have. The Stanton C-501 Twin CD Player is a workhorse that handles that task. Google Image that. It's a rack mount unit. It plays mp3s, where the C-502 does not. All my Old Time Radio is on mp3 CDs. Stanton is a company I have experience with in professional radio. Phono cartridges (681EEE and the 500 series), plus the turntables (STR8-100s) I had.
Lately, I have been to YouTube, finding stuff. Art Bell's Coast To Coast is there! 2-hour shows! A BUNCH of 'em! Hell to the YEAH! Thing is, I gotta replace the Dell "Noise Maker". None of those type of shows will work with the freakin' noise...
My friend Mitch Mitchell does an incredible Wolfman Jack impression. Years ago, he did "The Wolf Show". A production so good, so tight, it blows away the REAL Wolfman Jack! I have several hours of that, with 50s and 60s oldies.
I also have several hours of The Greaseman. If you know who he is, no further explanation is necessary! I have stuff from WWDC, WAPE, Z-93 in Atlanta, plus two CDs of Lost Bits. Plenty there. Ol' Grease is not G-Rated, though. But, he is entertaining as hell!
I also have an almost endless collection of Grateful Dead concerts. So...you see, my friends, there is no shortage of program material.
As far as processing, it's the Mackie 1402 into the Orban 424A. I know why they call that thing the "Studio Optimod"! LOL!
But one thing is, the 424A is a stereo/2 channel unit. It is unstrappable. In other words, the 2 channels can be switched to be independant of each other. In the STEREO mode, they track together. I've always used it that way. But we are AM. What could one do with two separate, independant channels?
Feed audio into channel one, slow, easy compression into channel 2 hard limiting. Or some variation to that effect. Stay tooned. Never messed with it like that before. I'm sure there are other applications as well. If you like the 424A, I see them on eBay a lot for $400 to $600 Buy It Now. You might do better if you follow it...
My biggest need is the transmitter. When the Spitfire arrives, I'll letcha know!
Doug
Thanks for the correction, thought Shadows and the British band was the first thing that came to mind.
Mark
I also added ChickenMan to my collection of OTR. I found it at archive.org. I run it daily at around 5 p.m. and have gotten a good response to it.
I am able to run it automated in RadioDJ by setting the priority level on each track and allowing it to play 1 or 2 times before the current track is disabled and move to the next track. Took a few minutes to set up, but it works in order..
Otherwise, I went in this morning and updated programming for the next week. I cut a few updates for some show intros. I will do some more tomorrow.
I'd recommend a Desktop, they seem to not hum so much.