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Just wanted to throw my 2 cents in here. I’ve been using Live in our home theater setup (2-channel) for about 6 months now. I cannot put into words how much it has improved everyday viewing. It processes everything that we see (cable, DVR, and Blu-Ray), and you really cannot appreciate the difference it makes until you press ‘Bypass’. Even my wife, who could care less about the technical side (although, she is slowly becoming an audiophile and doesn’t even know it), refuses to watch TV without "the thing turned on".
I use Zenith at a higher power setting, but with a lower range setting (20, I think). This prevents unnatural changes in volume.
But let me tell you what the best part is…. COMMERCIALS DON’T BLARE!!! Leif, I’m fairly certain that you could make a killing in this arena if that powerful core could be put into a small box (like the size of an clock radio). That would make the processor accessible to just about anyone! But I know that there are more variables at work here not necessarily visible to the naked eye.
Adam
I would say that the lack of responses to your question is due to the fact that there is a wealth of information within the forums dedicated to setting Breakaway up to work with SAM. Do a search for ‘SAM’ and see what pops up. You’ll find what you need there.
Also, your question is pretty open-ended. Are you trying to use LiveLink, or do you want to send SAM’s final output to Breakaway?
[quote author=”JesseG”]If that 7 seconds of slight advantage (in some ways yea, in some ways not) for sounding "better" because of that phenomenon… can be thrown by the way-side… like I know it can be… then given the right programming, and you can OWN any market for TSL.[/quote]
I’d like to second this notion.
PPM is rolling out in the top 50 markets here in the US, and Arbitron has made it clear that this new way of getting listener data is going to be won by stations who are programming for TSL. Loud, maniacal processing works for the 13 year old girl who changes the station every ten seconds, but for the affluent 30-somethings ("working, playing, spending"…stupid sales signs) who actually keep the station tuned in for more than 1/3rd of a song, the processing is going to have to be tolerable. And Zenith with a kick of final drive does this perfectly on nearly every format (I wouldn’t put it on a rock station, but you get my point). AC, Hot AC, Lite, Smooth Jazz, Easy Listening…you know, all the money formats…sound fantastic under Zenith. It’s the most transparent preset I’ve ever heard.
Remember, loudness is all relative. Just because a station jumps out of the dial does not mean that it’s any "louder". It’s just modulating at a higher level. That’s why stereos have volume controls…so you can turn the rock station down, if you want, and crank the soft AC station all the way up. Now who is louder?
Adam
I know that online stations are not your only audience, but for those stations that are running your show….
PLEASE don’t process your show and send it out…this is not your job – it is the radio station’s job. Any station worth their salt that is running your show will have decent processing, and anything you do to clip the signal beforehand will make it unlistenable.
I once ran a syndicated show on my station…it was a really good show, too. But they pre-processed the whole thing (music included) so I stopped airing it. Breakaway is not a mastering tool. If you need to do that, use a plug-in…there are plenty of those to choose from. And…they work in batch mode, so it will take mere seconds to do it. I recommend the db-audioware Mastering Limiter -$39.
Adam
Jesse,
Just curious…do you live in Tampa or did you at one time? I know RadioIO has an office just down the street from me (I live in Tampa). I was wondering if their streams originate out of there.
As a side note, what is with IO’s crossfading? It sounds like complete $hit…as the song fades, it is cut off and then there is dead air for a couple seconds while the next song fires (which is also frequently cut off). I haven’t listened in a few months, but last I heard, this was still going on.
Adam
As requested:
Preset: Rizzzz-ock
Range: 82
Power: 36
Speed: 70
Bass Cut: -5
Drive: +.5 dB
Shape: NormalIt has also been suggested that I am too close to the project and, thus, overly critical. Is this all in my head?
Adam
Hey Leif,
I just talked to our engineer this morning (same one referenced above), and he is going to take me out to the Tx site next week so I can record directly out of the back of the unit. He did warn me that it may sound different than what I’m used to hearing on-air, but it should still convey a similar feeling.
So, let’s put this on hold until I have something tangible to give you (rather than speculation!).
BTW, what settings are you using in Plutonium? My settings may be the ones to blame.
Adam
Hi Leif,
I would say that classic rock sounds better in CGsmooth. It retains the original EQ of the recording (which prevents it from sounding fake) and handles the dynamics of the older recordings much more gracefully than the Rock preset.
Since the Rock preset is an offshoot of Plutonium, it was obviously written to deal with the fat, pegged wave forms that come out of the studio nowadays. And it does great with that. I have just noticed splashy-ness with some specific songs where there are China cymbals (a lot of modern rock songs use these), and I am certain that a faster attack would be the cure.
I recently had a sit-down with our head engineer who configures all the processors within our company in the southeast (close to 60 stations), and his biggest recommendation to me for processing rock is fast attack, moderate release, and minimal brightness. And more cowbell.
I am going to try to get an MPX recording of some processing and send it to you.
Adam
Leif removed it from BA Live because of some pretty good research by some individuals on this board (myself included). But before I make myself look like a genius, it was really just by accident that we discovered it…
The backend on Live does not have the ability to handle the intense power created by the New York preset, so it ended up creating a very muddy sound with plenty of reasons for listeners to tune out. We figured out that BBP is the only processor with the ability to control the final stage of the monster created in the multiband stages, so it was taken out of Live.
The thing you must remember when comparing both versions (and this is the thing I had the hardest time with) is that Live is NOT designed to be the loudest processor on the block, but BBP is. So if being the absolute loudest station on the ghetto blaster is your forte, than you should use BBP. But if you’re looking for the cleanest, most controlled sound on the web (or HD2, or DAB, or whatever), Live is just for you. It won’t be the loudest, but then again, you’re not trying to blow everyone in your market out, so who cares?
I’ve been using Live for almost 3 months with some settings that Leif and I came up with for alternative rock, and the sound is phenomenal!
Adam
Well, we use T1 to feed the transmitter from the studio, but ‘STL’ is a common generic term used to explain the technology that moves audio out to the transmitter.
And, unless you’re mounting your stuff at the top of a skyscraper, I can’t imagine seeing 1500 foot tall concrete towers in more than a few places. They’re not practical. Or maybe we just haven’t stumbled across that technology here in the US 😉.
Adam
[quote author=”luke-san”]Btw I don’t want 400 meters of coax going to antenna’s with about 20KW going thru it not even talking about the loss.
I don’t know in which part of the world this is being done?[/quote]I just read this and chuckled.
First of all, I have never ever in my life heard of a processor being mounted on a tower. The logic behind doing something like that doesn’t even begin to line up. What engineer do you know that is going to climb a tower to change out a cable or a dead box? AND the processor comes before the transmitter in the airchain, so are you telling me that the audio comes in from the STL, is fed up a tower to the processor, and then back down to the transmitter, and then back up the tower to the antenna?
Also, I don’t know if you have ever seen the kind of cabling that feeds the antenna from the transmitter, but it’s not coax that you find at RadioShack. It’s 6-inch thick, copper-lined, high voltage cabling. And it is designed to carry audio up a 1500′ tall tower without crapping out.
Just sayin’.
Adam
Sorry for the delay in replying.
Jesse, the preset sounds good but where is the AGC? It sounds like the dynamics are retained more than normal for audio processing. Don’t get me wrong though, it sounds great!
By the way, I’ve recently been doing some airshifts with the new processing, and Breakaway does a great job of keeping the jock on top of the music. The key, however, is making sure that the jock mic is somewhat compressed going into Breakaway (especially in modern music formats where the music is pegged), otherwise the music will overpower the jock even when it’s potted down a few dB. I’ve noticed this with every processor I’ve ever used, though 😉
Adam
Hi Leif,
Thanks for the detailed reply! And also, thanks for the compliment. I am pretty happy with the overall sound, but being a tweaker always makes me listen for things that could be improved.
Regarding the updated Foo Fighters cut, I can still hear the attack working a little slow, but turning up the speed could fix that. Is there a way to make the attack work as quick at 50 as it does at 70? This format is so unlike any other format in that there is such variation in the content — half of it is over the top and pegged to 0dB while the other half is relaxed and restrained. I’ve run just about every genre of music through this thing, and rock is the only one that gives me problems.
Some other songs that you can run through for a good soft to loud test…
Blink 182 – Stay Together For The Kids
Foo Fighters – Let It Die
Flobots – Rise (the intro with the bass line)
Shinedown – Fly From The Inside (again, the intro)
Apocalyptica – I Don’t CareAlso, I know exactly what you’re talking about with processors that make the louder content quieter than the quiet content. I hate that! It is such a letdown when you get to the hook and you’re ready to jam out and…. it’s only this loud. Luckily, Breakaway does not do this!
Adam
