Q99-7 Processing

[RoddyFreeman]

I like the programming elements--personalities, imaging, formatics--on Q99-7 better than those on Power 96-1. But I find it hard to listen to Q for long periods because the processing grates on me. I wonder if Q99-7's processing hinders the station's TSL.

A station's PD often has a lot to do with the processing so I assume this is what PD Louis Diaz wants.

Power 96-1 has excellent processing IMHO.

Does anyone agree with me?

 

[secondchoice]

I like the programming elements--personalities, imaging, formatics--on Q99-7 better than those on Power 96-1. But I find it hard to listen to Q for long periods because the processing grates on me. I wonder if Q99-7's processing hinders the station's TSL.

A station's PD often has a lot to do with the processing so I assume this is what PD Louis Diaz wants.

Power 96-1 has excellent processing IMHO.

Does anyone agree with me?

There was a post that the pre bankrupt Cumulus had their audio processing “locked” from the local engineer(s). If other Cumulus CHR stations have the same “sound” then this is still a “corporate” policy. Is any agency advertising bought on TSL?

I still can not believe that some stations (92.9) in this market do not have windscreens on all of their studio microphones. I know modern audio processing is “better” and can handle the mice popping, but I find it amazing that an expense of less than one commercial on an average Atlanta station could give every on air his / her own windscreen which would stop the popping and some viral communicable colds. I always had my own windscreen and never missed a shift to a cold or flu after 1977. I caught the flu two days after the guy who worked right before me came down with it.

 

[wavo]

There was a post that the pre bankrupt Cumulus had their audio processing “locked” from the local engineer(s). If other Cumulus CHR stations have the same “sound” then this is still a “corporate” policy. Is any agency advertising bought on TSL?

I still can not believe that some stations (92.9) in this market do not have windscreens on all of their studio microphones. I know modern audio processing is “better” and can handle the mice popping, but I find it amazing that an expense of less than one commercial on an average Atlanta station could give every on air his / her own windscreen which would stop the popping and some viral communicable colds. I always had my own windscreen and never missed a shift to a cold or flu after 1977. I caught the flu two days after the guy who worked right before me came down with it.

92.9 DOES have mic socks...you can see them in the pictures taken in the studio. Once again...talent not properly schooled in addressing a microphone. If there's not a football at the end of the stand the jock crowd could care less...

 

[wavo]

I like the programming elements--personalities, imaging, formatics--on Q99-7 better than those on Power 96-1. But I find it hard to listen to Q for long periods because the processing grates on me. I wonder if Q99-7's processing hinders the station's TSL.

A station's PD often has a lot to do with the processing so I assume this is what PD Louis Diaz wants.

Power 96-1 has excellent processing IMHO.

Does anyone agree with me?

I agree. Both Cumulus stations sound dismal.

iHeart has an experienced engineering staff. It makes a difference.

 

[RoddyFreeman]

Is any agency advertising bought on TSL?

Advertising is bought based on average ratings, which are a combination of cume and TSL.

 

[secondchoice]

92.9 DOES have mic socks...you can see them in the pictures taken in the studio. Once again...talent not properly schooled in addressing a microphone. If there's not a football at the end of the stand the jock crowd could care less...

Many decades ago I was fortunate to have lived less than 30 minutes from Nashville, when you could politely ask and be given a tour of just about any TV , Radio station or recording studio when it wasn’t being used. I have seen many mic screen ideas. One of the “best” was a “cage” made from a coat hanger with piece of stockings hose wrapped tightly about 3 inches from the front of the microphone. I was told not to ask where the panty hose came from.

Seriously some of the TV reporters have an extra-long looking sock that they use in high wind and rain reports. When I worked at the old WPTN FM (1977-1978) now WGSQ we has the old an audiomax volumemax setup where if you would “pop” a p there was about a half second of near silence before the volume got back to normal.

 

[RadioDoogie]

With all the modern technology in the world, isn’t there some kind of default switch in the studio that puts the equalizer right where it is supposed to be in case someone accidentally messes with the processing? I would think an experienced engineer in the past came into these studios and set the default to something that sounds close to perfect and hit the save button. Or there is some kind of optimal setting that would be widely known that makes the processing sound good? I still say 97.1 the River has the best processing in the Atlanta market.

 

[davideduardo]

With all the modern technology in the world, isn’t there some kind of default switch in the studio that puts the equalizer right where it is supposed to be in case someone accidentally messes with the processing? I would think an experienced engineer in the past came into these studios and set the default to something that sounds close to perfect and hit the save button. Or there is some kind of optimal setting that would be widely known that makes the processing sound good? I still say 97.1 the River has the best processing in the Atlanta market.

The main processors of most stations are the Optimod and the Omnia. Both have a huge variety of format specific settings as well as allowing infinite customization. Most stations do not have that gear accessible to the general staff, some having locking or password protected access.

Equalization today is usually done by means of the multi-band characteristics of those two brands of processors, so the process is dynamic.

But stations often put leveling amplifiers, mic processors and the like ahead of the Optimod or the Omnia. There are many brands, but typical of the AGC is the Compellor (search for it). Again, not usually accessible by anyone except the engineers.

Many engineers use Internet access to check and "fix" anything that is off with their processors, just as they do with the transmitter, tower or antenna lights, generator, intrusion alarms, the PPM encoder, etc.

 

[davideduardo]

Is any agency advertising bought on TSL?

Expanding on Roddy's precise statement...

No, TSL by itself is not a metric. You can have a station with great TSL but few total (cume) listeners and that station would be a lousy ad buy.

Nielsen measures total persons who ever listen each week and thier TSL (amount of time each cumer listens in quarter hours).

Out of that measured data, determines that share of all listening. Then, using TSL and usage they project the listening they measure into the universe creating rating, cume persons, average quarter hour persons. "Rating" (the percentage of the universe listening to a station) is the core metric for ad buying as it shows the percentage of the desired market the advertiser reaches with each spot they run.

Here is a useful Arbitron booklet you can download that explains the meaning of each ratings term;

https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Arbitron/Policy-Statements/terms_brochure.pdf

 

[Radio_Alex_1990]

I agree. Both Cumulus stations sound dismal.

iHeart has an experienced engineering staff. It makes a difference.

iHeart radio sounds a lot better other than Alt 105.7

 

[RadioDoogie]

Q99.7 has always had this “hall” effect added to its sound. Power runs its music just a slight hair faster than normal.

 

[DoctorRadio997]

Agree with Roddy, Q100 sounds awful. Followed closely by Kicks.