Audio Processing in New York City

[andreajesus]

To WGLIRADIO.....Say what you want to about Ricky the K, but, the videos indicate that the audio processing on his show is far superior to the audio processing on CBS-FM, XM or Sirius, or the combined company. Also, not to mention, that Ricky the K plays all the music that CBS-FM used to play but, doesn't play anymore and at a fraction of the cost of XM or Sirius. Here is a link to a national Fox Newschannel story on him and his show http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8XT8UnIzBo&fmt=18 and I have seen various newspaper stories about him and his show in the New York Daily News, Toronto Sun, San Diego Union Tribune, Kansas City Star, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Fort Worth Star Telegram, Miami Herald, Tampa Tribune, St. Petersburg Times and other major papers. I also saw a full page story on him in Radio and Records back when he was on 50000 watt KOMA. He must be doing something right and certainly a lot more right than CBS-FM, XM or Sirius, both musically and from an audio processing point of view as well as personality. Are you listening Andrea?

I am... but whether i agree...hmmm.... Doubt, doubt, doubt - we each have our own opinion....

Andrea

 

[GRSanders]

My GOD - Does Andrea have to stick her noise in every topic out there!

Anyway, I have been listening quite intently to CBS FM this week and it's audio quality on several different radios. I have to say that their audio has improved quite a bit of the past few months. I always thought that when CBS FM returned to Oldies, the engineers still had 101.1 still set on those wimpy JACK-FM settings. Now CBS FM has more of that punchy Top 40 sound.

Unfortunately everybody now uses digital processing, and when they want to be big, bold, and loud everything crunches with digital distortion. Maybe those Southern stations are still analog.

Perhaps after digital radio fails, radio can go back to nice analog processing which used to make stations sounder larger than......

G

 

[neo11]

I actually liked Jack FM's processing, but it certainly wasn't right for CBS-FM once it returned. I don't feel the audio is too bad though....a far cry from the mud one hears on 103.5 or 106.7.

 

[PSA_Man]

doesn't audio quality suffer when a station adds data into their signal? i.e., RDS, or leasing out part of their band... if so, wouldn't that cause a station that has great processing but is using up some of their band sound worst than a station with poor processing and a full range of it's band?

I'm no engineer, but i've heard something about a stations band being used for other purposes will cause the audio to suffer.... so I'm wondering if this is this true? And will it play a role in a stations sound quality.

 

[wgliradio]

In the bad old days... yes. Before the 8100 and especially after the card 1 upgrade for the 8100, the SCA regions have been filtered properly so that it doesn't matter when you run subcarriers.

For all that people say about modern processors being what they are, one thing they do well is pilot and SCA protection with lab perfect filters.

 

[wmgcbs]

After listening more closely over the past couple of weeks, I have to say that I am quite embarrassed to say that I lumped WCBS-FM into the same category as WLTW. The more I listen to CBS-FM, the more I prefer it to most of the stations on the dial. It must just take some time to get used to hearing the new processing versus the old; even though I thought I had listened to it for long enough to be able to make a pretty good judgment call on it, that must not have been the case.

I was in the parking lot of a local shopping complex this afternoon where CBS-FM gets PUMMELED by B101 in Philly. It baffles me to this day why in that particular spot it happens, but, back to my main point... I heard "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia on B101, and then when I rolled out of the shopping center, "Sweet Caroline" (on CBS-FM) boomed out of my speakers. I heard things in that song I never even thought existed. Same goes for a number of songs (one of which was "Game of Love" by Santana and Michelle Branch - SO glad to hear that yesterday afternoon).

So, I would like to publicly apologize to the engineering staff at WCBS-FM (ESPECIALLY wgliradio) for being critical when, compared to other stations in the city, CBS-FM shines. My other opinions stand, as WLTW just sounds muddy. But, kudos to CBS-FM's engineering department. It will be great if the station will sound this good for years to come --- hopefully, the move to the NEW CBS Radio studios downtown in the future won't let the audio quality suffer for too long.

There. Now I feel better...