-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
CBS-FM terrible audio!
- Thread starter satech
- Start date
After a couple of days and right before there 40th anniversary I must conclude that the sounds is still not how it should be. It has a low and muffled sound, not punchy what it was in the CBS FM heydays.
It sounds like they using a basic preset and they must still tweaking it. That's a pitty on almost a 40th anniversary.
It sounds like they using a basic preset and they must still tweaking it. That's a pitty on almost a 40th anniversary.
It's tough to process consistently when you cover music from 1963-1990, but it can be done. It's always a compromise... you want to fatten and brighten up the older material but not overhype it on the 80's stuff, some of which was recorded digitally.
I would pre-process all of the older stuff that needed it with a bit of EQ and maybe a little N/R in either Adobe or ProTools. I know Mike was very good at finding the best source material to make sure everything was consistent.
I heard Gimme Little Sign yesterday or the day before and it just sat there, no elasticity on the low end and no punch on the vocals.
I would pre-process all of the older stuff that needed it with a bit of EQ and maybe a little N/R in either Adobe or ProTools. I know Mike was very good at finding the best source material to make sure everything was consistent.
I heard Gimme Little Sign yesterday or the day before and it just sat there, no elasticity on the low end and no punch on the vocals.
Now that combo was great in it's day, but let's be real here. Mike used the same 8500 and had it sounding better than any other 8500 I've ever heard. Yes he had his magic modified Mike-ized Behringer box inline (which is gone now) but it was also how he got that, the Ariane and the 8500 to all play together.
Putting the 8100/XT2 on the air now would put them at a major disadvantage as far as cleanliness, music punch and vocal clarity goes, never mind loudness. While I had the Omnia.11 on the bench I ran oldies through it to see what it sounded like... whoa, I could tune that thing to make the old recordings stand up with the newer stuff and give it all punch. VERY consistent. Same thing while I had a demo 8500 and the Omina.9. The Vorsis Air Aura re-eq'ed the old stuff and left the brighter recordings alone very effectively. Even the Omnia.One did okay on the oldies, just more distortion on the clippers.
It's not the processor. It's the person or people adjusting it that count. It's a rare skill to be able to make a signature sound for a station and have it carry across all elements; music, voice, production, spots, imaging.
All I'm saying is that the 8100 was the definitive sound of 1980s Top 40 FM radio, and since that is a lot of what CBS-FM plays now, they would do well to match its "sonic signature". I'm sure the Orban crew has a few custom "8100-XT2 emulation" presets for the 8500, which CBS-FM could use as a starting point -- at least when they get someone on the controls who has good ears and actually knows what they're doing!
And BTW, the reverb belongs on the DJ mikes only (the way the old CBS-FM did it), not on everything -- that's just too overbearing for '80s music, and sounds terrible on commercials.
And BTW, the reverb belongs on the DJ mikes only (the way the old CBS-FM did it), not on everything -- that's just too overbearing for '80s music, and sounds terrible on commercials.
I finally got some in-car time and was able to listen for an extended period. All I can say is "wha hoppened?"
The audio sounds so lifeless and almost on part with a cheapy cassette recorder from the 80's. No brilliance, undefined and so bland I actually switched over to struggle with DRC-FM even with being in the southern end of CT.
This is not the CBS-FM sound I remember back when Mike had his secret weapon in the air chain.
The audio sounds so lifeless and almost on part with a cheapy cassette recorder from the 80's. No brilliance, undefined and so bland I actually switched over to struggle with DRC-FM even with being in the southern end of CT.
This is not the CBS-FM sound I remember back when Mike had his secret weapon in the air chain.
While 101.9's audio seems to be getting marginally better, this station seems to sound even worse! Heard Billy Joel's "Piano Man" this morning and a break from Al Bernstein, and it sounds like you are listening underwater. What's going on up there?!
It's almost as if they are trying to make the station have AM quality audio. Unreal. At this point, I feel like it's not even a matter of "the audio could be better," but rather "this sounds like absolute garbage and is the worst processed station on the NYC dial."
I know tweaking audio is an art form, and it takes a while to learn and master, but how could anyone with ears (whether in programming OR engineering) not realize that this station sounds like a mess?
It's almost as if they are trying to make the station have AM quality audio. Unreal. At this point, I feel like it's not even a matter of "the audio could be better," but rather "this sounds like absolute garbage and is the worst processed station on the NYC dial."
I know tweaking audio is an art form, and it takes a while to learn and master, but how could anyone with ears (whether in programming OR engineering) not realize that this station sounds like a mess?
CBS-FM always had great audio quality so I was really surprised to see this thread and thought I would have a listen. I had not listened to them in a month and could not believe my ears. Sounds like CBS-FM and WEMP are competing for the worst audio quality in this history of NYC radio. (at least since I started listening in the 70s)
I hope it is not because of something stupid like they are trying to re-create the Music Radio 77 years right down to the AM mono quality. Stranger things have happened.
I hope it is not because of something stupid like they are trying to re-create the Music Radio 77 years right down to the AM mono quality. Stranger things have happened.
- Status