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Lite FM audio processing

S

satech

Anybody else think WLTW's audio processing is way too aggressive for an AC station? It's ironic that "Fresh" keeps making jabs at "that old lite station" but yet their audio processing is much more laid back than WLTW now... 102.7 is crisp, consistent, and pleasantly listenable for long periods -- just the way an AC station should be. But WLTW is excessively loud and distorted, is using way too much bass enhancement, and there's some strange midrange pumping/ducking effect going on with the vocals.

I would expect this kind of overbearing processing from WPLJ, but why Lite FM? Does the rating leader need to also be the loudest station on the dial?? I heard Lite FM play the R&B classic "Just The Two Of Us" today and apparently their audio processing couldn't cope with the fine dynamics of that song, and just ripped it apart to shreds. It was awful to listen to!
 
Seems like all the Clear Channel Stations (especially Q104) seem to have muddy and saturated bass that takes away from the sound more than it adds!
 
I haven't really listened to Lite FM, but I agree that an AC station shouldn't have processing that is too aggressive. I think that, by far, the worst audio processing out of the big commercial FMs in New York is Q104.3. It's muddy sounding, not crisp at all, and it can't handle the sudden dynamic changes from the original track at all. For instance, in Led Zeppelin's "The Ocean," when it goes from the a-cappella "la la la" part then the band comes back in, it takes about four or five seconds for Q104.3's processing to adjust itself back to where it should be. I'm not sure what all the technical terminology is, but hopefully someone gets the drift.

Jacko
 
If I'm correctly all Clear Channel stations in NYC are using Omnia audioprocessing, don't know which type ONE, 6FM etc. But maybe that's the reason how it sounds. Lots of composite clipping.
 
I agree with satech - Lite FM is way overprocessed for the majority of the tunes they play, however I think Fresh has a lot of "digital artifact" sounds in the mid-high range... some of their music sounds too compressed. Then again, my car's head unit has a good built-in EQ which might emphasize some of the wrong components for each station.

I personally think CBS-FM has the best sound of all the stations on the NYC FM dial. KTU and Z seem to be okay for their formats. Jacko is also correct about Q... the other day when the Who's "Teenage Wasteland" was on, some of the guitar parts were swallowed up by an overthumping bass drum.
 
collegeDJ86 said:
I personally think CBS-FM has the best sound of all the stations on the NYC FM dial. KTU and Z seem to be okay for their formats. Jacko is also correct about Q... the other day when the Who's "Teenage Wasteland" was on, some of the guitar parts were swallowed up by an overthumping bass drum.
Click to expand...

All the CC FM's have this funny sound in HD - a very harsh digital artifacting that drives me insane. Something in the airchain is mucking up the audio, or the files in Prophet are low bitrate MP2's.

I agree: CBS-FM is hands down the best sounding FM - analog or HD. Kudos to the engineer for getting a signature sound. And LOUD! :)
 
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