• 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

Lost Stereo on 8100

Worst I've ever seen was an Optimod 9000 (yes I know--AM processor) where the meters jiggled without any audio going through it.

Replaced not only electrolytics but also the pots on the boards (been tweaked to death) and everything settled down. Put it on-air at my AM station (since sold).

That was more years ago than I care to remember. Still going strong on that station.
 
Kmagrill said:
...almost everything in an Optimod is repairable, assuring an indefinite service life. When that fancy digital processor dies, it may not be field serviced because the entire heart of the system is proprietary. Stations without a good backup box will be off the air.
Click to expand...

At the risk of dragging this thread out ad nauseum, I feel compelled to reply and agree with the above.
At 2pm on a Sunday afternoon, if a TL072 in my 8100 decides to let go, finding and replacing it will be pretty quick and easy, and there's half a dozen in a box in the cupboard.

If, on the other hand, it was a fancy new digital processor, there is an exceedingly high chance I wouldn't have a PDT43467907H-A2 SMD processing IC with 200 pins so close together you need an electron microscope to see the gaps, nor would determining that this was actually the faulty part be possible (without another $10k of specialised test equipment).

Sorry, but I'm still not convinced that digital audio processing is the answer.
 
Sorry, but I'm still not convinced that digital audio processing is the answer.
Click to expand...

Yepp, and the 8100 where parameters drift over time because caps dry out, resistors burn up and other parts are completely out of circulation are the answer.

That's like saying a CD or an iPod aren't the answer because you don't have a laser pickup handy or some miniature RAM chip for the iPod, but do have a stylus and cartridge for your turntable.

The 8100 was a genius design... for its day. Even its inventor will tell you that its time is well past. They make a good backup processor, but I don't want to run one in a market full of new Omnias, Orbans and Vorsis. And there is the convenience factor; I can IP in and adjust all the digital boxes from anywhere, including the car. Try that with an 8100. And have you heard any of the new offerings? The 0.11 or the 8600? They both put the 8100 to shame, especially in terms of clarity and HF energy. The 8100 in an A/B (have done it) sounds like it has a pillow over the tweeter compared to the new boxes.

IF you're that worried about your digital box going kaplooey, have a spare processor for backup. You can get an Omnia One for not a whole lot, or keep that 8100 for aux service.

You're only alternative for analog is the Aphex 2020MkIII. I have a station running them, and there is no comparison to the new, or even a few years old digital boxes.
 
"resistors burn up"


That has to be the most stupid quote i have ever heard, so newer digital boxes don't have resistors then ?
 
Yeah, they do have resistors. But usually very few in the actual audio path. I was talking about audio spec drifts due to components aging and/or failing which is something that doesn't happen often in a digital box, once the audio passes the D/A converters and becomes a bit stream, just like any other bit stream. When was the last time you had a resistor or cap crap out on your PC (other than the power supply)?

Sure, there are a few on the analog inputs and outputs to the digital box, but not nearly as many resistors and caps as an 8100. Look at the schematics.

The 8100 was a great invention. So was the original VW Beetle. But time and technology move on. I still keep an 8100 in the shop for a spare/loaner, but that's about to be replaced by an Omnia One, because with the simple change of firmware, the One can be a loaner FM processor, AM processor or HD/Digital processor. Can't beat that as far as flexibility goes.
 
WNTIRadio said:
Sorry, but I'm still not convinced that digital audio processing is the answer.
Click to expand...

Yepp, and the 8100 where parameters drift over time because caps dry out, resistors burn up and other parts are completely out of circulation are the answer.

That's like saying a CD or an iPod aren't the answer because you don't have a laser pickup handy or some miniature RAM chip for the iPod, but do have a stylus and cartridge for your turntable.

The 8100 was a genius design... for its day. Even its inventor will tell you that its time is well past. They make a good backup processor, but I don't want to run one in a market full of new Omnias, Orbans and Vorsis. And there is the convenience factor; I can IP in and adjust all the digital boxes from anywhere, including the car. Try that with an 8100. And have you heard any of the new offerings? The 0.11 or the 8600? They both put the 8100 to shame, especially in terms of clarity and HF energy. The 8100 in an A/B (have done it) sounds like it has a pillow over the tweeter compared to the new boxes.

IF you're that worried about your digital box going kaplooey, have a spare processor for backup. You can get an Omnia One for not a whole lot, or keep that 8100 for aux service.

You're only alternative for analog is the Aphex 2020MkIII. I have a station running them, and there is no comparison to the new, or even a few years old digital boxes.
Click to expand...

You make some valid points, which I acknowledge. The biggest one being flexibility. Agreed, the ability to turn the box into whatever type of processor you require is brilliant. As is the ability to dial into it from anywhere and adjust it.

Agreed that the 8100 is old technology, that time has moved on and produced better quality and better sounding units, although sound is a perceptual medium - what sounds good to one person isn't always the same for another.

The comment about CD and iPod isn't really relevant because neither of them are relied upon to keep a radio station on the air. I do understand the reasoning behind what you are suggesting however.

Ultimately it's horses for courses though. There is no one 'perfect' solution - each option has its merits and its drawbacks. Much like cars, no one vehicle is perfect for all situations.
 
I volunteer for WEVL, a Memphis legendary noncom, and they run an 8100 standing alone. I tried to convert them to an Omnia 1, but as soon as I put it on they hated it and wanted the 8100 back. It really doesn't sound bad compared to the over processed commercial signals in Melmfus.
 
WNTIRadio said:
... When was the last time you had a resistor or cap crap out on your PC (other than the power supply)?...
Click to expand...

VERY, VERY recently...numerous times! :mad:

Never had to reboot an 8100. ;D
 
Did you try the Mike Erickson 8100 preset on the One? And engage the 5th limiter band, while cranking it down a bit to slow the AGC down? Found that to be pretty close to the 8100 without some of the drawbacks of the 8100, such as the HF limiting and ability to be consistent over a wide range of input levels.

I don't mind the sound of a stock 8100, but some of the parts are getting harder and harder to find. Bill Sacks does a good job restoring them and making some improvements. If I were going to put one on the air full time somewhere, I would want him to run through it first.

Are you using anything in front of it? Compellor? Ariane?

The Ariane can turn a stock 8100 into a nice sounding combo, as long as you're not trying to win any loudness wars. Nice smooth sound, my only gripe is that the HF handling on the 8100 has been improved 100 times over in the latest boxes.
 
WNTI if you're addressing that to me, I would love to make some changes and improvements to their processing, but I'm working with a "unique" set of people. 42 on air volunteers one of which couldn't sleep because I was replacing an Auditronics parts console with rotary faders with an R55e board. Before I could make any changes to the One, one of the volunteers made a comment about "slap back delay" and the people that run the station freaked. I'm not there to argue with them, just to screw the wires together, so the Optimod went back in.
 
Been there, done that. My namesake on this board comes from when I was at the station. When I got there it was 60 half insane volunteers. Kept the good volunteers and hired a few professionals to fill in the weekdays. They would freak about everything. Had one guy quit when I put a bottom of the hour promo and underwriting announcement in because it "interrupted his flow".

As Bill Clinton once said, "I feel your pain".
 
PS- What if you ran a simple de-emph circuit on the test jacks of the 8100 and fed it to their headphones? Even a graphic EQ would do if it could roll the top off at least 15dB, since it won't be an on-air situation. They can listen to themselves with no noticeable delay, then put the One on the air. Just an idea...
 
There's nothing to be gained with this group. They'll swear it sounds different and freak out. Besides, the One was long ago sent back and getting them to buy anything not absolutely essential won't happen.
 
RadeoEngineer said:
one of which couldn't sleep because I was replacing an Auditronics parts console with rotary faders with an R55e board
Click to expand...
WNTIRadio said:
Had one guy quit when I put a bottom of the hour promo and underwriting announcement in because it "interrupted his flow".
Click to expand...

Silly me... I always thought these creatures were indiginous only to the world I live in.
 
I could tell you stories for hours about volunteer disc jockeys. One locked herself in the studio after her show was cancelled, pushed the jock on the air out of the way and attempted to blast the station and say goodbye. Didn't count on the fact that the on-air switcher was in the rack room, all we did was put the computer on the air for 5 minutes! Another insisted that nothing was on the air and we were sabotaging his show; turned off the guest mic pot and un-muted the monitors.

With so many of them, there was never "the station", it was always "my show". So glad I'm away from that! Don't miss that aspect of the job for a second. Liked dealing with a paid staff much better in my commercial days (and the folks we hired after the cleansing of the volunteer staff), they tended to have LESS of an ego and more of a team spirit.

There were of course, a handful of wonderful volunteers as well, who pitched in and would help form the new team. But that was only 10-12 out of the 60 that were there at the start.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom