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I am in a little over my head.
I am the only one with ANY experience with processing.
The station (small FM) can only afford an Optimod 2200 that is a couple years old.
No pre processing at all....just STL protection. The 2200 is at the studio.
I want to make it sound as tight as I can. We are dayparted CHR and I do NOT care about being the loudest JUST the tightest and best that I can.
Please help. I have limited knowledge so any settings you can clue me in on would help!!
if you don't care about loudness then there are no other stations or you aren't really a Program Director....(based on past experience). This is obviously a trick question.
Don't make any adjustment to the output of the 2200 unless you have a modulation monitor with no multipath. The only good way to guage mod is at the transmitter site with a good antenna (no multipath).
Can't tell you how many times a PD or GM has ranted and raved about the little class A outside town overmodulating because he looked at our mod monitor that has a variable freq control. (Antenna at the studio had a great signal on our station but multipath littered signal on the class A.) Multipath adds noise and bydefault modulation to the meter. (Incorrect reading).
Composite processing is a key with the 2200. Two settings. Both will assist in loudness. Too much will distort.
AGC controls will bring levels up and the 2200 has little or no pumping unless way overdone.
The input controls will determine how much processing is done. If overdriven it will distort.
Having an Aphex compellor in front of it will be a big plus.
Hopefully it drives a composite stl system. Watch the stl input meter (baseband or program audio should be the meter setting on the stl to watch). If the programming is all over the place (level) then your agc and composite adjustments should make a change in the amount of time the meter stays at the 100% mark.
Not all stl's are set correctly. Sometimes setting the input on the stl to 100% propgram content will cause distortion at the other end or overmodulation. With the old Marti discrete l/r system you only ran the audio at 50% or you got horrible splatter diostortion. Even on some of the newer stl's I have walked in to stations to see the stl at the studio set at 40% but when I get to the transmitter site the audio output is 100%. Usually a result of misadjustment inside the stl but don't attempt to change the way it is.
Be careful about adjusting the pre-emphasis, as in, don't. Probably set correctly already.
The biggest trick with any processor. Start with the factory recommendations and then make your adjustments from there. But do adjust too much at the same time or you won't know what works for you and what doesn't.
When you make an adjustment, leave it for a few days (unless it sounds really bad), don't admit to it and see what comments the jocks and management have to say.
I have done this at several stations and found that it works the best. I have 2 FM's that I do work for that use a 2200, no pre-processing, and they sound good. On 1 of them I'm using a MX-15 Exciter and it still sounds good.
The biggest trick with any processor. Start with the factory recommendations and then make your adjustments from there. But do adjust too much at the same time or you won't know what works for you and what doesn't.
When you make an adjustment, leave it for a few days (unless it sounds really bad), don't admit to it and see what comments the jocks and management have to say.
I have done this at several stations and found that it works the best. I have 2 FM's that I do work for that use a 2200, no pre-processing, and they sound good. On 1 of them I'm using a MX-15 Exciter and it still sounds good.
If Prisms work like a multiband agc and work well with the old 8100. Would they also make an improvement with the 2200?
The only 2200 I worked with I found the AGC was VERY slow, a parameter you couldn't adjust? I also felt it had trouble keeping a consistant brightness. Perhaps the prisms would be right at home in front??
The biggest trick with any processor. Start with the factory recommendations and then make your adjustments from there. But do adjust too much at the same time or you won't know what works for you and what doesn't.
When you make an adjustment, leave it for a few days (unless it sounds really bad), don't admit to it and see what comments the jocks and management have to say.
I have done this at several stations and found that it works the best. I have 2 FM's that I do work for that use a 2200, no pre-processing, and they sound good. On 1 of them I'm using a MX-15 Exciter and it still sounds good.
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