Processing clips

[gtomas]

Although this whole thing is very subjective depending on what we are all listening on, I still would like to see itemized opinions on all the clips that have been posted so far...

Here's my take... Bare in mind that this is all subjective. We all have our own set of criteria, some are more sensitive to distortion, some on other stuff so opinions will certainly be different.

Also should be noted that much will depend on what market you're in. Major market (read: distorted and squashed) processing may appear less than appealing when listening off-air like this, than somebody in less aggressive "environment".

WZMX - if I disregard overly compressed and fatiguing announcer and the distortion, this one sounds pretty good on this song. I'd wish to hear it on other songs though... Despite the distortion, thumps up.

I really don't like the bass on WBLI clip. Clipped and flat. Again, I'd wish to hear more than one song. For this one, thumbs down.

8200 clip has a bit over-hyped high end, but overall sounds nice and damn consistent. Thumbs up.

The O-3fmt clip also sounds very nice. It seems to complement the format very well. Some slight high-end breathing and slight distortion, but overall it's thumbs up.

WRKI with Aphex processing sounds fairly OK on announcer and commercials, but as soon as the song starts it reveals the busy and unclean high-end. This immediately reminded me of the Aphex Dominator (that I never liked). Thumbs down.

WALK sounds like a typical high profile station in major market. I wish there was less distortion because the rest of the processing seems to work well. Only because of the distortion, thumps down.

Radio FG from Paris has an interesting sound. Not what I'm used too. Appears to sound pretty big, but there's too much breathing for my taste. Because of this thumbs down, but I'd like to hear more.

Skyrock - talk about big! And distorted... If I ignore all the distortion, it seems to go with the format quite well. This one would give the WZMX a pretty tough competition. But just a bit too much distortion for me (especially in the end of the clip), so I have to say thumbs down.

The other clips are badly recorded or have bad audio playing on-air so hearing processing is difficult. The third clip from France seems to have a pretty nice and clean processing, but can't exactly hear from the artifacts...


Regards,
Goran Tomas

 

[gtomas]

Can we have more clips?

I'd like to hear more It's very interesting to hear how radio (not just processing) is done in various markets. So please, if you can, contribute!

I've uploaded some clips from Zagreb, Croatia. Just a few stations that I usually listen to...


Regards,
Goran Tomas

P.S. I did some fiddling around on the server and managed to loose all hits records. Sorry I think I got a hold on it now, so hopefully won't happen again. I also set the sort by time and date so new clips will appear at the top.

 

[BofH]

I just uploaded a new file - 97.3 FM (4BFM) in Brisbane, Australia, our local Clear Channel/APN News Media station (ARN)

It sounds like an Optimod (probably 8500)

Observations:

- very heavy AGC
- very heavy bass (and reduced high end)
- very low dynamic range (heavy limiting?)
- reduced stereo image

This is probably the best sounding station in my market at the moment, believe it or not.

At first listen I found it to be quite good but then I really started missing the high end and the lack of dynamics!

First place this is really noticeable is at 5:05 in "The Best things in life are free" - Janet Jackson. Then the bass comes back in and turns it to mush.

Also around 10:25 with "Do they know it's Christmas" (along with the dead air with ground loop hum I presume from their airchain)

One of the best examples of Hypercompression is at 14:00 - a remake of the Donna Summer song "This time I know it's for real".

I'll aircheck a few others for comparison.

 

[Turntable]

I've added a few more from the Connecticut/Long Island/Tri-State Area. A second take on WEBE Westport and the absolutely ATROCIOUS sounding WDRC-FM. More to come, including the infamous WLNG in Sag Harbor, NY....

-A

 

[Turntable]

Ok, KC-101 and WLNG are up. KC-101 is the best so far in this area, only problem is it sounds like crap on cheap equipment, i.e factory stereos in budget cars.

A quick rundown as far as my airchecks go:

WBLI - Way too bright with a reedy top end Alot of distortion in the bass/midbass transition. You get that 'garbly' sound like you are trying to play all frequencies through a limited travel full-range speaker with a whizzer cone. Very thin midrange. Even at moderate volume levels it sounds like an amp running out of power. Thumbs down for critical listening-- although it does do something for a boombox or other Chinese junk.

WALK - Flat and lifeless. Extremely material dependent. A major flaw for this station as their playlist is widely varied. There is no consistency, and I would rather have it sound consistently bad than be as wishy-washy as it is. Thumbs down for even background listening.

WRKI - Pete has the best sounding Aphex 2020III I have heard. The top end is too clipped and not very open at all. I think the overall adjustments are OK, but the input threshold needs to be backed down. It's too squashed for the format and a more open sound would do the station some good. Vocals sound good, and it is in the ballpark for the format. Some tweaking is in order. It's overall decent, but nothing to write home about. Thumbs horizontal.

WZMX - Same 'garbly sound' only to a lesser extent. Bass extension is deep and full without being overdone. Top end is raspy and thin. Overdone on the top end. I think some pre-processing is in order. Jocks don't know what the heck they are doing with their levels(but what else is new?).... Thumbs horizontal.

WDRC - 'We Don't Really Care' - This has to be the worst sounding commercial radio station in the Hartford/New Haven market. What posesses Buckley to keep it this way? If you follow any of the DRC threads elsewhere on this board, you will know what I am talking about. Dull, lifeless, and pathetic, despite their border-blasting signal. Again, somebody fix that or, contact me and I will fix it for you. Seriously, it sounds like CRAP. A shame for sure. You have fixed the format, now do something about the processing!!!

WLNG - Mono. Good Mono. This is how you process an oldies format. Everything is symmetrical. Smooth and consistent. Squashed, but with authority and not overly pumped. You can hear the processing and it is a 'signature sound' It gives the station an identity. Thumbs up!

WKCI - Not processed for cheap equipment at all. I commend their engineer for that-- it takes nuts. Excellent. Thumbs up-- just don't listen on your factory car stereo if you're looking for quality!!

More to come--

-A

 

[erwin33]

What's WLNG using for processing?

 

[wgliradio]

WLNG is using an Aphex 2020 with a Compellor and Doninator at the studio. It is much too squashed for my tastes for FM. They sounded better when they had a Prism and an 8100 back in the 90's.

If you listen live and A/B them against other stations, they sound very dull... Also, the noise floor is very high with all that Aphex gear.

Their AM used to have an APP-400/SEP-400/PMC-450 CRL chain with reverb and it kicked butt!

I've added a clip. This is the Ariane Sequel in my home rack with my Urei 1176LN. I'd love to have a multiband digital worked version of this limiter in a modern processor box. Here it is in analog.... WIDEBAND. Set for 4:1 ratio with attack at fastest setting and release at med/fast. Driven for almost full scale gain reduction (it is not passive). The Four Seasons record at the end of the clip is off a turntable (45 mix of Tell It To the Rain). The Wings record is off CD, the audio clip, bumper and shout are off a PC.

 

[erwin33]

WLNG is using an Aphex 2020 with a Compellor and Doninator at the studio. It is much too squashed for my tastes for FM. They sounded better when they had a Prism and an 8100 back in the 90's.

If you listen live and A/B them against other stations, they sound very dull... Also, the noise floor is very high with all that Aphex gear.

Their AM used to have an APP-400/SEP-400/PMC-450 CRL chain with reverb and it kicked butt!

I've added a clip. This is the Ariane Sequel in my home rack with my Urei 1176LN. I'd love to have a multiband digital worked version of this limiter in a modern processor box. Here it is in analog.... WIDEBAND. Set for 4:1 ratio with attack at fastest setting and release at med/fast. Driven for almost full scale gain reduction (it is not passive). The Four Seasons record
at the end of the clip is off a turntable (45 mix of Tell It To the Rain). The Wings record is off CD, the audio clip, bumper and shout are off a PC.

Where did you add this clip, I don't see an attachment or something?

 

[wgliradio]

http://fserver.redirectme.net

User: Processing
Password: clips

DRC-FM: Actually sounds better than what they had been doing, which tells you how bad it was

WEBE-108: Always sounds good. What's with the pitched record

KC-101: Never liked them, don't like the clip I hear here... muddy with a clippy midrange and uninspired bass.

 

[erwin33]

Thanks!

 

[Turntable]

WEBE-108: Always sounds good. What's with the pitched record

I was wondering about that myself... hmmmm.

KC-101: Never liked them, don't like the clip I hear here... muddy with a clippy midrange and uninspired bass.

Sounds pretty decent on the big JBLs here in the studio... I hate how it sounds in the car though... all the cars I drive. '96 Accord, '03 Accord, '91 Saturn SL1, sounds like crap in all of them.

-A

 

[Turntable]

WEZN Star 99.9 Bridgeport, CT is now up. Clip is from the crappy Delilah show, but I thought it was a good clip to show how their processing really shines. Listen to the birdfed Delilah announce at the end. Not only does she sound like a complete moron as usual, but if you have decent equipment to listen with, check out the gating. It sounds like a really bad mp3 with an extremely poorly adjusted Symmetrix vocal processor... heh... I almost puked.

I'll be putting up another from WRKI with more conventional material shortly... stay tuned...

-A

 

[wgliradio]

Sounds pretty decent on the big JBLs here in the studio... I hate how it sounds in the car though... all the cars I drive. '96 Accord, '03 Accord, '91 Saturn SL1, sounds like crap in all of them.

-A

Another station that only sounds good on hi-end equipment (bass) is WBLI. On every radio it sounds thin... only on my home stereo... or with headphones, can you hear the bass properly.

The highs on WBLI are awful... very shrill. There are better ways to set airchains where you can get pleasant bass on all kinds of radios and listening situations.

 

[wgliradio]

WEZN - I like their processing for an AC. During Christmas music, they were the only station that did not have horrible clipping from horns and piano... unlike WALK and WLTW... there's not much you can do when network feeds sound like crapola.

WALK sounds better now that they're back to their regular format... me wonders if their Christmas music was in an MP3 format and their regular music is wav (??) That may explain the aggrivated processing during the Christmas music that sounded nasty at times... or that the processing just deals with the AC music better... that's why there are different presets boys and girls.

WBAB - I actually like their processing... it's not aggrivating or evil.. even on grungy rock music.. yet it is consistant from the classics to the currents. Much better than sister WBLI. I think they would do better with a different brand of processor that has a better handle on rock music (IMHO), but they're good for what they've got.

 

[erwin33]

I added a clip from the internet radiostation Frequence 3 (www.frequence3.fr) in Paris, France. I think they using an old Unity 2000 but I don't really know. Maybe someone can confirm this?
It sounds very good.

 

[littlejohn]

WEZN - in the day, always sounded killer. Tim English and then Dom Bordunaro were basically why... and a cavity - backed antenna ERI built for them. Do they still use it? WEBE was on a smokestack, and didn't exactly set the woods on fire. Then somebody (Conrad Trautman, maybe?) went to work for them and got it to working well.Ah, nostalgia...

 

[wgliradio]

WEBE is still on the smokestack... not the best signal in the world, but the audio has always been good on WEBE as far back as I can remember.

WEZN is like a blowtorch on Long Island... covers about as well as WALK.

 

[Turntable]

I think WEBE has a pretty decent signal... I have no trouble hearing it in Westchester County NY and as far north as Stafford, CT it has a recievable signal... not great, but it can be heard.

Ed Butler does a great job with both WICC and WEBE. I think he's taking orders from the GM which is probably why the processing is so laid-back. Also, I recall him telling me he was runing a BBE sonic maximizer or some other thing like that in the chain. Not my cup of tea, but hey, it sounds pretty decent. I think it's Orban but not sure what, maybe Ed will chime in here as I know he reads these boards from time to time...

-A

 

[wgliradio]

WICC sounds great... especially now that I have an Accurian C-Quam radio (disguised as an HD Radio ;D). I think WICC is using CRL processing. It is a unique sound, but it sounds really good.

WEBE's signal is horrible over LI. I know at one time they were directional when WBAB and WEBE were co-owned by Franz Allina, but I would think that has gone away by now.

 

[Ed B]

Hello all WEBE is currently using a Omnia 6EXI with a Arrian Sequal
Iam not processing to hard because I would like the digital side and the analog to sound open.
Ed