stha said:
If the 8500 is still new in the box, you should contact your dealer first, maybe you could exchange with an Omnia 6...and get a free Omnia One
I like both Orban and Omnia processors but I'm surprised to see how everybody always compare the Optimod 8500 with the Omnia 6. The real Optimod 8500 competitor at Omnia is the Omnia 5, both are 2 bands AGC + 5 bands limiter. Unfortunately, there's no equivalent to the Omnia 6 structure 5 bands AGC + 6 bands limiter at Orban. Maybe Mr Orban will explain why all the products are 2+5 only ?
The number of bands is one description of the structure of the processing but provides little insight into the details of the sonic texture. Taken by itself, the number of bands is a marketing numbers game like horsepower in cars, or peak power and THD in amplifiers. (31 bands!!! Sounds six times better than five bands!!!! We're the first ones to have ever thought of making a 31 band processor!!!! Buy now!!!!)
In the analog days, it was more expensive to provide larger numbers of bands. But in the DSP world there is very little extra expense, so a designer can freely choose the number of bands that he believes will optimize the sound quality
In a nutshell, we use a 2+5 band structure because the AGC is intended to do gentle gain riding without significantly coloring the sound. Then the five-band compressor/limiter performs "automatic re-equalization" to achieve spectral consistency and to build up density if desired.
I firmly believe that there should be only one stage with more than three bands. My impression of some processors with several stages in cascade, each having a large numbers of bands, is that there is a tendency towards an inconsistent, "monkeys randomly twisting tone controls" spectral texture: If you don't like the texture now, just wait a few seconds because it will change. seemingly at random. In contrast, our 2+5 structure, combined with the details of how it is implemented, achieves a texture that stays tightly locked in across different program material. One of the important implementation details is that the compressor and limiter functions are tightly coupled within the five-band structure and "talk" to each other.
Why five bands? Too many bands causes narrowband material (like telephone audio) to get unnaturally quiet. Too few bands tend to force narrowband material to hit the final limiter or clipper too hard, causing audible distortion. Greg Ogonowski and I have experimented extensively, and have concluded that the number of bands to create a optimum loudness balance between wideband and narrowband material is either five or six. Previous Orban products (9000A, 9100, XT2) have used six bands, but experience has shown that five is also fine.
Of course the devil is always in the details, and the detailed implementation of the compressor sidechains and peak limiting structure more effect on the sound than the number of bands.
Bob Orban
