• 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

WANTED: PROCESSED MPX CLIPS

K

konbaasiang

Hi guys!

I'm looking for Processed MPX clips to post on MpxTool.com for comparison purposes (torture test).

Any processor/factory preset combination is welcome, but most wanted is a recording of Vorsis flagship with a loud, competitive preset (something to match the loudness of O6 Rock'n'Roll or 8500 Impact).

I'll give a 2-week license to MpxTool for anyone who wants to try, and an eternal license to anyone who delivers a full properly recorded MPX torture test (using the Torture Test original clip on the MpxTool site).

///Leif
 
konbaasiang said:
Any processor/factory preset combination is welcome, but most wanted is a recording of Vorsis flagship with a loud, competitive preset (something to match the loudness of O6 Rock'n'Roll or 8500 Impact).
Click to expand...

I would like to add a few comments...

Ideally, I would want to see more than one clip of any given processor. For example, the IMPACT preset in the 8500 is non-typical preset for Orban. It's extremely bright and in that regard not everyone's cup of tea. If you were to judge the sound of 8500 by the recording with IMPACT preset, you would be mislead (in my opinion).

Similarly, Omnia has much more louder presets than Rock'n'Roll, if loudness is what is being compared here (and hopefully, loudness will NOT be the only measure of these processors that is being judged).

Then there's an issue of pre-emphasis. All the clips were made with 75us pre-emphasis because that puts more strain on the processors HF handling capabilities. But, the whole Europe and a most of the world for that matter, uses 50us pre-emphasis and all of these processors will sound different with 50us pre-emphasis. If the processor A sounds better than processor B with 75us pre-emphasis, that doesn't necessarily mean it won't be the other way around when 50us pre-emphasis is used. All processors handle pre-emphasis in different way and that can change the texture of the sound when different pre-emphasis is used.

Finally, although the torture test Leif compiled is a selection of various clips more/less difficult to process, it's still a limited material to be used for overall processor evaluation. The MPXTool removes the demodulator/receiver differences from the equation, but as with the Processing Clips it's still not your transmission chain, your radio station, your programming, your market for comparison and not you tweaking the knobs and getting the feel of the processor capabilities.

I do welcome the use of MPXTool because, like with Processing Clips, you can hear a lot of things that the processor does, how it handles difficult materials, you can hear the dynamics sections and things such as pumping, breathing, how "tight" is the level/loudness/spectral balance control and consistency, get an overall sound for a given preset, etc. You can also see the spectrum cleanliness and trash that the processor creates and I personally especially like the scope, because it's very fast and has a real "analogue quality" to it.

But still, you should not base your processor purchasing decision on these clips. There is no substitute for a real life test of processors on your radio station, preferably in a direct A/B/C on-air comparison. So, let's have more clips of various processors, let's have more clips of the same processor with different presets/pre-emphasis, but also let's not forget this should not be the ultimate comparison you should make before you make a decision on a processor.


Regards,
Goran Tomas
 
Hi Goran!

Thank you for your excellent post.

At first, I agreed with most of what you said, but after some more thinking, I think I agree with absolutely everything.

The reason I went with Impact and Rock'n'Roll, is that they are the factory defaults. Who am I (personally) to second-guess Frank Foti and Bob Orban? If I picked different presets, that could rightfully be construed as cheating (especially with the Breakaway FM clip up there). However, I do welcome other, more real-world representative clips. The more the better, and I will put properly recorded clips up as soon as I get them.

If we have enough volunteers with handy access to 8500's and Omnia 6's (I left mine in the office back in the states -- no room in the suitcases), it would even make sense to update the Torture Test sequence. There are a few songs I would have included, had I known about them (Kelly Clarkson - Because of Hugh, Debbie Gibson - Lost in your eyes, Lionel Richie - All nite long, for example), and there are others that could be shortened or omitted altogether. If we do decide to redo the torture test, it should be a community effort. I'm sure lots of people have valid inputs.

I guess I agree with the 75 vs 50 as well. (This is where I changed my mind). If Processor A sounds better than Processor B at 75, but the other way around at 50, that tells me either Manufacturer A or Manufacturer B didn't bother tuning for both cases properly, and that's indeed highly important for anyone planning to run the processor at 50 (that is, most of the world).

Loudness is always a factor in any comparison -- but once loudnesses match, one can really start comparing. There's a big difference in the amount (and texture) of the distortion added by different processors at equal loudness levels.

I would not purhase a processor until I can test it myself either. However, I would definitely use clips like these to narrow down the choices! Who has the time to hook up and try EVERY processor? MPX files really make it easy to get a first look, and thanks to MpxTool that first look is now more accurate than ever before.

Best regards,
///Leif
 
konbaasiang said:
The reason I went with Impact and Rock'n'Roll, is that they are the factory defaults. Who am I (personally) to second-guess Frank Foti and Bob Orban? If I picked different presets, that could rightfully be construed as cheating (especially with the Breakaway FM clip up there). However, I do welcome other, more real-world representative clips. The more the better, and I will put properly recorded clips up as soon as I get them.
Click to expand...

Leif,

Our "Rock-N-Roll" preset is the suggested starting point, which was derived to get one going, as well as being created about seven years ago. For some it might be their benchmark, and others, the road to somewhere else. I would not suggest using those samples as the be-all, end-all reference of Omnia processors.

In general, I think these public offerings of processor samples is not a good idea. Best that interested parties try the units for themselves, and *only* base opinions on those results.

-Frank Foti
 
wgliradio said:
I will try and get some samples this weekend of the Audemat.
Click to expand...

Great. If it could be of the torture test then it will allow us all to do a/b/c/d etc switching with Leif's great piece of software.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom