Does anybody else in this market think that MyFM has terrible sound quality? Its seems that processing CHR/Hot-AC content to the point where it is flatter than a pancake would be counterproductive for their target demographic.
I can hear the AGC, it releases nice and slowly mostly, but as soon as the content is loud, the AGC drops - sometimes very drastically, giving the "plunge" effect for lack of a better description. "Just Give Me A Reason" by "P!nk" is a classic example. The intro comes in audibly, then the AGC slams down nearly 20dB once they go into the chorus. So, if you've set your volume control based on vocals, set it again.
Once the density increases for the audio overall, you can hear the pumping of the multiband compressor, you can hear the composite clipping of any "top end" content (it is especially audible for the final chorus in "Party In The U.S.A." by "Miley Cyrus" as I am typing this), actually, giving the vocals a "gargle effect". Ever sang while gargling? Well, I haven't either, but that's what it sounds like. The timbre signature isn't maintained anywhere near a level of consistency. It seems like any time there is a significant shift in density anywhere in the audio spectrum, the timbre differs greatly.
Overall, the audio has a "fluttery sound" from the result of this type of processing. To complicate matters, while the AGC has the audio level pulled down, the high frequency content has such a muffled sound to it - it sounds like a de-esser gone awry, on the entire bit of audio!
The stereo image sounds so unaligned, when you listen to a digital source such as HD Radio (or even online), you can hear the components break up across channels, especially in vocals. This applies to analog, HD Radio, and online.
Back in the late 90s, I recall WLIT sounding very good. It was sometime around 2005 when I noticed that the sound quality took a dive, and it has been that way ever since.
It sounds like someone took an Omnia 6 (no offense to Frank Foti, it's a good processor when properly configured), set it to 11, then "broke off the knob".
Am I alone in my thoughts about this station? I actually appreciate the music, but I can't listen to it for more than 30 minutes because of the processing. It is so fatiguing, and downright annoying to someone who knows the content.
I can hear the AGC, it releases nice and slowly mostly, but as soon as the content is loud, the AGC drops - sometimes very drastically, giving the "plunge" effect for lack of a better description. "Just Give Me A Reason" by "P!nk" is a classic example. The intro comes in audibly, then the AGC slams down nearly 20dB once they go into the chorus. So, if you've set your volume control based on vocals, set it again.
Once the density increases for the audio overall, you can hear the pumping of the multiband compressor, you can hear the composite clipping of any "top end" content (it is especially audible for the final chorus in "Party In The U.S.A." by "Miley Cyrus" as I am typing this), actually, giving the vocals a "gargle effect". Ever sang while gargling? Well, I haven't either, but that's what it sounds like. The timbre signature isn't maintained anywhere near a level of consistency. It seems like any time there is a significant shift in density anywhere in the audio spectrum, the timbre differs greatly.
Overall, the audio has a "fluttery sound" from the result of this type of processing. To complicate matters, while the AGC has the audio level pulled down, the high frequency content has such a muffled sound to it - it sounds like a de-esser gone awry, on the entire bit of audio!
The stereo image sounds so unaligned, when you listen to a digital source such as HD Radio (or even online), you can hear the components break up across channels, especially in vocals. This applies to analog, HD Radio, and online.
Back in the late 90s, I recall WLIT sounding very good. It was sometime around 2005 when I noticed that the sound quality took a dive, and it has been that way ever since.
It sounds like someone took an Omnia 6 (no offense to Frank Foti, it's a good processor when properly configured), set it to 11, then "broke off the knob".
Am I alone in my thoughts about this station? I actually appreciate the music, but I can't listen to it for more than 30 minutes because of the processing. It is so fatiguing, and downright annoying to someone who knows the content.