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XMU Programming

V

vtjazy

Does anyone know how XM programs its XMU channel? To me, it sounds like they're just playing what CMJ says is hot right now. If I listen to XM (which isn't very often, not due to programming but to the terrible audio quality), I usually hit up XMU. I wish they'd play more music that's older than 6 months (Dinosaur Jr, Television, Camouflage, Magazine, The Cure, New Order, Legendary Pink Dots...etc), and maybe some different styles of music, other than just indie rock. Most college stations play a wide variety of music, from many different genres...XMU seems fixated on indie rock and indie rock only.

I was actually contemplating buying XM for my dorm room, but the audio quality makes me mad (and hurts my ears to boot), so if I want it, I'll mooch off my parents in their car.
 
> Does anyone know how XM programs its XMU channel? To me, it
> sounds like they're just playing what CMJ says is hot right
> now. If I listen to XM (which isn't very often, not due to
> programming but to the terrible audio quality), I usually
> hit up XMU. I wish they'd play more music that's older than
> 6 months (Dinosaur Jr, Television, Camouflage, Magazine, The
> Cure, New Order, Legendary Pink Dots...etc), and maybe some
> different styles of music, other than just indie rock. Most
> college stations play a wide variety of music, from many
> different genres...XMU seems fixated on indie rock and indie
> rock only.

Considering that Fred plays all the artists you mention, maybe you just need to click over a couple of channels.

Maybe I need to have my ears checked, but the music channels sound good to me. Traffic/weather/sporting event channels aren't that great, but the music channels sound cleaner than the FM stations where I live.<P ID="signature">______________
...co-moderator of the Satellite Radio, Phoenix, and San Diego boards...</P>
 
> > Does anyone know how XM programs its XMU channel? To me,
> it
> > sounds like they're just playing what CMJ says is hot
> right
> > now. If I listen to XM (which isn't very often, not due
> to
> > programming but to the terrible audio quality), I usually
> > hit up XMU. I wish they'd play more music that's older
> than
> > 6 months (Dinosaur Jr, Television, Camouflage, Magazine,
> The
> > Cure, New Order, Legendary Pink Dots...etc), and maybe
> some
> > different styles of music, other than just indie rock.
> Most
> > college stations play a wide variety of music, from many
> > different genres...XMU seems fixated on indie rock and
> indie
> > rock only.
>
> Considering that Fred plays all the artists you mention,
> maybe you just need to click over a couple of channels.
>
> Maybe I need to have my ears checked, but the music channels
> sound good to me. Traffic/weather/sporting event channels
> aren't that great, but the music channels sound cleaner than
> the FM stations where I live.
>

get a receiver code from your parents and listen online

XMU has been mentioned as only "new" artists and college radio. classic alt is on Fred.<P ID="signature">______________

"I'll see you Left of the Dial!"</P>
 
People used to terrestrial stations feel comfortable with highly processed audio. When they don't hear the bass and treble boosted up and the volume squished to enhance loudness, they ask why the service sounds so "dull".<P ID="signature">______________
_____________________________________________
Proud 2 B a pioneering satellite radio subs¢riber
Ai4i is always on the trailing edge of technology</P>
 
> People used to terrestrial stations feel comfortable with
> highly processed audio. When they don't hear the bass and
> treble boosted up and the volume squished to enhance
> loudness, they ask why the service sounds so "dull".
>

> Maybe I need to have my ears checked, but the music channels sound good to me.
> Traffic/weather/sporting event channels aren't that great, but the music
> channels sound cleaner than the FM stations where I live.

I can't stand the over-compressed (not processed, but lossy digital compression) sound of XM. The sound is very dirty, full of artifacts. The processing sounds great, a lot better than some of the terrestrial outlets in my area, but the lossy compression is what kills me. All the artifacting (esp on the treble end) ends up hurting my ears after listening for a long time, just like with MP3s or web streams.

The talk channels are really bad - esp sports. I was listening to the same Learfield Sports feed on AM, FM, and XM, and XM sounded worse than AM, because they were compressing an already cell-phone codec compressed feed. It sounded better on FM, because it didn't have the transcoding artifacts, and incidentally, it sounded best on AM, because the narrow frequency bandwidth cut out much of the digital artifacting (it was a strong local station).

FWIW - I think XM's compression sounds about 120% better than Sirius. I've had chances to listen to Sirius, and boy was it awful.
 
> Considering that Fred plays all the artists you mention,
> maybe you just need to click over a couple of channels.

It might just be me, but every college station I've ever heard plays a mix of old and new music. I guess I'm misunderstanding XM's intention behind XMU.

Fred does have a good mix too...I just wish there was some sort of middle groud/combination of XMU and Fred.
 
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