Orban OPTIMOD-FM 8600S, Operating Manual

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INTRODUCTION ORBAN MODEL 8600S
8600S’s audio output as necessary. This way, you can still use the 8600S’s line-up tone
to adjust the steady-state deviation to

75 kHz. Yet, the reduced peak level of the
audio emitted from the 8600S ensures that the carrier deviates no further than

75
kHz after overshoot. This overshoot reduction can be selected on the input/output
screen, and the remote operation can be selected in System Setup: Network > Re-
mote.
Using Lossy Data Reduction in the Studio
Many stations are now using lossy data reduction algorithms like MPEG-1 Layer 2 or
Dolby AC2 to increase the storage time of digital playback media. In addition, source
material is often supplied through a lossy data reduction algorithm, whether from
satellite or over landlines. Sometimes, several encode/decode cycles will be cascaded
before the material is finally presented to OPTIMOD-FM’s input.
All such algorithms operate by increasing the quantization noise in discrete fre-
quency bands. If not psychoacoustically masked by the program material, this noise
may be perceived as distortion, “gurgling,” or other interference. Psychoacoustic
calculations are used to ensure that the added noise is masked by the desired pro-
gram material and not heard. Cascading several stages of such processing can raise
the added quantization noise above the threshold of masking, such that it is heard.
In addition, at least one other mechanism can cause the noise to become audible at
the radio. OPTIMOD-FM’s multiband limiter performs an “automatic equalization”
function that can radically change the frequency balance of the program. This can
cause noise that would otherwise have been masked to become unmasked because
the psychoacoustic masking conditions under which the masking thresholds were
originally computed have changed.
Accordingly, if you use lossy data reduction in the studio, you should use the highest
data rate possible. This maximizes the headroom between the added noise and the
threshold where it will be heard. Also, you should minimize the number of encode
and decode cycles, because each cycle moves the added noise closer to the threshold
where the added noise is heard.
About Transmission Levels and Metering
Meters
Studio engineers and transmission engineers consider audio levels and their meas-
urements differently, so they typically use different methods of metering to monitor
these levels. The VU meter is an average-responding meter (measuring the approxi-
mate RMS level) with a 300ms rise time and decay time; the VU indication usually
under-indicates the true peak level by 8 to 14 dB. The Peak Program Meter (PPM)
indicates a level between RMS and the actual peak. The PPM has an attack time of
10ms, slow enough to cause the meter to ignore narrow peaks and under-indicate
the true peak level by 5 dB or more. The absolute peak-sensing meter or LED indica-