Orban OPTIMOD-FM 8600Si, Operating Manual

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3-88
OPERATION ORBAN MODEL 8600Si
two
GREGG
presets.) The rest of the presets use the 100 Hz crossover and have
more mid-bass.
Bass Punch in the MX Presets
The MX presets have two controls that allow you to trade off IM distortion against
bass punch:
B
ASS
P
RE
-L
IMITING
and
B
ASS
L
IMITING
. Setting the
B
ASS
P
RE
-L
IMITING
and
B
ASS
L
IMITING
controls closer to “0” preserves more bass energy below 125 Hz but
simultaneously increases IM distortion. Setting these controls away from “0” tends
to reduce energy below 125 Hz (although this is quite program-dependent). When it
reduces bass energy below 125 Hz, the MX peak limiter tends to
increase energy be-
tween 125 and 200 Hz, which can create the impression of more bass on smaller ra-
dios. See the discussion of these controls on page 3-51.
Summary
Bass is a matter of preference, but the canny broadcast engineer will be aware of
the variability of radios out there and will not apply excessive bass boost that can
sound
awful on "boom-boxes" and other consumer radios with bass boost already
built-in. It is usually wise to emulate the bass balance of hit CDs, because very ex-
perienced people who make these trade-offs every day have mastered these. The
8600Si provides enormous flexibility to get the bass sound you want, but this flexi-
bility comes at a price—you have to familiarize yourself with the relevant controls,
truly understand what you are doing, and work within the laws of physics. This
manual is there to help and it is worthwhile to reserve some time with if you want
to become an 8600Si bass expert.