Orban Optimod-PC 1101, Operating Manual

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OPERATION ORBAN MODEL 1101
TV 5B-GEN PUR W/NR (TV Five-Band General Purpose with Noise Reduction): pro-
vides effective dynamic range control and “automatic re-equalization” of most dra-
matic material. It uses the Loudness Controller to control loudness tightly. It applies
single-ended noise reduction to the material, which will reduce unwanted noise like
hiss, hum, or stage rumble. However, it will also reduce ambience. If the program
material is carefully produced (as are most contemporary feature-film soundtracks),
you may wish to use
TV 5B-G
EN
P
URPOSE
(which does not apply noise reduction), or,
if the material is so well produced that it would not benefit from “automatic re-
equalization,” use
TV 2B-G
EN
P
URPOSE
.
TV 5B-GEN PURPOSE (TV Five-Band General Purpose without Noise Reduction): is
identical to
TV 5B-G
EN
P
UR
W/N
R
except that the single-ended dynamic noise reduc-
tion system is off.
TV 5B GEN PURP –LC (TV Five-Band General Purpose without Loudness Controller):
This preset is the same as
TV 5B-GEN PURPOSE
except the Loudness Controller is
turned off and the
MB D
RIVE
control is backed off by 3 dB to achieve approximately
the same loudness as
TV 5B-GEN PURPOSE.
Because the Loudness Controller is inac-
tive, this preset has more dynamic punch than
TV 5B-GEN PURPOSE
. The five-band
processing makes the audio spectrum more consistent than does
TV 2B-GEN PUR
–LC,
so
TV 5B-GEN PURP –LC
controls loudness better than
TV 2B-GEN PURP –LC
even though the Loudness Controller is inactive.
TV 2B-DRAMA (TV Two-Band Drama): uses the 1101’s soft knee compression and
AGC R
ATIO
control to regulate loudness while still preserving some of the dynamic
range of the original mix. This preset sounds very smooth and natural with modern
surround sound mixes for scripted dramas. The 1101’s Loudness Controller is ex-
ploited to limit loudness to a maximum level. Typically, the Loudness Controller will
produce 1 to 3 dB of gain reduction with dialog at normal levels and may produce as
much as 12 dB of gain reduction with very loud sound effects or commercials.
Because it preserves some dynamic range, it is important that the input level to the
1101 not be too far awry. Usually, network feeds will meet this requirement but lo-
cal playout of older material that has not been checked for loudness by a long-term
Loudness Level meter like ITU-R BS.1770 may not work well. Use one of the general-
purpose presets for this kind of material.
TV 5B-DRAMA (TV Five-Band Drama): like its 2B counterpart, uses the 1101’s soft
knee compression and
AGC R
ATIO
control to regulate loudness while still preserving
some of the dynamic range of the original mix. In addition, the five-band compres-
sor automatically re-equalizes material that may otherwise sound spectrally unbal-
anced. The center channel compressor effectively de-esses dialog without punching
holes in the remaining channels. Coupling between the center channel and remain-
ing channels allows the center channel’s level to be boosted automatically by as
much as 3 dB with respect to the other channels if this is needed to help intelligibil-
ity.
We prefer this preset to
TV 2B-D
RAMA
because of its effective, unobtrusive de-essing
and because it is more resistant to spectral gain intermodulation, which is program
material in one frequency range’s audibly pumping material in a different range.