Tools to sound like the radio

LazerBeakShiek

LazerBeakShiek

It is a life preserver
What tools are available to improve the sound quality, like the radio from the 80's? For the longest time I have been chasing that sound. So i did a quick search on the 'radio sound' and came up with some possibilities that might have contributed to that radio effect. It was a very Hi Fi effect. Multi band compression like a Dolby 362A but better. Lots of theories on this, and includes some history of the loudness wars. That I really didn't pay much attention to..Anyways what makes that awesome pumped radio sound? My search led me to a engineer. Mike Noonan of WLLI circa 90's and WONC..WLTL 80's says to look into a 'Orban Optimod'. Have any of you ever heard of this compressor? Orban 8100? and the XT limiter that goes with it? Mike, said that any station coloration would have been done by the Orban or something like it. Mike said the Orban infiltrated into every station he worked at , so he thinks tha'ts it. The front panel locked with a key..to keep secret.

The Orban, is this what I am looking for? Can I use this on my Records and CDs to sound like the radio too?

Orban...
 
Looks like World Pro Audio is still doing mods on the unit for recording purposes.

Orban OptiMod 8100A 8180A Mod

Modification of Orban 8100A and Orban 8180A to allow for variable emphasis
www.worldproaudio.com www.worldproaudio.com

Behind the locked door...

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Im doing a search on youtube and checking it out. I remain skeptical. What these are $900? This is supposed to do it. The secret sound machine the 1980's FM stations ran the pop music through.

They are less than a $1000. That's a relief.

i want to try it! This could be it..a compressor ..an old analog one that fits the circa 1980's radio perfect..




 
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These things are so cool. Some sort of AGC to a multi band limiter with filters. These should be HUGE. This is what made the music listenable all day long without fatigue. It sounded some much better than any mix today, or subwoofer hits. It takes me right back to 80's.

Does anyone use these ORBANS on their home equipment? Is there a VST that does this?

Listen to this..This is IT

I cant be the only one with ears on the scene..



I could listen to this all day..any material old ..new..Amazing
I was impressed , but then I heard at 17:30 the Commodores came on ..Night Shift it pulls the tones like Taffy.
 
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In a split universe that has no meaning whatsoever..ORBAN CONQUERS HUNGARY!!!

CAN THESE ORBANS BE STOPPED!
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When you get tangled up,,,you tango on
 
Oh my! I found these VSTs broadcast processing softwares. $2000+ for a VST with no FREE TRIAL whatsoever..

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Im just not crazy enough for this...You think they will have a sale like the Plugin Alliance? Reg $2061.00 Sale price $29.99! No
 
Love this topic. There were Campaigns hear to get the things removed from radio stations because so many people hated them, including, at the time, many of the artists who made the recordings they stamped on. We had two classical networks for classical music, BBC Radio 3 for the traditionalists and Classic FM for people in vehicles mainly or using non-hi if systems who didn’t mind advert funding. The war was great to watch. The BBC playing Ravel’s Bolero, saying Classic FM can’t even play it, which was true and then classic FM saying that their listeners could actually for the first time hear their favourites in a car! However, Oban continue to do OK, but their sales are almost entirely to broadcast chains, not producers, because you’d then get double treatment. I guess they’re now interesting to the loudness chasers?
 
rob aylestone said:
Love this topic. There were Campaigns hear to get the things removed from radio stations because so many people hated them,
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Wow. When I listen to the demos of the Orban, I thought this was it. If you liked the sound of New York's ZOO Z100 in the 80's or Chicago's Loop , WLUP, it makes everything sound even song to song. At work we listened to the radio all day. The processing to me sounded like icing on the cake. Its fresh and smacky, not loud and boomy.

How many times can you compress the soup?
rob aylestone said:
Oban continue to do OK, but their sales are almost entirely to broadcast chains, not producers, because you’d then get double treatment. I guess they’re now interesting to the loudness chasers?
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Couldn't the double treatment be used to even out the differences from system to system? We all have different speakers to listen from. So everybody hears whats intended and nothing important gets lost. A way to compress the material from the listeners side. Seems a natural progression , you gave us integrated EQ's.
 
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I have always hated and still hate radio compression. I miss the receiver in my Jeep Grand Cherokee that had a digital tuner - Several stations in the area had digital counterparts with no additional processing. Like listening to the CD.

Oh, it made things sound "even" for sure -- It brought the great recordings down to their knees and made crappy recordings sound almost as decent as the great recordings that now sounded only decent.
 
They should name that thing the "Homogenizer". It makes everything the same.

Wish I could remember what we used in the college radio station rack for a compressor. We had a rack of stuff, a 1/3 octave EQ and compressors and the system to convert to an AM signal, A couple of Gates boards. It's been over 45 years!
 
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Now why would you post on a forum in a language other than what is used here? Sorry. Banned...
 
I am with Rob and Massive, leave the music TFAlone! I mainly listen to R3 (on Freeview atmo via Tannoy 5As) and despite being 20dB down and falling at 2 (that's TWO) kHz in both lugs, I can still understand 95% of the link person's speech*

I turn to Classic FM only when R3 has gone too 'ethnic' or choral for me and the music repro ain't bad but ALL the voices are boonin'! Even the gals have a hairy chest, result? I get one word in about three. Of course, CFM is more compressed than R3 and so louder but even adjusting for that, still cannot grasp much chat. No real problem, what ain't ads is mostly trailer bollox anyway.

In the car (2008 Megane) the FM seems more compressed but I can see why since the ambient noise level is likely 60dB even with fans off.

*Love to know what mic they use...Coles ribbon? AKG cap? Whatever, it is for sure they ain't sucking the fekker!

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
In the car (2008 Megane) the FM seems more compressed but I can see why since the ambient noise level is likely 60dB even with fans off.
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My vehicle's radio has LPF and HPF for each channel of speaker. Physically capping them off would also be acceptable. Why not some compression too. If you tried it, it would help 'word intelligibility' for devices and speakers of all sizes.
ecc83 said:
*Love to know what mic they use...Coles ribbon? AKG cap? Whatever, it is for sure they ain't sucking the fekker!

Dave.
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Yeah, some radio voices are next level. Its got to be the processing.
 
We have a service that does exactly that. It uses a genuine Orban Optimod audio processor in the back end. Up to 2 hours audio processing a month is free. Try it at Audyllic.com
 
LazerBeakShiek said:
Wow. When I listen to the demos of the Orban, I thought this was it. If you liked the sound of New York's ZOO Z100 in the 80's or Chicago's Loop , WLUP, it makes everything sound even song to song. At work we listened to the radio all day. The processing to me sounded like icing on the cake. Its fresh and smacky, not loud and boomy.

How many times can you compress the soup?

Couldn't the double treatment be used to even out the differences from system to system? We all have different speakers to listen from. So everybody hears whats intended and nothing important gets lost. A way to compress the material from the listeners side. Seems a natural progression , you gave us integrated EQ's.
Click to expand...

For the record, Z-100 / WHTZ-FM in New York City in the 1980s used a combination of TEXAR Audio Prisms and some audio processing in the Optimod 8100. More here:
www.thebdr.net

A History of Audio Processing Part 6: In Their Own Words – Learning From the Pioneers

by Jim Somich with Barry Mishkind [November 2019] Before his untimely death, Jim Somich and I had a number of conversations by phone and email as we discussed the history of broadcast audio processing and laid the
www.thebdr.net www.thebdr.net
 
I used multiband compression/expansion to get this sort of sound. I liked it, for about a month.

Then I brought up some mixes to tweak and took the multiband off. Much better IMO.

I think it's very easy to over do processing of any kind, especially program dependent compression.

There are several 'mastering' compressor software plugins that will do the Orban thing credibly but, IME, sparingly is both best use and hardest to restrain one's self to when using.
 
Gtoboy said:
I used multiband compression/expansion to get this sort of sound. I liked it, for about a month.

Then I brought up some mixes to tweak and took the multiband off. Much better IMO.

I think it's very easy to over do processing of any kind, especially program dependent compression.

There are several 'mastering' compressor software plugins that will do the Orban thing credibly but, IME, sparingly is both best use and hardest to restrain one's self to when using.
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Good points.

I would never want to make an original recording sound "like the radio" when mastering for two reasons:

1) Dynamic range is a good thing!
2) If the recording would ever be played on the radio, the station's audio chain would wreak havoc on an already highly compressed piece of recorded material.

However, as a former "top 40" (and Adult Contemporary and Dance format) radio DJ, I have to admit I do like playing "the old songs" from when I was on-air (80s/90s) on my Winamp with the Thimeo processor set to my own, homemade Z-100 1980s vintage settings and remembering those days when I was being blasted out for 100 miles in all directions on a 100,000 watt transmitter. :-)

Taking this topic in a little different direction: The "CD loudness wars" are an interesting topic. If you look at the levels, pop / rock / dance music CDs from the late 90s until around 2010 were severely clipped. I never understood why the record company executives thought it was important for CDs to be as loud as possible.
 
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