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From: ttak@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Timothy Takahashi)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Re: Why they are killing the dynamic range?
Message-ID: <5910@uwm.edu>
Date: 24 Aug 90 13:17:53 GMT
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Approved: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu


In article <5870@uwm.edu> hoptoad!kumr!pozar@uunet.UU.NET (Tim Pozar) writes:
>In article <5834@uwm.edu> bellutta@irst.it (Paolo Bellutta) writes:
>>When a record is transmitted I can understand that the microphone *must* be
>>compressed *and* limited so that the transmitted signal fits the FCC
>>specifications, but why compress and limit the music also?
>    Actually, the FCC asks that all the programme material be within
>a specified limit.

I'd like to share my experiences working in a College station (WTJU - 
Charlottesville, Va). I DJed a Classical show there during the fall and
winter of 1988 when I was attending the University of Virginia.

Our station had (still has?) a particular problem with variable sound
quality - a problem due to the volunteer nature of a college station itself.
Most individuals who DJ for a college station do so for musical rather than
technical interests, in fact I found the technical background of many of
the DJs rather limited. The non-technical types do not understand the
calibration of the VU meters on the console with respect to the transmitter.
Several individuals regularly drove the needles far into the red when
playing music - the fact that the transmitters limiters were kicking in
preventing the 150% modulation requested of them was lost to those listening
over the monitor speakers.

    	 I was particularly careful to watch the modulation
meter when setting levels for a disk - as a result my programs tended to be
3 to 6 db quieter than those following or preceeding (something that I was
repremanded about once - for the low levels, that is).

The hypothetical station manager who demands that his station be "the loudest"
probably wouldn't appreciate dynamic range if it hit him over the head.


Tim Takahashi