AEQ has entered the broadcast audio processor market with Sonata, a four-band digital audio processor.
Sonata offers 20 factory presets to select a station’s sonic signature and another 20 user presets allowing for the modification and saving of custom settings. An automated processor preset scheduler is available. This allows users to automate the changing of a station’s signature sound following the various programs and styles scheduled.
Sonata can be configured and controlled locally or via the Internet. AEQ says it comes with an intuitive and software application for controlling the parameters for the audio processing (e.g., AGC input, dynamic enhancer, five-band limiter with rounded clippers, smart final clipper with IMD masking), as well as the generation of user presets. The GUI displays the processor’s pathway block diagram to provide an overall view of how the audio signal has been treated. It includes VU meters for measuring processor results at each stage.
The home screen of the system provides a work area for the treatment and adjustment of the signal from the mixer and the subsequent delivery to processing stages of the unit. It provides several types of filters for noise suppression, phase inverter for maximizing asymmetrical signals (voice, for example) and a gate to eliminate residual noise and level controls for analog and digital input. The inputs can be assigned to stereo, mono L+R, mono L or mono R.
