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Orban Has New AM Flagship Processor

Orban Has New AM Flagship Processor

Orban introduced a DSP-based AM audio processor, the Optimod-AM 9400, at the recent NAB Radio Show.
The company says the unit contains two processing chains for AM analog broadcasting and netcasting/digital radio. The only processing common to the channels is the AGC and stereo enhancer; each chain has its own EQ, five-band compressor/limiter and peak limiter.
In the product announcement, the company quoted VP/Chief Engineer Bob Orban saying AMs need more than AGC and peak limiting on digital channels.
“Particularly because of the preponderance of talk on AM, these stations also need Orban-quality five-band compression and limiting to ensure spectral consistency and smooth source-to-source continuity on the digital channel,” he stated.
“However, the analog and digital five-band compressor/limiters require very different thresholds and time constants. Appropriate equalization settings and peak limiting technologies are very different as well.”
The analog chain peak limiter uses a multiband distortion-canceled clipper and overshoot compensator, while the digital chain uses a low-IM look-ahead limiter, which the manufacturer says gets the most from low-bitrate codecs like the HDC codec used in the Ibiquity HD AM system.
Both of the unit’s processing chains are stereo, so the unit also is suitable for AM stereo. “In this application, it replaces Orban’s popular Optimod-AM 9100B analog processor, which has been in continuous production for 23 years,” the company stated.
The company expects deliveries in January. Retail price is $7,990.
Info: click here.

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