[cma-l] Radio Link Transmission systems

[Alex Gray, Two Lochs Radio]

Well, I’m glad I asked the question – I had no idea so many stations used continuous off-air monitoring. Thanks Serge.

 

Sure, confidence checks on the off-air signal are a good idea – as I said, we have a reception/kitchen radio going all the time as well.

 

Having the meters showing the off-air signal would indeed seem a very dicey prospect – the presenter gets no direct feedback as to whether they are running suitable levels or not, and could unwittingly/carelessly let the desk output levels wander ever-higher, as the processor kept things to a steady level, until very high levels of compression distortion and possibly even clipping started to give the game away to cloth ears?! Or ever lower, with the main clue being steadily rising noise levels and loss of dynamic processing.

 

What happens when people are prerecording shows? Don’t they wonder why their voices sound quite different than when they are listening to the processed output on live shows?

 

Alex

 

 

From: cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk [mailto:cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk] On Behalf Of Serge Auckland
Sent: 06 June 2016 15:47
To: Geoff Rogers <geoff at susyradio.com>; The Community Media Association Discussion List <cma-l at mailman.commedia.org.uk>
Subject: Re: [cma-l] Radio Link Transmission systems

 

I think it’s good practice to listen off-air, as this is an immediate check on whether the signal’s going out properly. However, on our main desks, metering follows monitoring (as otherwise people get confused), and I’m always banging on to our presenters about keeping levels below PPM6, and when monitoring off-air, levels are always constant due to our Optimod doing its stuff.

Consequently, all except for a couple of our more experienced presenters monitor off-desk rather than off-air. (and still don’t control levels properly.....hurrumph!)

Serge Auckland

Chief Engineer

RWSfm 103.3

Community Radio for Bury and Beyond

 

On 06 June 2016 at 12:57 Geoff Rogers <geoff at susyradio.com <mailto:geoff at susyradio.com> > wrote:

 

 

On 2 June 2016 at 23:15, Two Lochs Radio <tlr at gairloch.co.uk <mailto:tlr at gairloch.co.uk> > wrote:

Does anybody routinely listen off-air in the studio? I have never come across any station that does that. It's good to monitor it of course, typically a radio in the kitchen or reception permanently playing, and it should be an option for the studio to check output, but am I alone in thinking it unusual to listen off-air as a matter of routine in the studio?

We do, and always have done.  

 

Until recently the commercial station I work for also did the same.

 

It is not off putting at all provided there are no delays (we use a Band I analog link), and it does give you an idea as to how you sound on air.

 

Geoff

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