[TheSonicTruth]

*Please relocate this thread if there is a better subcategory for it, thanks!*

Most radio stations, commercial ones at least, broadcast at 100 percent or more of their FCC-allowed modulation in order to 'stand out ' on the band, so to speak. They accomplish this via a varity of processors - either separate EQs, compressors, limiters, exciters, etc, or an all in one, such as one of Orban's.

If, as a theoretical station owner/manager, I chose a more conservative route, with minimal processing and no more than 2-4 dB of final limiter, resulting in my transmitter hitting its FCC-mandated modulation ceiling only about 80-90 percent of the time, preserving more of the original sound of both the records I play and the voices of my announcers, is there any issue with doing things that way, vs. the 'slammed to the walls' route?

Thank you for reading my question.

 

[bigshot]

Radio is usually listened to in cars, sometimes with the windows open. If you broadcast your programming with too dynamic a signal, a lot of it will get lost in ambient noise. They process the sound to optimize it for a particular listening environment. That's why even back in the 60s they had a "radio mix" and an "album mix".

 

[TheSonicTruth]

Radio is usually listened to in cars, sometimes with the windows open. If you broadcast
your programming with too dynamic a signal, a lot of it will get lost in ambient noise. They
process the sound to optimize it for a particular listening environment. That's why even back
in the 60s they had a "radio mix" and an "album mix".

Well, I'd be willing to compromise. Not use 'as much' EQ, compression, or limiting as most other stations.

Personally, I find most major market CHR and classic rock stations fatiguing to listen to, even at 40mph with my car windows halfway down.

 

[bigshot]

Time for you to buy your own radio station then. There was a guy who did that. He bought a local radio station in Arizona I think. Outfitted it with a high power antenna and set up an automated system to play his favorite songs in rotation and run station IDs at the legal times. Then he left it on autopilot. Apparently he travelled through the area often and didn't like any of the stations there.

 

[TheSonicTruth]

Time for you to buy your own radio station then. There was a guy who did that. He bought a local radio station
in Arizona I think. Outfitted it with a high power antenna and set up an automated system to play his favorite
songs in rotation and run station IDs at the legal times. Then he left it on autopilot. Apparently he travelled through
the area often and didn't like any of the stations there.

But there's no law that says you can't 'under-modulate'(transmit at a level lower than Federally allowed), right?

 

[bigshot]

For yourself? Sure. But for an audience, you need to give them what works for them.

 

[TheSonicTruth]

For yourself? Sure. But for an audience, you
need to give them what works for them.

I'm willing to alter the sound of my material a 'little' for them, mainly for transmission S/N. If my listeners choose to be running a vacuum cleaner or lawn mower while listening to the radio, that's on them to sort out what they really need to be doing... !

I want the CD or WAV file I'm playing over the air to sound as much like as they were playing the CD at home, or in their car deck. Ditto my voice, over the air VS in the same room or in the passenger seat

 

[bigshot]

I'm willing to alter the sound of my material a 'little' for them

I'm sure they are very appreciative of your largesse.