Overview
Optimod-FM 8500 v2
Now with independent FM and digital radio processing
With its unmatched balance of consistency, loudness, and clean voice processing, Orban's all-digital Optimod-FM 8400 has been the secret behind the dominant sound of many of today's most successful major-market FM stations throughout the world. Its easy to use, three-level preset customization facilities have made it a favorite with program directors and engineers alike. The innovative 8400 led the industry with its patented "Half-Cosine Interpolation" composite limiter, the industry's first integrated processing for digital radio, and the industry's first ITU BS-412 multiplex power controller integrated into a multiband processor. With a technological and sonic powerhouse like this, what could Orban do for an encore?The 8500 builds on the proven, competitive sound of 8400 version 3 while adding features that make it the ideal choice for FM stations simultaneously transmitting iBiquity's HD Radio®, Eureka 147 (DAB), or a netcast (where it works particularly well with Orban's aacPlus® Opticodec-PC® LE). "Under the hood," we redesigned all of the circuitry using the latest components. We also doubled the DSP power, so the DSP not only supports the new features but also provides comfortable headroom for future DSP improvements. With V2 software, the 8500 delivers on this promise: The FM analog and digital radio processing paths are now independent except for the stereo enhancer and AGC, giving on-air sound designers far more flexibility.
Featuring versatile five-band and two-band processing for both analog FM transmission and digital radio, the 8500 provides the industry's most consistent sound, track-to-track and source-to-source. This consistency allows you to create a sonic signature for your station with the assurance that your signature will stay locked in, uniquely branding your sound.
The 8500 provides stereo enhancement, equalization, AGC, multiband compression, low-IM peak limiting, stereo encoding and composite limiting - everything that even the most competitive major market station needs to stand out on the dial.
More than 20 excellent-sounding, format-specific factory presets get you started. You'll find all of your favorite 8400 version 3 factory presets, plus some new ones designed by Bob Orban and Greg Ogonowski to please any broadcaster. Although the factory presets are fully competent "out of the box," you can customize them with easy one-knob LESS-MORE control or with more than 60 advanced controls, whose versatility will satisfy even the most finicky on-air sound designer. If you have created custom presets for your 8400, you'll find that they import perfectly into the 8500, retaining your carefully crafted sound.
Effective 17 kHz band limiting on the analog-FM left/right output (analog or AES3) protects RDS/RBDS subcarriers and allows the output signal to pass through a 44.1 or 48 kHz uncompressed STL without added overshoot. If you choose to use the 8500's superb DSP-based stereo encoder and composite limiter, be assured that they deliver an FM analog signal that is always immaculately clean and perfectly peak limited, with full spectral protection of subcarriers and RDS/RBDS regardless of the amount of composite limiting.
Processing for digital radio/netcast (DR) is now supplied standard. We increased the base sample rate of all processing to 64 kHz so the DR output can readily provide 20 kHz audio bandwidth for those who prefer it. Moreover, a built-in 16-second diversity delay in the analog processing path vastly improves installation versatility in HD Radio plants facilities, freeing you from the need to use the delay line built into the HD Radio exciter. This allows you to use the 8500's built-in stereo encoder and composite limiter to drive the analog FM transmitter, ensuring no-compromise analog-channel loudness. With V2 software, the delay can be independently applied to any output emitting the FM-processed signal.
The 8500's digital radio processing contains look-ahead peak limiting that operates in parallel with the FM-channel peak limiting. We optimized the look-ahead limiting to make the most of the limited bit rate codec typically used in the digital channel. The digital radio processing prevents the codec from wasting precious bits encoding clipping distortion products, allowing the codec to use its entire bit budget to encode the desired program material.
The look-ahead limiter receives the output of a processing chain that includes a second equalizer, multiband limiter, and band mixer. These elements are independent of their counterparts in the FM processing chain and can be adjusted separately. The bottom line? Processing that optimizes the sound of your FM channel while delivering remarkably crisp, clean, CD-like audio to your digital channel audience.
We haven't forgotten pure analog FM broadcasters. 8500 FM is a lower-cost version with all 8500 features except for digital radio processing. 8500 FM can be field-upgraded to full 8500 performance at any time.
If you defeat the diversity delay, you'll find that the 8500's base throughput delay has decreased by almost 4 milliseconds compared to the 8400. This makes off-air headphone monitoring even more comfortable for talent. Of course, we've retained the 8400's "headphone monitor" output option, which now has a negligible 2-millisecond delay regardless of the processing structure on-air. We've also added the "ultra-low-latency" structure first introduced in Optimod-FM 8300. This structure yields about 3 milliseconds of throughput delay at the expense of lower loudness.
Ethernet connectivity is now standard, as is an easy-to-use PC remote control application that runs on Windows 2000 and XP and that can control many 8500s on a TCP/IP network. In addition, RS232 serial control and programmable contact-closure (GPI) control give you total freedom to interface the 8500 with your facility's remote control infrastructure, whatever it might be.
User interface improvements round out the package. We started with the 8400's easy-to-use joystick, knob and button navigation system and added a bright, active-matrix color LCD that makes it easier to program the 8500 from its front panel. The panel's eye-catching new metallic blue styling makes the processor look as great in your rack as it sounds on the air.
For our European customers, a second-generation ITU BS-412 multiplex power controller greatly improves the accuracy of the process as measured on industry standard monitoring instruments, yielding the best possible coverage while flawlessly complying with the standard.
