TWiRT 354 - Vintage Microphones with John Holt

The first microphones were invented as far back as the 1870’s, but that’s before there were any tube amplifiers! We’ve come a long way, though most mic inventions occurred 70 to 90 years ago. John Holt is an expert on vintage microphones and gives us a fascinating look and lesson.

Topics: Broadcast Engineering, Streaming Audio, audio, audio quality

Vintage Audio: Atwater Kent Model 84

From the dawn of broadcasting in the early1920s through the mid-1930s, the name Atwater Kent was synonymous with top-quality radios. Their commitment to excellence, in both cabinet construction and electronic assembly, is one of the reasons so many of their sets are still around and in working condition. There are several A-Ks in the attic, but none have been featured in FitA. Until now. This month, the 1932 Model 84 will be showcased, along with a history of the man and his company.

Topics: Vintage Radio Technology, Vintage Electronics, Radio History

The Bisset Brief: Cutting the Cord

Veldon Leverich is the Director of Engineering for Salem Media’s Sacramento cluster. Veldon recently installed an AXIA IQ 8-fader console with a 6 channel Telephone Expansion Chassis, pictured in figure 1. One of the impressive features of AXIA’s patented AoIP Livewire+ system is the elimination of lots of wire. Livewire+ is really a paradigm shift for engineers – no more distribution amps, endless punch blocks, or even TRS patch bays.

TWiRT 353 - The Beauty and Value of a Bird's Eye View 

Small Unmanned Aerial Systems or “drones” are quickly getting popular with broadcast engineers and consultants.  A bird’s eye view can help us better visualize our antenna systems, plus there’s real value in catching visible problems before sending a tower crew to troubleshoot.

Chris and Kirk show video examples of aerial tower shots, plus Chris describes bringing Internet access to a Boy Scout camp in New York State.

Topics: Broadcast Engineering, Streaming Audio, audio, audio quality

Axia on a Roll in the Twin Cities

You can't take your Axia studio with you. Or can you? Some would say no, but Steve Smit, Director of Engineering for Salem Media's Twin Cities operation figured out a way to do just that, and it has made his job a lot easier. In the Minneapolis-St. Paul market, Salem Media operates five stations AM 1280 The Patriot, AM 980 The Mission, AM 1440 KYCR Wall Street Radio Network, The Fish Twin Cities, and Wellness Radio 1570. One station was recently added, and studio renovation/construction projects are ongoing. There needed to be an oasis of order in the midst of the temporary chaos that accompanies any studio rehab.

Meet Warrick Marais: Audio Processing Expert

Warrick Marais is the new in-house Broadcast Engineer specializing in audio processing with our friends at New Zealand-based AVC Group, a major Telos Alliance dealer across the South Pacific, India, the Middle East, and beyond. Warrick’s background runs the gamut of audio, from audio production in the pro audio arena and film, to audio processing for radio and television, to live performance audio. So when AVC was looking for someone with a high level of expertise in the realm of audio, the range of experience Warrick brings to the table–not to mention his familiarity with AVC from past work–made him the ideal choice.

We sat down with Warrick recently for some insight into his wide-ranging career, and his thoughts on the different aspects of working in the audio industry.

John Vassos: Celebrating a Visionary Broadcast Industrial Designer 

Of all of the legendary inidividuals associated with the broadcast and music industries in the United States, there is probably no one more responsible for the advancements in broadcast industrial design, audio and video consumer good design, and the look and feel of transmission equipment and broadcast facilities in general than John Vassos.

Topics: Broadcast History, john vassos

TWiRT 352 - Streaming Challenges & Solutions with Matt Kellogg

Streaming audio is bringing a whole new lexicon - geo-targeting, geo-fencing, interstitials, pre-rolls, adaptive bit-rates, video, and virtualization. Matt Kellogg - a guy with a solid radio background - joins us from StreamGuys to sort it all out.

Topics: Broadcast Engineering, Streaming Audio, audio, audio quality

Omnia.9sg Gets Major, Free Update that Makes ANY Processor Sound Its Best 

Omnia.9sg just got a major, free software update, v.3.16.52 (available on the Omnia.9sg page in the sidebar). While the 9sg has always been way more than a stereo generator, this software update gives it that much more functionality, including Livewire+ AES67 for total compliance with the standard and a new clipper designed by Hans van Zutphen, along with dozens of other features. Here, we get into the background of what exactly a stereo generator does, and how the processor-agnostic Omnia.9sg can benefit any station with final-stage processing that is your processor's secret weapon. 

Topics: broadcast audio processor

Maximize Your Audience with Omnia.9AM 

My experience with the Omnia.9 for AM began when I was talking to one of the Telos people at a lunch which we were all attending. I mentioned that I had a client (WMEX in Boston) that could really use a nice new processor but I was not sure if they had the budget for such a purchase.

My initial reason for wanting a modern processor, aside from better sound, was power savings. I could see that the processor can have a distinct advantage in power savings because WMEX has a transmitter that uses MDCL, modulation dependent carrier level. With MDCL the higher the audio level, the lower the power output of a transmitter. So, it seemed to me that keeping the audio level as high as possible would reduce both electric costs and stress on the transmitter/antenna system.

Topics: broadcast audio processor