TWiRT 356 - Practical Drone Use with Sam Wallington

Are drones more than “big boy toys” for broadcast engineers? Well - YES! Sam Wallington is VP of Engineering for Educational Media Foundation. He’s using drone video and photography to locate trouble spots and prep for tower repairs, saving return trips.

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

Saul Levine: Omnia Is the Solution to AM Radio's Woes

As one of the early believers in FM in the 1950s, Saul Levine is a pioneer in FM broadcasting. And as the owner of Mount Wilson Broadcasting in greater Los Angeles still today, he’s been a major player in the industry for decades.

As an early proponent of FM, when many were skeptical of the new technology, it may seem a little like deja vu all over again for Saul these days – and yet, a bit of a role reversal at the same time – as he fights for a broadcast format many have grown skeptical of – AM.

Topics: broadcast audio processor

He's a Jack of all Broadcast Trades... But we Call him Jim

TWiRT 355 - The Way We Do Things

Let’s examine a couple topics and explore “how we do them”. Chris Tobin discusses mics, pre-amps, and techniques for recording live music at WBGO-FM.  Then we see how PC platforms have moved into the equipment space that was only purpose-built equipment. And just how far is that concept going?

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

It’s All About the Audio Tour 2017!!

Recently, I had the pleasure to have lunch with a good friend, Gary Katz. If that name sounds familiar - it should - Gary produced just about all of the albums for a little ol’ musical group you may know… Steely Dan! We were comparing notes about audio in the broadcast field, as well as life in the world of recording and music producing. He expressed how it has always been critical and vital for recording engineers, producers, and even the musicians to ‘hear’ the latest and greatest in technology. This is a practice that is still very common today.

Omnia.9sg Sounds Harder in Tilburg

The city of Tilburg in the Netherlands hosts the biggest fair in the country every year. One of the big draws is pop-up radio station Kermis FM 105.9 that broadcasts for the duration of the fair. Each year several celebrities appear as on-air guests during the fair, attracting listeners and live look-ins from fairgoers alike. Last year, the station wanted its broadcast audio to sound even better for the annual fair broadcast, but without losing audio quality. The solution? The Omnia.9sg Broadcast Stereo Generator.

Topics: broadcast audio processor

 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.