ORBAN OPTIMOD-FM 8500 IS A HIT WITH THE EDGE 94.1 FM
The following is a testimonial Orban received from Midwest Communications in Lansing, MI:
We received our brand new 8500 a week ago. I put it on the air on our alternative rock station, 94.1 THE EDGE.
http://www.941theedge.com/
I am very happy with the way the station sounds. We were using a pair of Gentner Prisms and an 8100A with the Gentner RCF-1B. The 8100A was one of the more unusual ones with the LED bargraphs instead of vertical meters. The Prisms and 8100A are being moved to an FM translator for 1590 AM WTVB in Coldwater, Michigan.
The station sounds so much cleaner than it did with the old processing. It really made a big difference in the audio quality. I'm hearing details in songs that I didn't notice before. The highs are clean and bright and the bass is nice and solid. With the old processing, the high end sounded kind of harsh at times. The 8500 just sounds so much cleaner and smoother. It's plenty loud enough, too.
I am using the "EDGE" factory preset with the "less-more" control turned down from 10 to 7.5. A lot of the new alternative music is already heavily processed from the record companies, so having the less-more at 10 sounded over processed to me. Backing it off to 7.5 made it sound better, but it's still plenty loud enough.
I have heard nothing but positive comments and raves about the way our alternative rock station sounds with the new 8500. The evening jock heard the difference the first night the 8500 was on the air. He noticed the station sounded really good in the studio monitors, but he didn't know why.
I am still using the "EDGE" preset with the "less-more" control turned down from 10 to 7.5. I plan on trying some other presets including the "Impact" one they recommended. I just haven't had time because I'm building new studios in Battle Creek (home of Kellogg's cereal).
I will probably try some other presets, but the station already sounds so much better right off the bat with the first preset I tried. This processor has so many settings, I don't know where to start trying to change anything. I'm just glad I could take it out of the box, set levels, and have it sound great with a factory preset. I have to admit that Bob Orban and the guys there are still the masters of broadcast processing.
Thanks,
Kevin Larke
Chief Engineer
Midwest Communications, Inc. - Lansing Market
92.1 WQTX, 92.9 WLMI, 94.1 WVIC, and 106.1 WJXQ