Optimod FAQs ~ 8200
What are some tips for processing with the 8200?
"Presence" is not the same as "loudness." Presence usually refers to a forward quality in the upper midrange (3-7 kHz), while loudness is more of a wideband phenomenon referring to the subjective sense of audio level as perceived by the ear. However, the two are somewhat related, because the ear is most sensitive in the "presence" region, so increasing relative energy in this region is usually one way to increase loudness.
As always, sound is a matter of preference, so I can't give you a "magic formula." However, one thing that you can do to increase loudness is to speed up the AGC RELEASE time. At your current setting, the AGC is doing nothing more than gently and slowly adjusting levels. However, the 8200's AGC is a two-band processor and you can therefore make it work harder by setting its release time faster. 8 dB/second is the fastest that I would ever take it, but you may find it sounds nicer in the region of 3 dB/second while still giving some loudness boost.
Speeding the MULTIBAND RELEASE control to MED-FAST is another way to increase loudness at the expense of increased density. Usually any change that increases loudness also increases the danger of listening fatigue, and this control is no different.
As for increasing presence, you can advance the PRESENCE control slightly, as well as the BAND 4 and BAND 5 mix controls. But be careful not to go too far because the sound can get strident and fatiguing.
In addition, the transmission plant can make a BIG difference in on-air loudness. Bounce in STLs and exciters can, in worst case, cost up to 3 dB of loudness, which is a big difference. /support/orban/techtopics/ has a lot of info on this topic.