Factory Programming Presets - Orban OPTIMOD-FM 5500 Operation Manual

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OPERATION ORBAN MODEL 5500
Both the Two-Band and Five-Band multiband compressors always operate in the
background. So switching between Two-Band and Five-Band occurs with a seamless
cross-fade. Unlike older Orban processors like the 8200, no DSP code is reloaded and
no audio mute is necessary.
Ultra-Low-Latency Five-Band reduces the input-to-output delay of the processor
to about 5 ms at the cost of a less favorable tradeoff between loudness, brightness,
and distortion than the other presets. It is comparable in performance to Optimod-
FM 8200 version 3.0 except that the clippers are anti-aliased and it offers the same
stereo enhancement, equalization section, advanced-technology AGC, composite
limiter, and multiplex power controller as the other 5500 structures.
The Optimum Five-Band and the Two-Band structures can be switched via a mute-
free crossfade (because they are both active simultaneously); the Ultra-Low Latency
Five-Band structure causes an audio mute of approximately two seconds when acti-
vated (because DSP code must be reloaded).
To put a given structure on the air, recall a factory or user preset associated with
that structure.

Factory Programming Presets

Factory Programming Presets are our "factory recommended settings" for various
program formats or types. The Factory Programming Presets are starting points to
help you get on the air quickly without having to understand anything about ad-
justing the 5500's sound. You can edit any of these presets with the L -M con-
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trol to optimize the trade-off between loudness and distortion according to the
needs of your format. Because it is so easy to fine-tune the sound at the L
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level, we believe that many users will quickly want to customize their chosen preset
to complement their market and competitive position after they had time to famil-
iarize themselves with the 5500's programming facilities.
It is OK to use unmodified factory presets on the air. These represent the best efforts
of some very experienced on-air sound designers. We are sometimes asked about
unpublished "programming secrets" for Optimods. In fact, there are no "secrets"
that we withhold from users. Our "secrets" are revealed in this manual and the pre-
sets embody all of our craft as processing experts. The presets are editable because
other sound designers may have different preferences from ours, not because the
presets are somehow mediocre or improvable by those with special, arcane knowl-
edge that we withhold from most of our customers.
Start with one of these presets. Spend some time listening critically to your on-air
sound. Listen to a wide range of program material typical of your format, and listen
on several types of radios (not just on your studio monitors). Then, if you wish, cus-
tomize your sound using the information in the Protection Limiter, Two-Band and
Five-Band sections that follow.
Each Orban factory preset has full L capability. The table shows the presets,
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including the source presets from which they were taken and the nominal L -
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