Orban OPTIMOD-PC 1100 Operating Manual
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Orban OPTIMOD-PC 1100 Operating Manual

Digital audio processor on a pci sound card
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Operating Manual
OPTIMOD-PC
1100
Digital Audio Processor on a PCI Sound Card
Software Version 2.0

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  • Page 1 Operating Manual OPTIMOD-PC 1100 Digital Audio Processor on a PCI Sound Card Software Version 2.0...
  • Page 2 European Parliament, this product must not be discarded into the municipal waste stream in any of the Member States. This product may be sent back to your Orban dealer at end of life where it will be reused or recycled at no cost to you.

  • Page 3: Please Read Before Proceeding

    (2) Check the other sections of the Manual (consult the Table of Contents) and search the text to see if there might be some suggestions regarding your problem. (3) After reading the section on Factory Assistance, you may call Orban Customer Service for advice during normal Cali- fornia business hours. The number is +1 510 351-3500.
  • Page 5 Operating Manual OPTIMOD-PC 1100 Digital Audio Processor on a PCI Sound Card Software Version 2.0...
  • Page 6 All trademarks are property of their respective companies. This manual is part number 96112.200.01. Published March 2006. © Copyright Orban 1525 Alvarado Street, San Leandro, CA 94577 USA Phone: +1 510 351-3500; Fax: +1 510 351-0500; E-Mail: custserv@orban.com; Site: www.orban.com P/N: 96112.200.01...

  • Page 7: Table Of Contents

    NPUT UTPUT ONFIGURATION Figure 1-4: OPTIMOD-PC Signal Flow and I/O----------------------------------------------------- 1-13 Digital AES3 Left/Right Input/Output ------------------------------------------------------1-14 Analog Left/Right Input/Output -------------------------------------------------------------1-15 The Orban I/O Mixer -----------------------------------------------------------------------------1-15 Figure 1-5: Typical I/O mixer---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1-16 OPTIMOD-PC I ----------------------------------------------------1-17 VERVIEW OF AN NSTALLATION Simple Operation in One Host Computer -------------------------------------------------1-18...
  • Page 8 Figure 2-3: Wiring Diagram for the OPTIMOD-PC RCA Cable Assembly-------------------- 2-5 Plan your installation. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2-6 Figure 2-4: The Orban Control Application---------------------------------------------------------- 2-6 Connect hardware inputs and outputs. (optional)-------------------------------------- 2-6 Set up passwords and card names for cards in your computer. (optional) ------ 2-7 Figure 2-5: Card &...
  • Page 9 Configure global audio processing parameters. --------------------------------------- 2-21 Figure 2-6: Configuration Page in the I/O Mixer------------------------------------------------- 2-21 Set digital output properties. (optional) ------------------------------------------------- 2-22 INPUT SETUP----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2-25 Figure 2-7: Processor Mixer Page in I/O Mixer --------------------------------------------------- 2-25 About the Interaction between the OPTIMOD-PC Input Mixers and the Microsoft Windows Mixer -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------2-26 Figure 2-8: : MS Mixer “Master Volume”...
  • Page 10 Driver Files --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2-43 Application Installation File ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2-43 Driver ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2-44 Service --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2-44 Agent (Tray Icon) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-44 Control Application --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2-45 Registry ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2-45 Hardware I/O and PCI Expansion Chassis ----------------------------------------------------------- 2-45 -------------------------------------- 2-45 DDING A ISPLAYED TO THE ONTROL PPLICATION -PC S...

  • Page 11: Index

    Table 3-3: Factory Programming Presets (Video) ------------------------------------------------ 3-26 Table 3-4: Equalization Controls --------------------------------------------------------------------- 3-27 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------3-27 QUALIZER ONTROLS -------------------------------------------------------------------------3-32 TEREO NHANCER ONTROLS Table 3-5: Stereo Enhancer Controls----------------------------------------------------------------- 3-32 Table 3-6: AGC Controls --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3-33 AGC C -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3-33 ONTROLS ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------3-38 ISTORTION ONTROL Figure 3-3: Bass Clipper Input/Output Transfer Curves as Bass Clip Shape Control is Varied from 0.0 (Hard) to 10.0 (Soft) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 3-39 Table 3-7: Distortion Control Adjustments -------------------------------------------------------- 3-39...
  • Page 12 AGC Matrix 3- · 37 clicks agent 2- · 44 in WAVE output 2- · 39 clicks 2- · 39 allpass crossover 3- · 37 clipper analog control list 3- · 38 I/O setup 2- · 25 clipper, bass 3- · 11 analog I/O 1- ·...
  • Page 13 features 1- · 7 file setup 2- · 43 default port 2- · 53 file menu 3- · 3 delay 3- · 12 Final Limit control 3- · 39 delta release control 3- · 51 Firewall digital I/O NAT 2- · 54 sync 2- ·...
  • Page 14 High Frequency Enhancer 3- · 31 logo high frequency limiter 3- · 50 customizing 2- · 45 look-ahead limiter high-pass filter "presets:AGC 3-" 30 Hz 3- · 10 "presets:protection 3-" using 1100 as Highpass Filter 3- · 31 3- · 19 hum 2- ·...
  • Page 15 Plink 2- · 46 port default 2- · 53 netcasting power processing for 1- · 2 ground 2- · 19 netcasting applications PPM 1- · 4 encoder 1- · 32 PreCode 3- · 5 netcasting applications 1- · 31 PreCode technology 1- · 1 Network preemphasis 2- ·...
  • Page 16 equalization 3- · 11 Security 1- · 19 intelligent clipping 3- · 12 Server introduction to 3- · 4 editing properties 2- · 11 multiband compression 3- · 11 service 2- · 43, 44 music/speech 3- · 5 setup file 2- · 20 radio-style 3 ·...
  • Page 17 uninstall 2- · 44 Uninstalling Software 2- · 42 unpacking 2- · 1 Talk format 3- · 24 upgrade from earlier version 2- · 5 Telnet 1- · 1 Urban format 3- · 25 Telnet 2- · 46 user presets terminal server 2- ·...

  • Page 19: Section 1 Introduction

    Orban’s latest low- IM look-ahead limiting technology and dual-band window-gated AGC. V2’s AGC matches the sound of the AGC in Orban’s 2300, 5300, 8300, 8400, 8500, and 9400, so it is a perfect studio AGC for these products.

  • Page 20: Audio Processing For Level Control

    INTRODUCTION ORBAN MODEL 1100 The audio driver’s efficiency has been improved, meaning that audio clicks are much less likely to occur through OPTIMOD-PC’s WAVE inputs and outputs when the com- puter’s PCI bus is heavily loaded. These changes between Version 1 and Version 2 mean that it is not possible to im- port user presets created under version 1.
  • Page 21 OPTIMOD-PC INTRODUCTION Without Optimod-PC processing, audio can sound dull, thin, or inconsistent in any combination. Optimod-PC’s multiband processing automatically levels and re- equalizes its input to the “major-market” standards expected by the mass audience. Broadcasters have known for decades that this polished, produced sound attracts and holds listeners.

  • Page 22: Audio Processing For Netcasts

    Conventional AM, FM, or TV audio processors that employ pre-emphasis/de- emphasis and/or clipping peak limiters do not work well with perceptual audio cod- ers such as Orban’s Opticodec-PC® MPEG4 AAC/aacPlusV2 streaming encoder. The pre-emphasis/de-emphasis limiting in these processors unnecessarily limits high fre- quency headroom.

  • Page 23: Controlling Program Levels In A Playout System Before Optimod-Pc

    OPTIMOD-PC INTRODUCTION Figure 1-3 shows the relative difference between the absolute peak level and the indications of a VU meter and a PPM for a few seconds of music program. The studio engineer is primarily concerned with calibrating the equipment to pro- vide the required input level for proper operation of each device, and so that all de- vices operate with the same input and output levels.

  • Page 24: The Optimod-Pc Digital Audio Processor

    It is equally suitable for netcasts and digi- tal radio or television broadcasting. With its supplied WAVE drivers, it looks like a standard sound card to your native applications, like the Orban’s Opticodec-PC® MPEG4 AAC/aacPlusV2 streaming encoder. However, unlike a sound card, OPTIMOD-...

  • Page 25: General Features

    In digital radio applications, if you wish to place level protection prior to your stu- dio/transmitter link (STL), use an Orban studio AGC like the Orban 8200ST. The 8200ST can be adjusted so that it substitutes for the broadband AGC circuitry in OPTIMOD-PC, which is then defeated.
  • Page 26 INTRODUCTION ORBAN MODEL 1100 In this mode, both processing channels operate using the same process- ing parameters (like release time); you cannot adjust the two channels to provide different processing textures. See Dual-Mono Architecture on page 3-8. • Two AES3 or SPDIF digital inputs with high-quality sample rate conversion allow two asynchronous digital sources to be mixed: Ideal for network opera- tions using local commercial/announcement insertion.

  • Page 27: Adaptability Through Multiple Audio Processing Structures

    An easy-to-use graphic control application runs on your PC and can act as a client to control any number of OPTIMOD-PC cards, either locally or in other PCs on your network via TCP/IP addressing. Other Orban software offers a server function, allowing other computers on your network to address cards located in your PC.

  • Page 28: Optimod

    1-10 INTRODUCTION ORBAN MODEL 1100 its processing structures as a series of high-speed mathematical computations made by Digital Signal Processing (DSP) chips. • OPTIMOD-PC features two processing structures: Five-Band (or Multiband) for a consistent, “processed” sound, free from undesirable side effects and Two-Band for a tastefully controlled sound that preserves the frequency balance of the original program material.

  • Page 29: Factory Processing Presets

    . Each factory preset has an associated Files\Orban\OPTIMOD-PC\presets folder containing all of the less/more files for that preset. The less/more folders are located immediately below the folder; each less/more presets folder bears the name of its associated preset.

  • Page 30: User Processing Presets

    The default folder containing User Presets for a given OPTIMOD-PC card is . A user pre- c:\Program Files\Orban\OPTIMOD-PC\[card serial number]\presets set that you create while working with a given card is available only for that card. To make the preset available to a second card, copy the preset file to the appropri- ate presets folder located under the second card’s serial number.

  • Page 31: Input/Output Configuration

    1-13 OPTIMOD-PC INTRODUCTION When you modify an existing preset, whether Factory or User, the OPTIMOD-PC server software will automatically generate a temporary User Preset whose name consists of “Modified” appended to the front of the existing preset name. If you do not save your modifications, this tem- porary preset will remain on the server’s hard drive until you further modify any preset.

  • Page 32: Digital Aes3 Left/Right Input/Output

    The AES3 inputs and outputs and the analog output appear on a female DB-25 connector on the rear of the card (see Figure 2-2 on page 2-5). Orban offers three variations of an “umbilical” cable that plugs into the connector—one variation is terminated with XLR connectors, one is terminated with RCA phono plugs, and one is unterminated.

  • Page 33: Analog Left/Right Input/Output

    The outputs are intended for monitoring. They can drive 600Ω or higher imped- ances. However, they are AC-coupled with a –3dB frequency of approximately 1 Hz, which is higher than the 0.15 Hz recommended by Orban to avoid low-frequency overshoots (“bounce”) caused by phase shifts. Therefore, when you are using the...
  • Page 34 1-16 INTRODUCTION ORBAN MODEL 1100 • The Direct Mixer’s output. • The processor without limiting: The output of the OPTIMOD-PC audio processing that follows all processing except final peak limiting. • The processor with limiting: The output of the OPTIMOD-PC audio processing that follows all processing, including peak limiting.

  • Page 35: Overview Of An Optimod-Pc Installation

    Almost all recently manufactured PCs meet these PCI bus specifications. OPTIMOD-PC V2 is supported on Windows XP (SP2 or higher) computers. It will usu- ally work on Windows 2000 computers (SP4 or higher) but Orban Customer Service does not support this platform. No other operating systems will work.

  • Page 36: Simple Operation In One Host Computer

    IRQs, so availability of IRQs will not usually be a problem. Although OPTIMOD-PC contains on-board DSP, the host’s CPU must still perform some “housekeeping” chores. It must run Orban’s server software, and, more signifi- cantly, it must do sample rate conversion if OPTIMOD-PC is used as a WAVE device and the source or destination sample rates are different from 48 kHz.

  • Page 37: Security

    The Orban software allows you to give a card an easily remembered name (e.g., “KORB”) so the software does not have to address the card by its serial number. This name is an alias that is local to the computer from which you named the card;...

  • Page 38: Networking Optimod-Pc Cards

    Each host computer has a TCP/IP address and port assigned to it and runs an instance of the Orban server ap- plication.

  • Page 39: Location Of Optimod-Pc For Netcasting

    ONNECT Each local copy of the Orban Control application allows you to name a server (e.g., “Boston”) so you do not have to remember its IP address and port number each time you connect the Control application to it.

  • Page 40: Genlocking Optimod-Pc Cards To A Reference Sample Frequency

    “reference” and mute the reference input in the Orban I/O Mixer application. (See Figure 1-4: OPTIMOD-PC Signal Flow and I/O on page 1-13, and Figure 1-5: Typi- cal I/O mixer on page 1-16.)

  • Page 41: Studio-Transmitter Link In Digital Broadcasting

    1-23 OPTIMOD-PC INTRODUCTION Studio-Transmitter Link in Digital Broadcasting The following information is mainly relevant to digital radio broadcasters who have their transmitters and studios at different locations. It assumes that you are using OPTIMOD-PC as a replacement for a stand-alone audio processor. In this context, you use OPTIMOD-PC’s external analog or digital inputs and outputs and do not route the audio through the host computer.
  • Page 42 1-24 INTRODUCTION ORBAN MODEL 1100 It is practical (though not ideal) to use lossy data reduction to pass unprocessed au- dio to OPTIMOD-PC’s input. The data rate should be at least of “contribution qual- ity”—the higher, the better. If any part of the studio chain is analog, we recommend using at least 20-bit A/D conversion before encoding.

  • Page 43: Microwave Stls

    STL is good enough to pass un- processed audio. The signal-to-noise ratio of the STL can be used optimally if an Orban Studio AGC, another OPTIMOD-PC, or an Orban Transmission Limiter protects the link from overload.

  • Page 44: Analog Telephone/Landline (Ptt/Post Office Line)

    STLs have this problem. Some consultants presently offer modifications to minimize or eliminate this prob- lem. If your exciter or STL has this problem, you may contact Orban Customer Service for the latest information on such services. Analog Telephone/Landline (PTT/Post Office Line) Analog landline quality is extremely variable, ranging from excellent to poor.

  • Page 45: Optimod-Pc At The Transmitter: Gain Control Before The Stl

    Further, many STLs require level control to prevent the STL from being overloaded. To apply such level control and compression, we recommend an Orban AGC/Limiter/HF Limiter/Clipper before the STL transmitter. This performs the func- tion of OPTIMOD-PC’s internal broadband automatic gain control (AGC), while si-...

  • Page 46: Using Lossy Data Reduction In The Audio Chain Before Optimod

    1-28 INTRODUCTION ORBAN MODEL 1100 AGC by accessing the AGC function (within the Config screen in the I/O Mixer appli- cation menu) and setting it to D ISABLE Using Lossy Data Reduction in the Audio Chain before OPTIMOD-PC Many broadcasters and netcasters are now using lossy data reduction algorithms like MPEG-1 Layer 2 to increase the storage time of digital playback media.

  • Page 47: Sample Rate And Audio Bandwidth

    1-29 OPTIMOD-PC INTRODUCTION Sample Rate and Audio Bandwidth Most DAB audio is at 48 kHz sample rate. However, AM HD Radio operates at 32 kHz, requiring 15 kHz audio bandwidth. The Eureka-147 system offers a 24 kHz sample rate option, requiring 10 kHz audio bandwidth. OPTIMOD-PC’s bandwidth can be adjusted from 10 kHz to 20 kHz to provide cor- rectly anti-aliased audio for any of these systems.

  • Page 48: Monitoring On Loudspeakers And Headphones

    OPTIMOD-PC’s processing has a second output after the multiband compressor but before the look-ahead peak limiter, which is where the majority of the delay occurs. This output feeds one of the inputs to the output routing switcher in the Orban I/O Mixer application.

  • Page 49: Streaming And Netcasting Applications

    You can use any application that allows simultaneous playback and recording of audio files to process the raw files before they are en- coded with an application like Orban’s OPTICODEC-PC FE. With OPTICODEC-PC FE, this is a one-step process: Send the unprocessed file through Optimod-PC and apply OPTIMOD-PC’s WAVE output to the input of OPTICODEC-PC FE, which will write an...

  • Page 50: Loudness

    OPTICODEC-PC PE is designed to work exclusively with OPTIMOD-PC to form an overall audio processing / coding chain with the highest audio quality possible for a given bitrate. These two components are also available from Orban as part of a turnkey system called OPTICODEC-PC Encoder, which includes a rack mount Win- dows XP computer with both components pre-installed and pre-configured.

  • Page 51: Shipping Instructions

    Return Authorization Number must be shown on the label, or the package will not be accepted. Warranty, User Feedback User Feedback We are very interested in your comments about this product. We will carefully re- view your suggestions for improvements to either the product or the manual. Please email us at custserv@orban.com.

  • Page 52: Limited Warranty

    Warranty (yielding a total Warranty period of five years) by remitting to Orban ten percent of the gross purchase price of your Orban product. This offer applies only to new Orban products purchased from an...
  • Page 53 1-35 OPTIMOD-PC INTRODUCTION and date below, and fax this copy along with a copy of your original invoice (show- ing date of purchase) to Gareth Paredes at (510) 351-0500. I ACCEPT THE EXTENDED FIVE-YEAR WARRANTY __________________________________________________________________________ DATE______________________________________________________________________ MODEL NUMBER: 1100 SERIAL NUMBER____________________________________________________________...

  • Page 55: Section 2 Installation

    Your warranty does not cover damage from static discharge. C) Complete the Registration Card and return it to Orban. (please) The Registration Card enables us to inform you of new applications, per-...

  • Page 56: For Windows 2000 Only

    If you are installing more than one OPTIMOD-PC card, insert all cards at this time. The following procedure is different depending on whether you are using Windows 2000 or Windows XP. For OPTIMOD-PC V2, Orban Customer Service does not support 2000, although it will usually work. 1. For Windows 2000 only: A) Apply power to your computer and let it boot up.

  • Page 57: For Windows Xp Only

    A) Navigate to Start/Run on your computer. In the Run dialog box, type x:setup where “x” is the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive, and click “OK.” This will install Orban’s control and server software on your computer. The server runs as a Windows service, and will automatically run at boot time.

  • Page 58: Figure 2-1: Optimod-Pc Network Scenarios

    INSTALLATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 LOCAL Stand Alone System Profile Name = Local Security Card Serial#, < Card Name > Card Serial#, < Card Name > Security REMOTE Card Serial#, < Card Name > Security Security Card Serial#, < Card Name >...
  • Page 59 If you are using Windows 2000, you will have to update the OPTIMOD-PC driver manually from Windows. The V2 updater only updates the OPTIMOD-PC driver automatically in Windows XP. TASCAM ORBAN A IN A OUT A IN A OUT...

  • Page 60: Plan Your Installation

    Administration: allows you to rename cards and set both Administrator and User Mixers and save Exit hide the Toolbar, Status Bar, Passwords when you are connected to a card at a Local or Remote site. them in a selected and Tool Tips. Window's folder. Figure 2-4: The Orban Control Application...

  • Page 61: Set Up Passwords And Card Names For Cards In Your Computer. (Optional)

    This is the same as the front view of the female connector mounted on OPTIMOD-PC. In the Orban XLR cable assembly, pin 2 of the XLR connectors is wired HIGH and pin 3 is wired LOW. Pin 1 is ground.
  • Page 62 INSTALLATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 D) Assign a User Password to the card by filling in the ASSWORD fields ONFIRM ASSWORD identically. This password al- lows you to connect to a card via the OPTIMOD-PC Control Application. E) Assign a Terminal Password...
  • Page 63 OPTIMOD-PC INSTALLATION 7. Set up network access for all OPTIMOD-PCs on your computer. (optional) If you want other computers to be able to access local cards via a TCP/IP network, you must complete the following steps: A) If the OPTIMOD-PC application is currently connected to a card, disconnect it by choosing D from the C menu.
  • Page 64 2-10 INSTALLATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 c) Enter host name, domain name, IP address, or subnet address in CIDR format. Examples: host.domain.com Single Computer domain.com Entire Domain 123.45.67.8 Single Computer 123.45.67.8/24 Entire IP (subnet) Range 123.45.67.8/255.255.255.0 Entire IP (subnet) Range d) If you wish to add another computer, repeat steps (a) through (c).

  • Page 65: Edit The Local Optimod-Pc Server's Network Accessibility, Port Numbers, And Service Security Password. (Optional)

    (3) the User or Administrator password of each card. To add cards, you must be able to connect to the Orban server software on the remote computer containing those cards. That is, the remote computer must be...
  • Page 66 2-12 INSTALLATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 on-line and connected to the network, and the Orban server software on that computer must be running. If you are using a modem connection, this connec- tion must already be established. The Orban server software will be running if the remote computer is turned on, you have installed your card and driver on that computer, the OPTIMOD-PC Control software is installed on that computer, and the “Al-...

  • Page 67: Connect To A Remote Card. (Optional)

    This can be particularly useful if you are in a large broadcast group that has one administrator for audio processing throughout the group’s stations. To administer a card, Orban server software must be running on the computer in which the card is installed and that computer must be connected to the network.

  • Page 68: Delete A Remote Computer's Profile. (Optional)

    2-14 INSTALLATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 C) Click S to confirm your changes. 13. Delete a remote computer’s profile. (optional) If you no longer wish to have a particular remote computer appear in the list of available computers, you can delete it from the list.

  • Page 69: Connect Inputs And Outputs. (Optional)

    This is not required if you are going to be using only WAVE inputs and outputs, which are routed through your computer’s operating system. In this case, skip to Setting up OPTIMOD-PC: the Orban Control Application on page 2-19. If you are using hardware inputs or outputs, see the hookup and grounding in- formation on the following pages.

  • Page 70: Audio Input And Output Connections

    See Figure 2-2: Wiring Diagram for the OPTIMOD-PC XLR and Figure 2-3: Wiring Diagram for the OPTIMOD-PC RCA Cable Assembly on page 2-5. Analog Audio Input Using Orban’s mixer application (available from the T menu on the Orban Con- OOLS trol application or from your computer’s control panel in Multimedia), you can...

  • Page 71: Analog Audio Monitor Output

    2-17 OPTIMOD-PC INSTALLATION • Connect the red (or white) wire to the pin on the XLR-type connector (#2 or #3) that is considered HIGH by the standards of your organization. Connect the black wire to the pin on the XLR-type connector (#3 or #2) that is considered by the standards of your organization.

  • Page 72: Grounding

    2-18 INSTALLATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 Single-pair category 5, 5e, and 6 Ethernet cable will also work well if you do not require shielding. (In most cases, the tight balance of Category 5/5e/6 cable makes shielding unnecessary.) The AES3id standard is best for very long cable runs (up to 1000 meters).

  • Page 73: Power Ground

    Grounding, for details. Setup: The OPTIMOD-PC Control Application Once you have connected the Orban Control application to an OPTIMOD-PC card, the software allows you to control the card as if it were a dedicated hardware proc- essor like an Orban OPTIMOD. The Control application displays gain reduction me- ters, as well as controls that allow you to edit the sound of the factory presets to your liking.
  • Page 74 The current active setup file is a transient file. That is, the Orban Control application updates it whenever you change the setup manually. The Orban Control application also automatically updates the file when the application starts and reads the setup information from the Registry.

  • Page 75: Configure Global Audio Processing Parameters

    2-21 OPTIMOD-PC INSTALLATION C) If you wish to edit an existing (or factory) setup, proceed to step 3 below. D) When you are finished setting up each card, close the I/O M window by IXER clicking D 3. Configure global audio processing parameters. A) From the T menu, open the I/O Mixer and click the Configuration tab OOLS...

  • Page 76: Set Digital Output Properties. (Optional)

    “fight” each other and that they do not simultaneously increase gain (re- sulting in increased noise). If you are using an Orban 4000 Transmission Limiter, set the AGC to (so that the AGC function in OPTIMOD-PC continues to work). NABLED The Orban 4000 is a transmission system overload protection device;...
  • Page 77 2-23 OPTIMOD-PC INSTALLATION A) Set the AES3 Digital Output sample rate. [32], [44.1], [48 kHz], [88.2 kHz] or [96 kHz] 48 kHz or 96 kHz are preferred because their samples are synchronous with the peak-controlled samples in the processing. Selecting a 32 kHz output sample rate will automatically set the highest available audio bandwidth to 15 kHz.
  • Page 78 Because its processing is configured to be most effective with “flat me- dia,” OPTIMOD-PC cannot provide extreme loudness for preemphasized radio channels. Use one of Orban’s Optimod-FM processors for this appli- cation. For analog television with FM aural carrier(s), use Optimod-TV 8382.

  • Page 79: Input Setup

    2-25 OPTIMOD-PC INSTALLATION sibilance and cymbals. The cure is lowering the control un- IMITER RIVE til the problem is no longer audible. If you find that lowering the Drive causes too much loudness IMITER loss, you can use the Band 5 compressor as a high frequency limiter to compromise between loudness and limiting artifacts.

  • Page 80: About The Interaction Between The Optimod-Pc Input Mixers And The Microsoft Windows Mixer

    2-26 INSTALLATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 Both mixers are functionally identical. They have four inputs: • Analog Left/Right • Digital 1 Input • Digital 2 Input • WAVE Out from PC. About the Interaction between the OPTIMOD-PC Input Mixers and the Microsoft Windows Mixer Figure 2-8: : MS Mixer “Master Volume”...

  • Page 81: Input Setup Procedure

    2-27 OPTIMOD-PC INSTALLATION resetting the Windows Mixer WAVE control. If the WAVE level in the OPTIMOD-PC mixer seems unexpectedly low, check the setting of the Windows Mixer WAVE con- trol to ensure that it is still at full scale and that another application has not changed it.

  • Page 82: Select The Stereo/Mono Input Mode For The Analog Input

    2-28 INSTALLATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 and +2dB on an external meter with VU ballistics connected to Optimod- PC’s analog output. This assumes that: • The external meter is calibrated so that 0 VU = +4 dBu or –10 dBV, de- pending on the setting of Optimod-PC’s A...

  • Page 83: Adjust The Processor Mixer Analog Input Fader

    (typically 0 VU if your console uses VU meters). • If you are using a studio level controller that performs an AGC function, such as another OPTIMOD-PC, the Orban 8200ST OPTIMOD-Studio, or the Orban 464A Co-Operator, adjust it for normal operation.

  • Page 84: Adjust The Analog L/R Input Balance Control. (Optional)

    NALOG NPUT EDUCTION the main meter screen in the Orban Control application) indicate an average of 10 dB gain reduction when normal levels are applied to the OPTIMOD-PC’s analog input. If necessary, drag the Mixer window so that the AGC G EDUCTION ter is visible.

  • Page 85: Adjust The Remaining Input Faders. (Optional)

    2-31 OPTIMOD-PC INSTALLATION B) Make your console or other program source output a correctly balanced test tone, such that its left and right output level meters indicate identical levels. C) If the M meters on the P tab do not indicate iden- IXER UTPUT ROCESSOR...
  • Page 86 2-32 INSTALLATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 • The output of the direct mixer • The output of the OPTIMOD-PC audio processing that follows all processing except final peak limiting • The output of the OPTIMOD-PC audio processing that follows all processing, including peak limiting.

  • Page 87: The Direct Mixer

    2-33 OPTIMOD-PC INSTALLATION tabbed pages), click S on the File menu in the Orban Control appli- ETUP cation. Then follow the prompts. Saving a setup is useful mainly if you wish to be able to paste this entire setup to another OPTIMOD-PC card later. Any changes you have made to...

  • Page 88: Interfacing Optimod-Pc With Wave Devices

    2-34 INSTALLATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 Interfacing OPTIMOD-PC with WAVE Devices Turning Off Windows Sounds If OPTIMOD-PC is the Windows Preferred or De- fault Device, to prevent Windows’ OS-generated and application-generated sounds from going “on the air” or over your stream, you must turn them off.

  • Page 89: Applying Optimod-Pc's Output To Wave Devices

    If you have more than one OPTIMOD-PC card installed, these will be known to Win- dows as “Orban Optimod 1100,” “Orban Optimod 1100 (2),” “Orban Optimod 1100 (3),” etc., in the order that they are installed in the PCI slots in your computer. You may have to experiment in order to determine which OPTIMOD-PC card is associated with a given name.

  • Page 90: Enabling The Windows 2003 Server Audio Service

    ORBAN MODEL 1100 ample, if you were running two streams, one instance of HELIX Producer would be connected to “Orban OPTIMOD-1100” and the other instance would be connected to “Orban OPTIMOD-1100 (2).” Because Windows XP fully supports OPTIMOD-PC’s multiclient driver, it is possible to drive several record/encode applications from a single output of OPTIMOD-PC.

  • Page 91: Problems And Possible Causes

    2-37 OPTIMOD-PC INSTALLATION Problems and Possible Causes Always verify that the problem is not the source material being fed to OPTIMOD-PC, or in other parts of the system. When I first turn on my computer, the sound seems wrong. This is normal. Upon boot, the OPTIMOD-PC driver loads a “placeholder” preset and I/O setup into the OPTIMOD-PC’s DSP so that the card will pass audio.

  • Page 92: I Get Clicks When I Source My Wave Material From A Cd

    , is not running in the OptimodPcService computer housing the target card. • The Orban Windows service routine has malfunctioned. If all else fails, try end- ing and then restarting in the Windows Task Manager: OptimodPcService A) Right-click the Windows task bar and choose “Task Manager.”...

  • Page 93: I Get Clicks In The 1100'S Wave Output

    2-39 OPTIMOD-PC INSTALLATION I get clicks in the 1100’s WAVE output. Wrap-around glitches can occur at the peaks of OPTIMOD-PC’s processed output when you are recording or streaming it via the Windows WAVE mechanism at sam- ple rates other than 48 kHz and OPTIMOD-PC’s WAVE output level is set to 0 dBfs. We believe that overshoots in the computer’s WAVE sample rate converter cause this;...

  • Page 94: Audible Noise In Processed Audio

    STL noise. For example, the overload-to-noise ratio of a typical ana- log microwave STL may only be 70-75dB. In this case, it is wise to use the Orban 8200ST Studio Chassis to perform the AGC function prior to the STL transmitter and to control the STL's peak modulation.

  • Page 95: Gain Pumping When High Frequency Energy Is Present

    2-41 OPTIMOD-PC INSTALLATION Threshold) control. In the latter case, you are first likely to notice the problem as harsh sibilance on voice. Gain pumping when high frequency energy is present This will occur with most OPTIMOD-PC factory presets when OPTIMOD-PC’s preem- phasis is set to 50 µs or 75µs.

  • Page 96: Technical Support

    Returned units will be returned C.O.D. if the unit is not under warranty. Orban will pay return shipping if the unit is still under warranty. In all cases, the cus- tomer pays transportation charges to the factory (which are usually quite nominal).

  • Page 97: About The Optimod-Pc Driver And Service

    2-43 OPTIMOD-PC INSTALLATION About the OPTIMOD-PC Driver and Service The OPTIMOD-PC driver is responsible for low-level communication between the OPTIMOD-PC card and your computer’s operating system. When the driver starts up, it checks a flag on each OPTIMOD-PC card to determine if it needs to reload DSP code into the card.

  • Page 98: Driver

    2-44 INSTALLATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 Note that you must uninstall any previous version of the Optimod-PC software via Windows Add/Remove Programs before upgrading. If you do not do this, the installer will unable to overwrite the service. After you upgrade the driver, you must reboot of your computer to re- load the driver and to clear old DSP code from the 1100.

  • Page 99: Control Application

    Control Application’s connection list and look at the entry for "Local Folder.” This will usually be: c:\Program Files\Orban\Optimod-PC\[serial number]\presets\ The Control Application will automatically change the bitmap’s size so that it is dis- played 120 pixels wide x 60 pixels high. (The original file will not be altered.) Build...

  • Page 100: Optimod-Pc System/Mixer Control Api

    2-46 INSTALLATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 Optimod-PC System/Mixer Control API The OPTIMOD-PC Service application hosts a TCP/IP terminal server to allow external control of the OPTIMOD-PC cards from either a Telnet/SSH client or a custom third party application. All OPTIMOD-PC Mixer and System Controls are accessible and all commands are simple text strings.
  • Page 101 2-47 OPTIMOD-PC INSTALLATION Custom third party applications can be developed to use this protocol. Additionally, you can include this protocol in an existing application by using small subsets of the standards-based Telnet/SSH protocols directly, or for simplicity, by using scripting or by calling batch files with a Telnet/SSH client such as PuTTY along with its compan- ion command-line interpreter, Plink.

  • Page 102: Using The Api And The 1100 Control Application Simultaneously

    2-48 INSTALLATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 Command Values Function D1UIM Mute, Unmute Digital 1 Unprocessed Mixer Mute D2UIM Mute, Unmute Digital 2 Unprocessed Mixer Mute D2UB Mute, Unmute Digital 2 Unprocessed Mixer Backup WUIM Mute, Unmute Wave Unprocessed Mixer Input Mute AIPB –6.0dB to 6.0dB (in 0.1dB steps)

  • Page 103: Using The Api: Examples

    2-49 OPTIMOD-PC INSTALLATION Control Application to the local card as you would to any card residing in a remote computer (step 11 on page 2-13). Using the API: Examples These examples show how PuTTY and Plink can be used to control OPTIMOD-PC us- ing scripting and batch files on the same computer as the OPTIMOD-PC to be con- trolled.

  • Page 104: Toggling The Audio Inputs To Insert Replacement Commercials

    2-50 INSTALLATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 The file “mute_wave.bat” contains: plink -telnet -P 11101 127.0.0.1 < mute_wave.txt The file “mute_wave.txt” contains: 11111111 [password] WPIM Mute disconnect The file “unmute_wave.bat” contains: plink -telnet -P 11101 127.0.0.1 < unmute_wave.txt The file “unmute_wave.txt” contains:...

  • Page 105: Using Windows Firewall With Optimod-Pc

    2-51 OPTIMOD-PC INSTALLATION The file “audio_insert.bat” contains: plink -telnet 127.0.0.1 < audio_insert.txt The file “audio_insert.txt” contains: 111111111 WPIM Unmute 111111111 APIM Mute disconnect Using Windows Firewall with Optimod-PC Depending upon your network security requirements, it may be necessary to config- ure a software firewall application like Windows Firewall, included with Windows XP SP2.
  • Page 106 2-52 INSTALLATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 2. Choose the network device that will be used for Optimod-PC access and will be protected with Windows Firewall. A) Click Settings… B) Click Add…...
  • Page 107 • Port 11100 is the default for the Optimod-PC Control Application. • Port 11101 is the default for the Optimod-PC Terminal Application. E) Select OK. A dialog box appears, indicating that the Orban Op- timod 1100 Service is accessible through Windows Firewall.

  • Page 108: Nat (Network Address Translation) Firewalls

    2-54 INSTALLATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 NAT (Network Address Translation) Firewalls If the computer containing Optimod-PC is on a network behind a NAT firewall, you must configure the firewall to allow outside access to the Optimod-PC computer from another computer outside the firewall. This is usually done via router port for- warding: The Optimod-PC port(s) are forwarded to the Optimod-PC computer by configuring the NAT firewall accordingly.

  • Page 109: Section 3 Operation

    OPTIMOD-PC OPERATION Section 3 Operation Figure 3-1: The OPTIMOD-PC Control Application The OPTIMOD-PC Control Application • AGC meter shows the gain reduction of the slow AGC processing that precedes the multiband compressor. Full-scale is 24dB gain reduction.
  • Page 110 OPERATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 Because the AGC is a two-band unit with Orban’s patented bass coupling system, this meter actually reads the gain reduction of the AGC Master band. • Gate indicators show gate activity. They light when the input audio falls below the threshold set by the gate threshold controls.
  • Page 111 OPTIMOD-PC OPERATION • CONTROL CLICK DRAG will add the sliders within the hatched-selection box to the current group • CLICKing on a part of the window outside of any slider will ungroup all but one slider. • CLICKing a slider outside the group will ungroup all current sliders and select the clicked one.

  • Page 112: Introduction To Processing

    In processing, there is a direct trade-off between loudness and distortion. You can improve one only at the expense of one or both of the other two. Thanks to Orban’s psychoacoustically optimized designs, this is less true of Orban processors than of any others.

  • Page 113: Speech/Music Detector

    “music” because the detector always identifies stereo material as “music.” Processing for Low Bitrate Codecs V2 software employs Orban’s PreCode™ technology to minimize codec artifacts. To exploit PreCode technology fully, do not set up OPTIMOD-PC for very bright sound (with large amounts of high frequency energy) because this is likely to exacerbate codec artifacts.

  • Page 114: Optimod-Pc In Radio-Oriented Applications: From Bach To Rock

    Professional netcasters committed to providing their audiences with the best audio possible at a given bitrate should consider the use of a higher performance codec like Orban’s Opticodec-PC, which uses standards- based MPEG-4 AAC/HE-AAC/aacPlus™. HE-AAC is the most efficient codec available at the time of this writing.

  • Page 115: Video-Oriented Applications: Controlling Dynamic Range

    OPTIMOD-PC OPERATION Never lose sight of the fact that, while the listener can easily control loudness, he or she cannot make a distorted signal clean again. If such excessive processing is per- mitted to audibly degrade the sound of the original program material, the signal is irrevocably contaminated and the original quality can never be recovered.

  • Page 116: Studio Agc

    OPTIMOD-PC’s AGC uses the same dual-band, window-gated, matrix technology as the AGCs in Orban’s 2300, 5300, 8300, 8382, 8400, 8500, 9300, and 9400 Optimods. Therefore, it can accurately substitute for the AGCs in these devices and can help maintain an all-digital signal path throughout the facility.

  • Page 117: Signal Flow

    OPTIMOD-PC OPERATION amount of gain imbalance permitted between the left and right channels in a given band, and therefore the amount of stereo image shift permitted in each frequency band. Although the processing is dual-mono, you cannot adjust setup controls independ- ently on the left and right channels.
  • Page 118 Low-IM Distortion Look-Ahead Limiting Stereo Enhancement: OPTIMOD-PC provides two different stereo enhancement algorithms. The first is based on Orban’s patented analog 222 Stereo Enhancer, which increases the energy in the stereo difference signal (L–R) whenever a transient is detected in the stereo sum signal (L+R). By operating only on transients, the 222 increases width, brightness, and punch without unnaturally increasing reverb (which is usually predominantly in the L–R channel).
  • Page 119 622B), using a sophisticated, proprietary optimization program. The curves are matched to better than 0.15dB. This means that their sound is very close to the sound of an Orban analog parametric. They also use very high quality filter algo- rithms to ensure low noise and distortion.

  • Page 120: Two-Band Purist Processing

    3-12 OPERATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 Low-IM Look-ahead Limiter: OPTIMOD-PC’s peak limiter prevents overshoots by examining a few milliseconds of the unprocessed sound before it is limited. This way, the limiter can anticipate and control peaks. It is important to minimize audible peak-limiter-induced distortion when one is driving a low bitrate codec because one does not want to waste precious bits encoding the distortion.

  • Page 121: Customizing Optimod-Pc's Sound

    Orban’s audio processing experts on the basis of years of experience designing audio processing, and upon hundred of hours of listening tests.
  • Page 122 3-14 OPERATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 you that you have chosen the optimum setting of the L control, because turning the control up to this point will cause the sound quality to become obviously unacceptable. You need not (in fact, cannot) create a sound entirely from scratch. All User Presets are created by modifying Factory Presets or by further modifying Factory Presets that have been modified previously.

  • Page 123: Gain Reduction Metering

    3-15 OPTIMOD-PC OPERATION control to achieve a sound as close as possible to your desired sound be- fore you make further modifications at the Advanced Modify level. Gain Reduction Metering Unlike the metering on some processors, when any OPTIMOD-PC gain reduction me- ter indicates full-scale (at its bottom), it means that its associated compressor has run out of gain reduction range, that the circuitry is being overloaded, and that various nastinesses are likely to commence.
  • Page 124 3-16 OPERATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 have carefully designed OPTIMOD-PC’s factory presets and most users will not need to go beyond these. In OPTIMOD-PC, a processing structure is a program that operates as a complete au- dio processing system. Only one processing structure can be active at a time. Just as there are many possible ways of configuring a processing system using analog com- ponents (like equalizers, compressors, limiters, and clippers), OPTIMOD-PC’s DSP...

  • Page 125: Factory Programming Presets

    3-17 OPTIMOD-PC OPERATION Two-Band: The Two-Band structure consists of a slow two-band gated AGC (Auto- matic Gain Control) for gain riding, followed by a gated two-band compressor and a look-ahead limiter. By choosing the AGC crossover mode correctly, the Two-Band Structure can be made phase-linear throughout to maximize sonic transparency.

  • Page 126: Protection And Agc Presets

    3-18 OPERATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 tomize your sound using the information in the Protection Limiter, Two-Band and Five-Band sections that follow. Each factory preset has full L capability. The table shows the presets, in- cluding the source presets from which they were taken and the nominal L setting of each preset.
  • Page 127 3-19 OPTIMOD-PC OPERATION to the look-ahead limiter to prevent strong high frequency energy from triggering audible gain pumping or ducking. The high frequency limiting action in the five- band compressor also helps prevent this artifact. LOOK-AHEAD LIMITER: The L preset is a Two-Band preset that HEAD IMITER turns off the stereo enhancer, AGC, equalizer, and two-band compressor so that you...

  • Page 128: Radio-Style Presets

    Radio-Style Presets The presets (Table 3-2 on page 3-21) have been named similarly to their radio coun- terparts in Orban’s OPTIMOD-FM 8400 and 8500. The basic audio texture of corre- sponding OPTIMOD-PC and 8500 presets (heard through the 8500’s digital radio output) is similar, although the 1100 will tend to have 1-2 dB more bass.
  • Page 129 3-21 OPTIMOD-PC OPERATION RADIO-STYLE PRESETS Preset Names Source Preset Normal Less-More CLASSICAL-2 BAND CLASSICAL-2 BAND CLASSICAL-2B+AGC CLASSICAL-2B+AGC CLASSICAL-5 BAND CLASSICAL-5 BAND CLASSICAL-5B+AGC CLASSICAL-5B+AGC COUNTRY-MEDIUM ROCK-SMOOTH COUNTRY-LIGHT ROCK-LIGHT CRISP CRISP DANCE ENERGY DANCE ENERGY EDGE EDGE 10.0 FOLK-TRADITIONAL ROCK-SOFT GOLD GOLD GREGG GREGG GREGG OPEN...
  • Page 130 3-22 OPERATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 which could otherwise cause unnatural stridency and brightness in strings and horns and which could pump up very low frequency rumble in live recording venues. The Five-Band preset defeats the AGC, using only the five-band compressor for gain reduction.
  • Page 131 GREGG: GREGG and GREGG OPEN all use a 200 Hz band1/band2 crossover fre- quency to achieve a bass sound similar to the classic five-band Gregg Labs FM proc- essors designed by Orban’s Vice President of New Product Development, Greg Ogonowski. Dynamically, these presets produce a slight increase in bass energy be- low 100 Hz and a decrease of bass energy centered at 160 Hz.
  • Page 132 3-24 OPERATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 rial. For maximum punch, it uses the HARD bass clipper at higher L set- tings. This amount of bass may be excessive with certain consumer systems (particularly “boom-boxes”) that already have substantial bass boost. Use it with care.
  • Page 133 3-25 OPTIMOD-PC OPERATION ROCK-SMOOTH has the same mellow, easy-to-listen-to high frequency quality as ROCK-SOFT, but with more density. Again, it is a good choice for female-skewing formats, but where you need more compression and density than you get with ROCK-SOFT. For Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR) we recommend the ROCK-DENSE or ROCK- MEDIUM versions.

  • Page 134: Video Presets

    TV 5B-SPORTS Table 3-3: Factory Programming Presets (Video) The video presets have been named similarly to their counterparts in Orban’s OPTIMOD-TV 8382. The texture of the corresponding OPTIMOD-PC and 8382 presets is quite similar, although the OPTIMOD-PC presets will usually have a less restricted high frequency sound because OPTIMOD-PC performs no high frequency limiting other than that created by gain reduction in Band 5 in the Multiband presets.
  • Page 135 3-27 OPTIMOD-PC OPERATION TV 5B-SPORTS (TV Five-Band Sports): is similar to TV 5B-N , except the AGC re- lease time is slower to resist pumping up crowd noise in play-by-play sports broad- casting. TV 5B-OPTICAL FILM (TV Five-Band Optical Film): is designed to make the best of the low-quality audio provided with optical film sound tracks (particularly 16mm).
  • Page 136 Low Frequency Parametric Equalizer is a specially designed equalizer whose boost and cut curves closely emulate those of a classic Orban analog parametric equalizer with conventional bell-shaped curves (within ±0.15 dB worst-case). This provides warm, smooth, “analog-sounding”...
  • Page 137 “warmth” and “mellowness” to the sound when boosting. When cutting, it can remove a “woody” or “boxy” sound. The equalizer, like the classic Orban analog parametrics such as the 622B, has constant “Q” curves. This means that the cut curves are narrower than the boost curves.
  • Page 138 3-30 OPERATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 ergy in that region. Because the 3.7 kHz band compressor is partially coupled to the gain reduction in the 6.2 kHz band in most presets (as set B4>5 C by the control), tuning to 2-4 kHz and turning...
  • Page 139 The difference will never exceed the difference that would have other- wise occurred if the lowest frequency band were gated independently. If you are familiar with older Orban processors like OPTIMOD-FM 8200, this is the maximum amount of boost that would have occurred if you had...
  • Page 140 You can operate the stereo enhancer in one of two modes or “styles.” The first emu- lates the Orban 222 analog stereo enhancer, while the second mode, called Delay, emulates a popular enhancer from another manufacturer that adds a delayed ver- sion of the L–R signal to the original L–R to create stereo enhancement.
  • Page 141 3-33 OPTIMOD-PC OPERATION of delayed L–R added to the original signal. Style sets one of two stereo enhancer types: 222 or D ELAY Depth sets the delay in the delay line. It applies only to the D enhancer. ELAY AGC Controls The AGC is common to the Two-Band and Five-Band structures.
  • Page 142 3-34 OPERATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 AGC (“AGC Off/On”) control activates or defeats the AGC. It is usually used to defeat the AGC when you want to create a preset with minimal processing (such as a CLASSICAL preset). The AGC is also ordinarily defeated if you are using a studio level controller to protect a transmission link before OPTIMOD-PC.
  • Page 143 3-35 OPTIMOD-PC OPERATION • Adjust the AGC (with the AGC D control) to produce the desired amount of RIVE AGC action, and then fine-tune the compression and clipping with the Five-Band structure’s controls. AGC Gate (“AGC Gate Threshold”) control determines the lowest input level that will be recognized as program by OPTIMOD-PC;...
  • Page 144 3-36 OPERATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 ble unless you want the AGC to provide some gentle automatic re-equalization of the input material. With the AGC M control set to 2 dB/second, setting the AGC B C ASTER ELEASE control toward 0% (independent) will produce a sound that is very open, natural, and non-fatiguing, even with large amounts of gain reduction.
  • Page 145 3-37 OPTIMOD-PC OPERATION make the idle gain track the setting of the AGC D control, set the AGC I RIVE control to zero. To make the idle gain 2 dB lower than the setting of the AGC D RIVE control, set the AGC I control to –2.
  • Page 146 Distortion Control The distortion control adjustments are common to the Two-Band and Five-Band structures except as noted in the descriptions on the following pages. Bass Clip Threshold controls Orban’s patented embedded bass clipper. The control overrides the B control PEECH...
  • Page 147 3-39 OPTIMOD-PC OPERATION transition between linear operation and flat topping occurs abruptly as the clipper’s input level is changed. “10” is the softest knee, where the transition starts 6 dB be- low B setting and occurs gradually. The factory default setting is HRESH “7.6.”...
  • Page 148 3-40 OPERATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 a cleaner sound. When you use OPTIMOD-PC in a preemphasized mode (step 5 on page 2-24), this inserts a frequency-dependent high frequency boost before the look-ahead limiter. This boost can be as large as 20 dB at 20 kHz. When using preemphasis, you must...
  • Page 149 3-41 OPTIMOD-PC OPERATION If you wish, you may adjust the Modify parameters to your own taste. Always start with L to get as close to your desired sound as possible. Then edit the Mod- ify parameters using the Basic, Intermediate or Advanced Modify screen, and save those edits to a User Preset.
  • Page 150 3-42 OPERATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 gate the Two-Band Compressor. The control can be adjusted from 0.5 dB/second (slow) to 20 dB/second (fast). Set- tings toward 20 dB/second result in a more consistently loud output, while settings toward 0.5 dB/second allow a wider variation of dynamic range. Both the setting of...
  • Page 151 3-43 OPTIMOD-PC OPERATION causes the Two-Band compressor to release at a constant number of dB per INEAR second, while E causes the release to commence slowly and then speed XPONENTIAL up as it progresses. The Exponential shape allows you to create the open sound of a slow release time with program material that is well controlled in level, while per- mitting the processing to quickly correct excessively low input levels.
  • Page 152 3-44 OPERATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 bination of fast release and independent operation of the bands provides the maximum loudness and density on small radios achievable by the Two-Band struc- ture. However, such processing may fatigue listeners with high-quality receivers, and requires you to activate the AGC to control the average drive level into the two- band compressor, preventing uncontrolled build-up of program density.
  • Page 153 3-45 OPTIMOD-PC OPERATION reduction system, an output mixer (for the five bands), and a low-IM look-ahead limiter. Unlike the Two-Band structure, whose two-band compressor has a continuously variable release time, the release time of the Five-Band compressor is switchable to seven increments between slow and fast.
  • Page 154 3-46 OPERATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 The Five-Band Structure’s Full and Advanced Setup Controls The tables below summarize the Five-band and Band Mix controls in the dynamics section. The AGC, Equalizer, Stereo Enhancer, and Clipper controls are common to both the Two-Band and Five-Band structures and are discussed in their own sections in Section 3.
  • Page 155 3-47 OPTIMOD-PC OPERATION ing the single-ended noise reduction and/or by carefully setting the M ULTIBAND control to freeze the gain when the input gets quiet. HRESHOLD When the release time of the Five-Band compressor is set towards F , the setting of the M control becomes much more critical to sound quality be- ULTIBAND...
  • Page 156 3-48 OPERATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 effect that many find fatiguing. To avoid excessive density with fast Five-Band release time, we recommend using no more than 5dB gain reduction in band 3, compensating for any lost loudness by speeding up the AGC R instead.
  • Page 157 3-49 OPTIMOD-PC OPERATION DWNEXP THR (“Downward Expander Threshold”) determines the level below which the single-ended noise reduction system’s downward expander begins to decrease system gain, and below which the high frequencies begin to become low-pass fil- tered to reduce perceived noise. Activate the single-ended dynamic noise reduction by setting the D control to a setting other than OFF.
  • Page 158 3-50 OPERATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 B4>B5 CPL (“Band 4>5 Coupling”) controls the extent to which the gain of band 5 (6.2 kHz and above) is determined by and follows the gain of band 4. The sum of the high frequency limiter control signal and the output of the B4>B5 determines the gain reduction in band 5.
  • Page 159 3-51 OPTIMOD-PC OPERATION overdriven. The thresholds of the individual compressors have been tuned to pre- vent audible distortion with almost any program material. Large changes in the fre- quency balance of the compressor outputs will change this tuning, leaving OPTIMOD-PC more vulnerable to unexpected audible distortion with certain pro- gram material.
  • Page 160 3-52 OPERATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 you had set the M control to medium and set the B ULTIBAND ELEASE ELTA control to 0. Thus, your settings automatically track any changes you make in the control. In our example, the release time in band 3 will always be...
  • Page 161 3-53 OPTIMOD-PC OPERATION hardware reset or Ctrl-Alt-Del), OPTIMOD-PC will also reset and will temporarily load unity-gain bypass DSP code. This will cause a mute lasting a fraction of a second. OPTIMOD-PC will then continue to pass signal through this bypass code until its driver has loaded, at which point the driver will load normal audio proc- essing DSP code into OPTIMOD-PC.
  • Page 162 3-54 OPERATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 A) Decide whether you are going to use two-band or five-band processing. Two-band processing retains any fixed equalization originally applied to the program (except for a mild amount of dynamic adjustment to bass below 200 Hz); five-band processing performs an “automatic re- equalization”...
  • Page 163 3-55 OPTIMOD-PC OPERATION setting, you can sometimes ameliorate or eliminate the pumping by slow- ing down the compressor attack time in that band. K) Adjust the T controls in the individual bands to achieve the desired HRESHOLD amount of gain reduction. This is the most effective way to set the spectral balance of the process- ing when the compressor is exhibiting gain reduction.
  • Page 164 “My Preset” as the preset name in the examples below. 2. Create a folder for your presets. Create a folder named “My Preset” within the directory \Program Files\Orban\Optimod-PC\presets You should see all of the subdirectories for Orban’s factory presets in this director...
  • Page 165 You may add as many additional anchor presets as you wish to fine-tune the be- havior of L . Some Orban factory presets use as many as six anchor pre- sets. From the OPTIMOD-PC Control Application, save each preset as a user preset in...
  • Page 166 3-58 OPERATION ORBAN MODEL 1100 where is the same as the file name. MY PRESET LMxxx.orbf E) At the end of the file, find the “LESS-MORE” line and edit it as follows: C:<LESS MORE>Cent:x;D:y; Replace the “x” and the “y” with the file’s associated L data.

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