Speech/Music Detector; Optimod 6300 In Radio-Oriented Applications: From Bach To Rock - Orban OPTIMOD 6300 Operating Manual

OPTIMOD 6300 DIGITAL
The 6300's ability to maintain source-to-source spectral consistency is also an impor-
tant advantage. Once you have set up the processing to minimize codec artifacts
caused by a given piece of program material, the 6300 will automatically minimize
codec artifacts with any program material.

Speech/Music Detector

The Speech/Music Detector allows the 6300 to change its processing parameters de-
pending on whether the input program material is speech or other material (usually
music).
The algorithm is straightforward: Speech is detected if (1) the input is mono, and (2)
there are syllabic pauses at least once every 1.5 seconds. Speech with a stereo music
background will usually be detected as "music," or the detector may switch back
and forth randomly if the stereo content is very close to the stereo / mono detector's
threshold. Mono music with a "speech-like" envelope may be incorrectly detected as
"speech." Music incorrectly detected as "speech" will exhibit a slight loss of loudness
and punch, but misdetection will never cause objectionable distortion on music.
Speech that is not located in the center of the stereo sound field will always be de-
tected as "music" because the detector always identifies stereo material as "music."
Optimod 6300 in Radio-Oriented Applications: From Bach to
Rock
The 6300 can be adjusted so that the output sounds:

as close as possible to the input at all times (using the 2-band Protection Limiter
preset)

open but more uniform in frequency balance (and often more dramatic) than
the input (using the 2-band structure or running the 5-band Structure with slow
release time)

dense, quite squashed, and very loud (using the 5-band Structure with faster re-
lease times)
The dense, loud setup will make the audio seem to jump out of car and table radios,
but may be fatiguing and invite tune-outs on higher quality home receivers. The
loudness/distortion trade-off explained above applies to any of these setups.
In professional broadcasting environments, you will achieve best results if Engineer-
ing, Programming, and Management go out of their way to communicate and co-
operate with each other. It is important that Engineering understand the sound that
Programming desires, and that Management fully understands the trade-offs in-
volved in optimizing one parameter (such as loudness) at the expense of others
(such as distortion or excessive density).
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-
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OPERATION