Orban Europe GmbH

Optimum audiO prOcessing

For over four decades, Orban with its renowned Optimod series has remained the leading manufacturer of AM – FM – DAB – television loudness controllers and streaming audio processors in a constantly evolving market. Orban introduced the first FM audio processor in the mid-70s. From the BBC and the CNN, broadcasters around the globe rely on Orban Optimod to ensure their audio quality is perfect. The very first loudness controller, the Optimod TV 8180A was introduced in 1981 and was sold to broadcasters around the globe.

In July 2016, Orban was acquired by Day Sequerra who develop and manufacture broadcast equipment for radio and television. The engineering team based in San Leandro, USA, is headed by the company’s founder Bob Orban. In 2009, the company moved its manufacturing and global sales operations to Orban Europe GmbH in Germany.

televisiOn audiO prOcessing sOund that Keeps audiences satisFied

The Optimod TV-8685 is Orban’s secondgeneration surround/2.0 processor. In addition to the effective automatic loudness control of its predecessor, the TV-8685 offers new input/output capabilities that include support for SDI and HD-SDI and for Dolby E.

The built-in Orban-developed Optimix upmixer provides automatic and completely convincing stereo-to-surround upmixing with a solid, discrete centre channel. Unlike technology derived from consumer matrix decoders, there is no programmedependent directional pumping of sound sources. Unique to this technology is an extremely robust centre channel phase/ skew correction that never causes negative side effects. It is invaluable for older material that was originally recorded on analogue tape. Optimix’s output downmixes to stereo flawlessly and the skew correction makes downmix sound better than the original stereo.

There are large, important subjective differences between Optimod TV-8685 and competing processors. Optimod TV-8685 has a unique architecture that processes the centre channel to correct spectral and loudness balance problems that compromise dialogue intelligibility in ill-considered mixes. Many broadcasters have suffered increased viewer complaints about unintelligible dialogue after having installed the leading competitive processor. The TV-8685 does the opposite in addition to flawless loudness control, it improves dialogue intelligibility and maintains a full, natural sound without exaggerated ‘esses’, hollowed-out mid-range, or obtrusive pumping of ambient sound. Thanks to the Optimix upmixer, which cleanly extracts dialogue from stereo sources, the TV-8685

can even improve dialogue from the original source. These factors are why the TV-8685’s subjective audio quality wins every serious shoot-out when compared to its competition.

The TV-8685 is dialnorm-aware. Loudness control is excellent when measured by the ITU BS.1770-2 and EBU R-128 standards or by the TV-8685’s built-in CBS loudness metres, allowing stations to comply effortlessly with the requirements of the CALM act. An included logging application allows time-stamped indications of the TV8685’s built-in BS.1770-2 short-term and integrated loudness metres to be written to a Windows PC’s local or network storage.

OptimOd-Fm 8600 - a Winning strategy

In the toughest competitive environment ever, a winning strategy is the Optimod-FM 8600, Orban’s flagship processor. Featuring versatile five-band and two-band processing for both analogue FM transmission and digital media, the 8600 provides the industry’s most consistent sound, track-totrack and source-to-source. This consistency allows you to create a sonic signature for your station with the assurance that the signature will stay locked in, uniquely branding your sound.

The 8600 builds on 8600 V4’s outstanding reliability and industry-leading sound quality. A digital MPX output using a 192 kHz AES3 connection is now standard, as are two digitised SCA inputs. An important feature is a phase skew corrector/multipath mitigator that ensures crisp reaction when receivers blend to mono, and minimises energy in the stereo sub-channel without compromising separation. The phase skew corrector uses a proprietary multi-dimensional processing programme algorithm that can simultaneously correct several unequal delay errors, such as multiple-microphone pickup of a single instrument in the original recording session combined with left/right gap skew in an analogue mixdown recorder.

Orban’s exclusive MX peak limiter technology decreases distortion while increasing transient punch and high frequency power handling capacity. Compared to the 8500’s limiter, the MX limiter typically provides 2.5 to 3 dB more power at high frequencies, which minimises audible HF loss caused by pre-emphasis limiting. Drums and percussion cut through the mix. Highs are airy. ‘Problem material’ that used to cause audible distortion is handled cleanly.

The 8600’s main goal is to make FM analogue broadcasts more competitive with the cleanliness, punch and open high frequencies of the digital media against which FM analogue transmissions now battle. The FM loudness wars represented 20th century thinking but in the 21st century digital media is the new competition. Thanks to crisp, punchy sound, the 8600 helps level the playing field between analogue FM and its ever more aggressive digital-only competitors.

In addition to the mitigator and phase

skew correction, the 8600 provides stereo enhancement, HF enhancement, equalisation, AGC, multiband compression, low-IM peak limiting, stereo encoding and composite limiting — everything that even the most competitive major market station needs to stand out on the dial.

Processing for digital media like DAB+, netcasts and HD Radio is supplied standard. The FM and digital media processing paths split after the 8600’s stereo enhancer and AGC. There are two equalisers, multiband compressors and peak limiters, allowing the analogue FM and digital media processing to be optimised separately. The result - processing that optimises the sound of your

cOmpany milestOnes

Peter Lee, Vice President European Operations, Orban.

1967 First Orban product sold to customer: a stereo synthesiser sold to WOR-FM, New York.

1973 First popularly priced parametric EQ introduced: the Orban/Parasound 621.

1974 First recording studio-oriented de-esser introduced: Orban/Parasound 516EC.

1975 OPTIMOD 8000 audio processor introduced for the new FM format.

1978 OPTIMOD-AM 9000A offers AM stations a more ‘FM-like’ sound quality and reduced interference. In modified form, the receiver equaliser and lowpass filter ideas form the basis for the NRSC-1 standard issued in 1987.

1980 The multiband Optimod-FM 8100A was introduced, later to become the most popular FM audio processor/stereo generator ever made. The 8100A is the first Orban FM product to use the patented distortion-cancelling clipper. 1981 Optimod-TV 8180A brings smooth, naturalsounding processing to television audio.

1982 Optimod-AM Model 9100A introduced.

1983 Optimod-TV Model 8182A introduced.

1984 The 8100A/XT 6-Band Accessory Chassis allowed 8100 owners to upgrade to six-band processing with a multiband distortion-cancelling clipper. 1985 Orban BTSC Stereo Television system introduced.

1986 275A Automatic Stereo Synthesiser introduced.

1987 Second-generation 8185A BTSC Stereo Generator introduced to significantly improve separation over first-generation 8182A/SG unit.

1988 222A Stereo Spatial Enhancer introduced. Designed for use in FM stereo transmission. Optimod-HF 9105 introduced to meet the needs of international shortwave broadcasters around the globe.

1989 Orban Associates purchased by AKG Acoustics.

1991 Orban leads the transition to digital with the first successful DSP-based FM audio processor, Optimod-FM 8200.

1993 Bob Orban shares Scientific and Engineering Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with Dolby engineering team. Orban becomes a Harman International Company.

1994 DSE 7000 digital audio work station, the only DAW designed specifically for radio, is re-branded an Orban product.

1995 Bob Orban awarded NAB’s Radio Engineering Achievement Award.

1996 First low-priced, all digital processor for FM introduced, Optimod-FM 2200.

FM channel while punching remarkably crisp, clean, CD-like audio through to your digital channel audience.

exciting pOssibilities

More than 20 excellent sounding, formatspecific factory presets get you started. You will find all your favourite 8500 presets, plus ‘MX’ presets that exploit the exciting possibilities inherent in the 8600’s MX peak limiter technology.

Although the factory presets are fully competent ‘out of the box’, they can be customised with easy on-knob LESS/MORE control or with more than 60 advanced controls whose versatility will satisfy even the most finicky on-air sound designer.

If you choose to use the 8600’s superb DSP-based stereo encoder and composite limiter, be assured that they deliver an FM analogue signal that is always immaculately clean and perfectly peak limited, with full spectral protection of subcarriers and RDS/RBDS regardless of the amount of composite limiting. A full featured RDS/ RBDS generator that supports dynamic PS is standard.

The 8600 includes ITU-R BS.1770-3 loudness metres and loudness controllers for use in countries that enforce a BS.1770 loudness limit on FM radio broadcasts. There are independent loudness metres and loudness controllers for the FM and digital radio processing chains. For more detailed technical information, visit www.orban.com.

cOntact

Orban europe gmbh

Monreposstrasse 55 D71634 Ludwigsburg Germany

Tel: +49 71 412 2660 Email: pjlee@orban-europe.com Website: www.orban.com

1997 Orban introduces the digital Optimod-AM 9200. Audicy is launched as the second-generation digital audio workstation.

1998 Audicy networking launched with multiple workstations linked to a central server set up at Jacor, San Diego (KGB, KKLQ, KIOZ) and Radio Free Asia. 1999 Optimod-DAB 6200 the first digital audio processor for digital transmission including DTV, DAB and netcasting. 2000 Orban is purchased by CRL Systems, Inc.

2001 Orban introduces OPTICODEC line of Codecs at NAB, Las Vegas.

2002 Optimod-FM 8400HD ships. This is the first allin-one audio processor for analogue and digital broadcasting.

2003 Optimod-FM 8300 is introduced at NAB in Las Vegas. Optimod-PC ships. This is the world’s first audio PCI Sound Card with Optimod-class DSP for broadcast signal processing. 2004 Optimod-FM 2300 and Optimod-TV 8382 are introduced at NAB in Las Vegas.

2005 Optimod-FM 8500, Optimod-FM 8400 Signature Series, Optimod-FM 5300, Opticodec-PC 1010 version 2, and Opticodec-PC 1020 File Encoder are introduced at NAB2005 in Las Vegas. The Optimod-FM 8500 wins the Radio World ‘Cool Stuff’ Award. 2006 Orban and Coding Technologies announce the availability of a public beta for the new Orban/ Coding Technologies AAC/aacPlus Player Plugin.

2007 Orban begins shipping the new Optimod 6300 high-quality, multipurpose stereo audio processor. Orban also introduces the all-digital 9300 Optimod-AM audio processor.

2008 Orban introduces Optimod 8585 featuring twoband and five-band audio processing for 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound broadcasting, netcasting and mastering. Orban introduces a loudness metre software for Windows XP and Vista.

2009 The New Orban Optimod-PC 1101 begins shipping, offering stereo enhancement, automatic gain control (AGC), equalisation, multiband gain control, peak-level control, and subjective loudness control.

2010 Orban Optimod-FM 8600 FM processor launched.

2011 Orban begins shipping Optimod-TV 8685 for 5.1 and 7.1 Surround Sound.

2012 Orban introduces the Optimod-TV 6585 at NAB, providing audibly transparent automatic loudness control and dialogue intelligibility control.

2016 Orban is purchased by Day Sequerra from CRL Systems. 2016 At IBC in Amsterdam ORBAN shows the iMix 5.1 Headphone Monitor.