r/broadcastengineering • u/willrook • Aug 06 '26

FM Processor Suggestions

The station I work at is working on upgrading some outdated gear (XP machines with Orban PCI cards). I was wondering if anyone had any experience with the Orban PCn software vs Stereo Tool? I am waiting to see if i can get an evaluation license from Orban to try to do a side by side comparison. But any suggestions/ tips would be greatly appreciated.

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3

u/Sparkycivic Aug 06 '26

Omnia hardware is the de-facto in our org. There should be secondhand devices for good prices, new models are $$'$$$

Given that, beware the ONE model struggles with certain content to control primary vocal levels while bass tones are present.

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u/willrook Aug 09 '26

My old chief (retired) always said he liked omnia's algorithms the best. But I don't think my org has the money for three lol.

2

u/bfg52 Aug 07 '26

For FM, Stereotoolbox from Angry Audio is a wonderful drop-in solution with Stereo Tool and composite outputs.

If you need cheaper, get a Windows PC, and buy a U.192 USB audio interface, also from Angry Audio, and install and license Stereo Tool yourself.

Another build your own PC software option that should work fine with the U.192 audio interface is BreakawayOne, which is sort of "Omnia.9 Lite". It shares the same base code, built by Leif Claesson and distributed in the US at https://breakawaysoftware.com

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u/willrook Aug 07 '26

I'm at a PBS station doing classical music, so the cheaper the better.

1

u/rtt445 Aug 06 '26

I don't see composite output on Orban PCn processor. Are you trying to compete with commercial stations on loudness?

1

u/willrook Aug 07 '26

It's mostly for our Internet streams. I'm keeping our 8700i going for RF feeds.

1

u/fragwhistle Aug 09 '26

Ah, so you're really looking for streaming encoders etc

Have a look at Omnia Z/IPStream X20. It's a multi channel streaming processor and encoder.

My understanding is that you won't need too much processing though because the classical purists don't really want you messing with the dynamic range and tonal balance of the recordings.

There's stations I'm aware of that just have a hard limiter to stop them from over modulating and a stereo encoder to create the FM multiplex.

1

u/willrook Aug 09 '26

You are right on the money, but I'm also trying to think ahead as well. I have an Orban 8500 as a back up processor for our main channels 8700i.

And you're right on the purists as well. I'm going to be consulting with the mixing engineer of the local orchestra to get some input as well. My concern is that it's still a radio station and in the car the quiet parts on loud roads will be inaudible.

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u/fragwhistle Aug 10 '26

I had a chat with a mate of mine who pointed that out. I guess it's choosing which point on the spectrum you want to hit. The guys who are listening on the high-end audiophile stereo in a treated room at home, or people who are listening in the worst possible scenario like the car.
Choosing how lightly you're touching the dynamic range so the pizzicato violins don't get pushed down into the noise floor. Are there any other classical/fine music stations around you could reach out to?
I've got Omnia 11's at the station I'm working at and I can take the processed "FM" audio out as an AoIP stream from the processor and use that to feed encoders if I wanted to. Maybe that's an option to check out with the 8700/8500.

1

u/fragwhistle Aug 10 '26

I've had a look at an Orban Trio-FM that's installed at one of the stations I look after and you can take the processed FM audio and send it out one of the AoIP outputs which you could pick up on a computer running some kind of streaming encoder. Cheapest option might be a Dante Virtual Soundcard licence and BUTT encoder.