PRODUCTS
Update to Wavelab
includes AAC encoder
implementation
DESCRIBED AS ‘focusing
on encoding and processing
audio les in a most ef cient
way’, Steinberg has released
a version 8.5 update to its
audio editing and mastering
software Wavelab. The update
incorporates a number of new
Wavelab 8.5 includes AAC
encoder implementation
functions including AAC encoder
implementation.
Also new is an automated ‘watch
folder’ rendering feature which
applies processing to all audio les
dropped into designated folders.
Users can assign tasks, such as
dithering, normalisation, plug-in
rendering and audio le format
conversion, to any number of
watch folders without leaving the
software open. Additionally, a new
encoder checker plug-in provides
real-time comparison of codecs
and settings, with an FFT graph
analysing the compressed sound
quality.
Other features includes EBU
R128-compliant loudness
metering, the Sonnox Restoration
Suite and more than 40 plug-ins.
Shipping: Now
Web: www.steinberg.net
Orban brings Optimod-FM 8500 sound to more affordable package
BROADCASTING SPECIALIST
Orban has expanded its Optimod
range of processors with new
additions including the Optimod-FM
5700, described by the manufacturer
for FM and for digital transmissions
like webcasts and HD Radio. The
FM version can also be upgraded
to the HD version via a purchasable
kit (without disconne cting any wiring
ports, plus SNMP support.
Inside the box, the FM and digital
media processing paths split after
the 5700’s stereo enhancer and
AGC. There are two equalisers,
or removing the unit from the rack).
Both iterations of the processor can
deliver up to 16s of delay in the FM
processing chain.
Other features include two
40-character LCD and LED bar
graphs that show all metering
functions (two-band or ve-band),
and Ethernet connectivity as
standard working alongside a PC
remote control application capable
of handling multiple units on a TCP/
IP network. Programmable contactclosure (GPI) control plus ACSII
terminal control is also available via
the unit’s RS-232 serial and Ethernet
multiband compressors, and peak
limiters, allowing the analogue FM
and digital media processing to be
optimised separately. More than 20
factory presets are onboard including
many drawn from the 8500, plus the
option to customise presets of your
own or import previous presets from
other Optimod family members.
Finally, the box boasts a ‘ratings
encoder loop-through’ connection,
allowing a ratings encoder with an
AES3 digital input and output to be
inserted between the output of the
left/right audio processing and the
input of the stereo encoder. The
5700 can also be upgraded to full
8600S functionality.
Meanwhile the Optimod 1552
multi-stream audio processor and
codec is described as providing
‘an integrated audio processing
and network streaming solution in
a 2U rack chassis’. The product is
The Optimod-FM 5700 from Orban
as offering ‘the popular OptimodFM 8500 sound in a compact,
cool-running 1U package at a more
affordable price’. Also new is the
Optimod 1552 multi-stream audio
processor and codec, and the
Optimod-FM 8600 Digital MPX.
Among the key functions of the
Optimod-FM 5700 are stereo
enhancement, equalisation, AGC,
multiband compression, low-IM
peak limiting, stereo encoding, and
composite limiting. Two versions of
the processor are available – the
FM-only 5700FM, the 5700HD, which
includes simultaneous processing
The Optimod 1552 multi-stream audio processor and codec
the rst Orban processor for nonpreemphasised audio channels
incorporating the manufacturer’s MX
peak limiter technology, reportedly
delivering increased clarity and
transient punch thanks to a built-in
psychoacoustic model.
It also marks the rst time that an
Optimod processor runs natively on
Intel hardware, namely a quad-core
Xeon processor which allows the unit
to provide stereo audio processing
for up to 16 streams with MX limiting
defeated and eight streams with
MX limiting activated. Each stream
uses one instance of Optimod code
and one instance of Opticodec-PC
software. I/O is via a Ravenna Audio-
Orban’s Optimod-FM 8600 Digital MPX
over-IP Ethernet connection while
built-in BS.1770-3 and CBS loudness
meters and controllers are also
onboard.
Other features include error
correcting RAM, dual, hot-swappable
power supplies, a RAID5 solid-state
drive array and remote control over a
LAN via dedicated Windows software.
1/4 Horizontal
76 PRO AUDIO ASIA July–August 2014
Last but not least is the OptimodFM 8600 Digital MPX, which provides
a digital composite output using a
192kHz AES3 connection appearing
on a male XLR-type connector on
the breakout cable supplied with the
processor.
A new word clock/sync reference
input appears on a female BNC jack
at the end of the breakout cable that
connects to the digital composite
connector. It accepts a one 5V p-p
squarewave word clock signal at
32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, or 96kHz, or a
10MHz sinewave or squarewave
signal, 0.5 to 5V peak. The version
two hardware also provides two new
SCA inputs on BNC jacks. These are
digitised at a 384kHz sample rate
using 16-bit converters and can only
be mixed into the digital composite
output. All of these features can be
retro tted into pre-version two 8600s
at the Orban factory.
Shipping: Now
Web: www.orban.com