Steely Dan
12th July 2002, 13:47
Ah Yes, a contentious issue for some techies and Radio anoraks. Does anyone ever find when you are listening to a radio station such as FM104, 98FM, Lite FM, Today FM, and 2FM that their whole output in terms of sound is far too clinical, perfectionist, rigid and lacks any sound creativity. In other words, when you're listening to their music, the least you will ever expect to happen in terms of technical error is a jumped CD or if your very lucky there might be a few seconds silence. Don't get me wrong, i think if a station is constantly experiencing problems of that magnitude, i guess their equipment and technology is seriously dodgy and unreliable to use, and they should look at the alternatives.
People in the industry say that all radio stations should try and avoid technical hitches as much as possible as it sounds terribly unprofessional for outfits like the mainstream stations to be making mistakes on a constant level. Naturally enough, human error is always going to happen, that's life i guess. I suppose it depends how you deal with such a spontanous technical hitch such as "Dead Air" or a CD jumping, or even the likes of Lite FM's ENCO Computer crashing unexpectingly without any prior warning.
Anyhow, i think stations could invest in using vinyl to some degree, i feel the listener can connect with the sound and the radio station alot better. For example you hear a little crackle of the vinyl playing on the Deck and you say to yourself ah yes, thats real old-fashioned radio. The radio of the Pirate radio days would be back with you again.
To be honest with you, i think the likes of having two simple sophisicated top of the range record decks in your studio, would seem to me to be less stressful than having a computer crashing or Cd jumping all the time. Of course, you have the problems of the needle sliding on the vinyl if your record is not cleaned. The same senario goes for the CD or your computer, they all need constant checking.
I do understand that radio stations want to make their lives and the lives of their presenters as hassle free as possible, by transferring all their music onto computer. No problem to an extent. And then as your back up you have a mini-disc or Cd Players.Your then into the very clinical sound, where you will never hear as much as even a scratch. I'm just a traditionalist when it comes to all this radio technology.
Been realistic radio stations would achieve a much better more natural mix as opposed to the Lite FM mix which doesn't sound the best. Even if radio stations introduced more vinyl on specialist shows, it would address the balance and reduce the very clinical sound of the radio station. Any thoughts?
Euan Roberts.
People in the industry say that all radio stations should try and avoid technical hitches as much as possible as it sounds terribly unprofessional for outfits like the mainstream stations to be making mistakes on a constant level. Naturally enough, human error is always going to happen, that's life i guess. I suppose it depends how you deal with such a spontanous technical hitch such as "Dead Air" or a CD jumping, or even the likes of Lite FM's ENCO Computer crashing unexpectingly without any prior warning.
Anyhow, i think stations could invest in using vinyl to some degree, i feel the listener can connect with the sound and the radio station alot better. For example you hear a little crackle of the vinyl playing on the Deck and you say to yourself ah yes, thats real old-fashioned radio. The radio of the Pirate radio days would be back with you again.
To be honest with you, i think the likes of having two simple sophisicated top of the range record decks in your studio, would seem to me to be less stressful than having a computer crashing or Cd jumping all the time. Of course, you have the problems of the needle sliding on the vinyl if your record is not cleaned. The same senario goes for the CD or your computer, they all need constant checking.
I do understand that radio stations want to make their lives and the lives of their presenters as hassle free as possible, by transferring all their music onto computer. No problem to an extent. And then as your back up you have a mini-disc or Cd Players.Your then into the very clinical sound, where you will never hear as much as even a scratch. I'm just a traditionalist when it comes to all this radio technology.
Been realistic radio stations would achieve a much better more natural mix as opposed to the Lite FM mix which doesn't sound the best. Even if radio stations introduced more vinyl on specialist shows, it would address the balance and reduce the very clinical sound of the radio station. Any thoughts?
Euan Roberts.