"Mike Gilmour" wrote in message
...

"JustMe" wrote in message
...
[clip]

OTOH, plenty of amps will *add* what sounds like extra 'depth' and
'punch', but is really just IMD and clipping. Bizarrely, a reduced
dynamic range often sounds more 'dynamic'. All radio station sound
engineers are well aware of this trick.

I have never found the dynamic range compression employed by many
radio
stations to do anything more than suck the life, soul and energy out
of
the music being transmitted - it sounds ****.

The compression applied by radio stations, etc, tends to be various
forms
of 'gain riding' where the gain is altered as the music plays -
sometimes
also altering the frequency response. However the compression applied
by
an
amp going into clipping would not behave like this as it would distort
the
waveforms and introduce extra components, not just alter the gain.
Hence
you can expect the two forms of 'compression' to not sound the same.

I appreciate that there are different types of compression. I was
referring
specifically to the dynamic range compression employed by broadcasters,
separate to other steps along the transmission line or in the
reproduction
equipment of the listener. It is this to which I was specifically
objecting.



Unfortunately radio stations especially commercial ILR's are in strong
competition as to the way their station 'sounds'. In many ways this is
not
dissimilar to the music industries drive for your output to be 'louder'
than
your rivals. Its a vicious circle where values held by the serious
listener
are at odds with commercial pressures and I fear common sense. (Its a mad
mad mad world)

Agreed - however I find British commercial radio to be pap in so many ways.
However the Beeb could take a moral high ground in this regard. After all,
they're not commercial (as if!) and so don't need to compete.

You may find this interesting
http://www.masterdigital.com/24bit/images/rdioproc.pdf
I'm at present looking into output processors for a new FM radio
station..and they all claim to be the best but I wonder...... (-:

Yes, it makes it clear just what a juggling act commercial broadcasters are
involved in.
However we've all heard music sound outstanding on the radio, as well as
pap. A lot of the papness is down to choice. The fact that such influences
are more defined in pop broadcasting irritates me more, as this is the music
that I mostly enjoy (although rarely on the radio).

Mike