The DSPX-AM is a Hit at KHIT
[June 2012] The audio processing field has rarely been as crowded as it is today. Picking the right processor for a station takes time, effort, and a good ear. Chad Owens went on that search.
Lotus Radio Corporation owns three FM and two AM stations in the Reno, NV market. We were in the market for a new processor for KHIT which is our ESPN Radio Affiliate 1 kW non-DA on 1450 kHz.
Our 20+ year old processing chain was on its last leg, preventing us from being truly competitive in the market
DSPX-AM
A couple of local engineers suggested that we give the BW Broadcast audio processor a try. They were using the BWB FM products and the results were outstanding. So I contacted Doug Tharp with SCMS and explained to him that we needed a good high-quality audio processor, but on a tight budget.
He too suggested we try the BWB DSPX-AM.
I already had some previous experience with BW Broadcast products, as we have been using their RBRX1 receiver to take care of some reception issues at a translator site. We loved what the receiver was able to do for our translator, so we figured we would give the DSPX-AM a try.
After bench testing the processor and finding some presets we liked, we decided to put the processor on the air.
Hooking It Up
The installation was easy.
As with most broadcast gear today, XLR is the standard versus the spade terminal connectors which makes installation a snap.
Since we already had spade to XLR connectors on the previous processor, we simply unplugged the XLRs from the old processor and plugged in the new processor. In a matter of seconds, we had turned the audio processing of the station around.
Easy Path to a Good Sound
The menu options on the unit are laid out in a clear, easy to view format which made it simple to adjust settings.
First, I went through the list of presets and found one that I thought would work for sports talk. Ironically it was labeled “Classical Jazz.” Curious to see what type of processing had been dialed up, I made some quick tweaks and decided to go out to the truck to give it a listen.
What I heard I liked, but the overall sound still was not quite there yet. So, I set up the remote access Graphic User Interface (GUI).
It did not take much in the way of additional tweaking. From the GUI I made a few changes and, in the end, found a sound that I felt made our station jump off the dial.
Some Very Happy Managers
How was the new sound received?
The new processing on the station did make quite a difference. It was not long before the AM Operations Manager called and commented on the much improved low-end, brightness, and energy KHIT now had on the AM dial.
However, I knew I had struck gold when the GM called and said, “I was flipping through the dial this morning and thought I was listening to our competition. When the station identification came across I couldn’t believe that is was our station. What did you do?”
The DSPX-AM definitely delivered for us. We now have one of the best sounds in the market, and we did it under budget.
I am happy with our decision to get the DSPXAM. In fact, we like it so much that we bought another one for sister station KPLY.
And I cannot wait to try more products from BW Broadcast.
Chad Owens is the Market Engineer Manager for the Lotus Radio Stations in Reno, NV. His email is: Chad@lotusradio.com
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