Audessence ProCoder 3 Digital Audio Processor

Audessence introduces ProCoder-3, a fully-featured final FM processor / stereo – RDS encoder combination with optional IP control.

Older FM sites can have their sound upgraded easily and at modest cost. Many transmitters and audio links suffer from overshoots that make it impossible to optimise loudness and audio quality! This product includes low frequency compensator and advanced HF overshoot inhibiting algorithms for getting the best modulation yield (and therefore coverage) out of all FM transmission sites.

ProCoder-3 also solves the perennial problem of where to locate FM audio processing by taking care of all the audio processing and peak control tasks required at FM transmission sites, bringing modern DSP technology to solve problems that equivalent analogue products typically do not even address. Preferred multiband processors can be located at the studio for convenience, and ProCoders deployed at the FM site or sites set to sonically transparent mode.

Perfect peak control is assured by overshoot-compensated 16kHz Lowpass filters, antialiasing main clippers and even a digital composite clipper (running at over 1.5MHz) if required. Post-clip filtering options allow experts to optimise sound quality and loudness trade-offs.

Composite connections include 19kHz sync output and RDS/RBDS /SCA input. Inputs include digital (AES-3) and balanced analogue, and these can fall back to secondary input if primary audio fails. Control is via USB (front panel) and RS2-232 (rear panel) with TCP/IP option available. A total of 9 presets are held in ProCoder’s non-volatile memory. DSP software is upgradeable via the GUI (Windows software included, with free upgrades). Future enhancements planned include a stereo enhancer and RDS / RBDS encoding options.

Benefits:

– No compromise on loudness or clarity, fully-digital throughout
– ‘Transparent’ mode enables main (multi-band) audio processor location at the studio
– Save an enormous amount of money if you are equipping multiple transmission sites!
– Very effective in ‘stand-alone’ mode also: AGC, compression, & brightness enhancer
– Improve reliability and save money with automatic audio fail detect and switching
– Reliable, maintenance-freelow heat dissipation = NO FAN NEEDED OR USED!
– Fully-featured integral RDS encoder
– Now supports ITU-412 Powerlimiter
– UECP – RT – TMC RDS encoder functions

Applications:

– FM networks: use at transmission site, locate preferred multiband processor at studio
– Satellite ‘drop-downs’, telco-fed FM sites (analogue or digital) and RBFM repeaters
– Stand-Alone FM processing
– All Network, Commercial & Community radio

Features:

• – ‘Transparent mode’ offers brick-wall peak limiting without disturbing sonic signature
• – Automatic silence detect and fall-back to secondary audio source (defeatable)
• – Composite clipper for ‘last ounce’ loudness with perfect pilot and subcarrier protection
• – Overshoot-compensated 15.5kHz low-pass filters
• – GPI tallies for: PSU OK, DSP watchdog, primary audio OK, All-OK
• – Advanced AGC as used in our ALPS levellers offers unsurpassed, rapid control of levels
• – Presence enhancer to brighten programme if used without multiband pre-processing
• – No-tamper front panel (set-up by PC only: GUI software, USB and RS-232 ports provided)
• – Bright, always-visible LED bar-graphs for instant confidence checks
• – Very low audio latency (7 milliseconds), very fast boot-up (<1 second)
• – TCP-IP connectivity option
• – Left/Right audio outputs option
• – Factory presets deliver exactly the results you need for any application …fast
• – Integral fully-featured RDS encoder