[BC] Re: Super Modulation and distortion

[Lamar Owen]

On Thursday 12 May 2005 12:13, Barry Mishkind wrote:
>          It has been too many years, but I seem to recall that past
>          around 150-170%, you are so asymmetrical that the
>          distortion becomes annoying to the listener.

Since when have many PD's cared whether the listener was annoyed or not?

I know many people who are very annoyed at standard FM composite clipping; but 
loudness rules! (Right?)  I know many people who will be very annoyed by 
IBOC-AM's terrible sounding codec (there's enough waterfall there to give 
Niagara a run for it's money, and I've listened; it's as bad as RealAudio 3 
to my ears).  But progress must not be stopped!  (Right?)  All those news 
sounders, tones, sweepers, and other 'cool sounding gizmos' annoy a 
significant portion of listeners.

That's why iPods, Muvo's, and other low-quality MP3 players are virtually 
flying off shelves: listeners have had all they can stand of Big Radio and 
are annoyed; and they are voting with their pocketbooks.

If there were no modulation limits on AM we would be living in the age of 
1000% positive peaks heavily digitally processed (to try to keep the 
modulation up at that level consistently, of course!  Can't have the mod 
meter actually following the audio, now can we!?)  and annoying the daylights 
out of the few listeners left: all in the name of coverage.

Yes, mostly tongue in cheek there, but not far from the mark.
-- 
Lamar Owen
Director of Information Technology
Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute
1 PARI Drive
Rosman, NC  28772
(828)862-5554
www.pari.edu