[BC] How do people get Optimod Keys?

[JIM GRAHAM]

Do you mean facilitator?  Good for you.  My situation is different, that is, NO choice on format of source material.  No one is allowed to adjust modulation or pilot injection.  One of our PDs came to me to clean up his station's audio.  I adjusted, let him hear it, made minor adjustments, and he loves it.  It's those who think they hired someone with a golden ear that I can't allow myself to be concerned with what they want to do.
 
Jim Graham
jgprods at bellsouth.net

From: Broadcast List USER <Broadcast at fetrow.org>

Oh, I TOTALLY disagree.  I work for the GM, and I am a facillator.  My 
job does not depend on the sound of the station, as long as I can give 
the GM the sound he wants.  I try to get the GM to work with the PD. 
I will give the PD any sound he wants as long as the GM agrees.

On the other hand, I DO try to guide them.  I explain that they have 
hearing loss from loud headphone use, and that they should be careful 
about what they want.  I explain how women are much more sensitive 
than men, especially men with high frequency hearing loss.  I try to 
keep them away from hard audio clipping and composite clipping.

I then make sure the plant is as perfect as possible, so it can be 
processed and not have artifacts.

This includes having absolutely no MP3 files on the air.  Sadly, many 
agencies only provide MP3 files as e-mail attachment for commercials, 
but I try like crazy to ensure no voice tracking or anything similar 
comes in as MP3 files.

I would never give announcers the keys to the castle.  They will 
constantly tweak and tweak, and if nothing else, the station will 
never have a consistent sound.

I have given female jocks a separate mic processing chain, and given 
them keys to switch to that chain.  I use key switches that won't 
release the key in the ON position.  They are required put the key on 
their car key ring, so they are sure to switch back to male processing 
so they can take their keys.  Some female voices are very hard to 
process, and need different mic processing.

Then again, if I had a PD that wanted to adjust the processing 
himself, I would let him, under my supervision so I could ensure the 
station remained legal.  I have seen some who want to run the Pilot at 
3% to reduce its contribution to the composite so they could "modulate 
more."  Stupid, but true.

A CE's job is to keep the station legal, and give the other employees 
what they need to do their job.  If a PD wants to run all the women 
off, it is his job on the line, not mine.

--chip

On Feb 26, 2010, at 9:00 AM, broadcast-request at radiolists.net wrote:

> Message: 1
> From: JIM GRAHAM <jgprods at bellsouth.net>
>
> No key needed for "mic processors".  To keep any of my sanity, I 
> pretty much don't care what these clowns do to 'em.  If someone 
> other than the offending tweaker complains, I'll go look at it.  In 
> fact, with the digital Optimods, I give 'em the IP and password and 
> let 'em have at it.  They don't care for my "ear", which doesn't 
> like all that density!
>
> Jim Graham