This Week In Radio Tech (TWiRT)

When you meet someone who is positively expert at something, you want to ask questions, pick their brain, learn what they know. Jim Kuzman literally wrote the manual for the infamous Omnia 9 audio processor. He knows audio processing inside and out, and especially the processing functions found in the Omnia 9. What does “Undo” do? How should I use a multiband spatial enhancer? How many multibands of processing should I choose? And why are you clipping my bass notes separately? Jim reveals answers to these questions and more!

Show notes:

* Omnia 9 audio processor* Technical articles authored by Jim Kuzman* Radio World “Cool Stuff Award” for Leif Claesson’s “Undo” technology

Guest

Jim Kuzman - Content Strategist - Telos Alliance

Host

Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored by

Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.

Excuse me, can I watch? We're visiting the new studios of K-Love and AIR1 in Franklin, Tennessee, where Bill Jackson is nearly finished with two brand new, world-class radio studios. They’ve just finished hanging some large video monitors, and the acoustic treatment goes up next. Shane talks about K-Love’s remote transmitter sites while Bill describes some of the clever studio construction techniques they’ve put in place.

Show notes:

* Educational Media Foundation* K-LOVE* AIR1* The new studios will be used for several shows, including Skip & Amy on K-LOVE.

Guests

Shane Toven - Senior Broadcast Engineer at EMF K-LOVE & Air1 Media NetworksBill Jackson - Regional Broadcast Studio Engineer at EMF K-LOVE & Air1 Media Networks

Host

Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored by

Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.

Where do Cadillacs and radio engineers intersect? At the corner of Tom and Lawler, that's where! If you don't know Tom Lawler, you will after this episode of TWiRT. Tom is a Customer Support Engineer at RCS, and does on-air shifts at a couple radio stations. He’s also an accomplished engineer with experience in studio and transmitter maintenance. We’re discussing audio source material, his favorite mic, and two great war stories.

Show notes:

* Tom’s tip about Posi-Lock connectors is work noting. Kirk likes them, too!* Tom likes Valley People mic processing. Tom Vernon wrote a story about this for Telos Alliance.* Tom discussed the Digigram UAX220-MIC USB interface.* In one Cadillac Tom installed a Kenwood KDC Media Tuner* And, Tom is a big fan of Cadillac Broughams and Fleetwood Broughams.

Guest

Tom Lawler - Customer Support Engineer at RCS

Host

Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored by

Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.

Would you stay on-the-air if your studio caught fire? What about your transmitter site? Dean K. Wilson is a fire protection expert with a broadcasting background. Indeed, he got started in radio at the age of 12. During his career Dean has provided a variety of fire protection engineering, security engineering, loss prevention, and business process consulting services, as well as development and delivery of training programs and seminars for the National Fire Protection Association and Society of Fire Protection Engineers.

Show notes:

* National Fire Protection Association* Flash Point of Volatile Fuels* Article about Fire Protection Engineering* Halon 1301, aka Bromotrifluoromethane* Broadcast Solutions International - Information on Fire Suppression Systems for Broadcasters

Guest

Dean K. Wilson - President and Chief Consulting Engineer at Dean K. Wilson Associates

Host

Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored by

Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.

You thought ATSC 3.0 (NexGenTV) was all about 4k video and immersive audio, right? That’s what I thought until I heard about Sinclair Broadcast Group and their approaches to enhancing all things media. From Single Frequency ATSC 3 Networks to carriage of dozens of radio stations’ content, Mark Aitken, SVP for Advanced Technology at Sinclair enlightens us on the big plans ahead for ATSC 3.0. Marty Sacks, EVP for Sales, Support, and Marketing at Telos Alliance joins us as well.

Show notes:

* ONE Media – Television’s “Next Generation”* Sinclair Launches First ATSC 3.0 Radio Service In Seattle - Radio Insight article* Monetizing ATSC 3.0 - a webinar and white paper series from ATSC3Advocate.com* Saankhya Labs - wireless chipset & solutions provider* ATSC 3.0 Next Gen Overview video* FCC Modifies DTS Rules for ATSC 3.0 Flexibility - TVTechnology article

Guest

Mark Aitken - SVP of Advanced Technology at Sinclair Broadcast Group

Hosts

Marty Sacks - Executive Vice President of Sales, Support and Marketing at The Telos AllianceKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored by

Broadcasters General Store,

Jason Ornellas is this year’s recipient of Radio World’s Excellence in Engineering Award. One reason for his selection is Jason’s leadership in executing a complex, major market studio build. From design, technology selection, equipment installation, and final commissioning, Jason Ornellas and his team of engineers built one of the most beautiful and effective radio facilities you’ll ever see. Let’s meet Jason and have a look at these gorgeous radio studios!

Show notes:

* Jason Ornellas Makes His Mark - Radio World* V Three Studios helped to architect the new Bonneville Bay Area facility* They Built New Studios During COVID - Radio World* Jason mentioned ION Forge speaker stands* The Bonneville Bay Area studios are equipped with KRK ROKIT G4 speakers

Guest

Jason Ornellas - Regional Director of Engineering at Bonneville International

Host

Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored by

Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. 

Podcasters and broadcasters - Got a problem with your audio? Does your audio not measure up to the "pro" podcasts? Chris Curran is here for a whole hour with up-to-date advice and suggestions for clean, clear audio - always at the right volume. From your recording “space” to mic selection, to mic technique, to compression and post-processing - Chris brings the advice of a recording and podcasting pro.

Show notes:

* We discussed the new Shure MV7 podcast microphone* We mentioned the ubiquitous Shure SM7B dynamic vocal mic* Kirk mentioned his Sennheiser MKH 416 shotgun mic* Also Kirk’s favorite dynamic mic, the Heil PR40* We also discussed a couple of R0DE mics* Kirk likes his dbx 286s mic pre-amp and channel strip* Chris recommends iZotope RX 8 software for automated audio cleanup* Chris also likes the Reaper Digital Audio Workstation software* We mentioned Auphonic for online file processing to “master” your podcasts* And Descript looks very interesting for automatic speech to text and audio/video editing based on dialog

Guest

Chris Curran - Founder of Podcast Engineering School and host of The Podcast Engineering Show

Host

Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored by

Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters.

Are you “done with 2020”? Many of us certainly are. Seems 2020 has been the year of disaster, failure, and disappointment. Hardship for many. We met so many challenges this year with lockdowns, layoffs, scrambling to work from home, and some good friends and colleagues passing away. Tom Ray is our guest, and somewhat of an expert on equipment failures; he sees a lot of them! Despite Tom’s sometimes curmudgeonly disposition, he’s actually an optimistic and positive engineer. On this episode we’re looking at equipment failures that seemed especially rampant this past year, and we look at the bright side of getting these failures repaired and working again.

Show notes:

* Funeral arrangements for Chris Tobin at Perazzo Funeral Home* Photo album from this episode

Guest

Tom Ray - TWiRT contributor and President at Tom Ray Consulting

Hosts

Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored by

Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. 

Most of our TWiRT family and friends know by now that our co-host, Chris Tobin, passed away last Saturday, December 19, 2020. He was 59 years old. We will do a special TWiRT episode in tribute to Chris within a few days. For now, we’re carrying on with today’s TWiRT episode, as I'm quite sure Chris would have wanted. Rest in Peace in God’s arms, Chris.

Over a month ago we decided to do a Christmas Eve edition of This Week in Radio Tech. John Bisset, agreed to be on the show with us to recall some Christmas engineering memories, chat about Christmas gifts, and think about what’s ahead for radio engineers. Plus, we read and answer some comments from engineers as part of a Christmas Eve giveaway.

Show notes:

* We gave away three of these ONN Surf 7” Android tablets* John mentioned Mouse Magic, the rodent repellent with a minty aroma* We think 2021 will bring more virtualization, such as the Axia iQs

Guest

John Bisset - Director, Western US Sales, Telos Alliance & Author of Workbench at Radio World

Hosts

Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored by

Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. 

Andy Gladding got started in radio engineering at Hofstra University on Long Island, NY. Now he’s Chief at the Salem radio stations in New York City. Andy applies plenty of expertise, an eagerness to learn more, and a great sense of humor to the challenges of engineering in US market #1. Plus we learn about taking care of nationally-distributed talk shows and Andy’s wish to provide a clear path to students interested in broadcast engineering.

Show notes:

* Hofstra University* WRHU-FM at Hofstra University* AM 970 - The Answer - Salem Radio’s 50kW New York City station* The Joe Piscopo Show on AM 970* The Mike Gallagher Show* WMCA - AM 570* New York SBE Chapter 15

Guest

Andy Gladding - Chief Engineer at Salem Media Group

Hosts

Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored by

Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.