Monday Morning Coffee and Technical Notes

May 19, 2025 View as Webpage

 May Webinar

The 2025 NAB, held in Las Vegas is now over and all the equipment and personnel have returned to their respective companies. If you miss this year’s convention or would like a review, plan to join us May 20^th at 10:00 AM central for our regular monthly Engineering Webinar.

Paul McLane Editor-in-Chief Radio World will be our special guest to share the latest in equipment and information presented at this year’s convention.

Don't miss this most informative presentation.

online registration is available here.

ABIP Seminar

The ABA Engineering Academy is excited to announce it will offer a special two-day seminar covering the Alternative Broadcast Inspection Program (ABIP).

This live training seminar is designed for current ABIP inspectors and those that are interested in becoming an inspector. We also have opened the seminar up to any engineer that is interested in learning more about the inspection program. The seminar is offered at no cost by the Alabama Broadcasters Association.

We have scheduled the seminar for August 18^th & 19^th, 2025. On the first day we will be in the classroom, going over the inspection details (Online public files, EAS, Transmitter site and basic operational items). The second day will feature on-site mock inspections at area broadcast transmitters (AM, FM and Television).

The class will be held at the ABA Training Center, 2180 Parkway Lake Drive in Hoover, AL (Birmingham). It will start at 8:30 AM central both days. Instructors are John George, ABIP inspector for South Carolina and Larry Wilkins ABIP inspector for Alabama.

You can register online here. On the registration page is a list of area hotels that have special reduced prices for attendees.

  GIRATS

This is an acrostic for Get It Right At The Source. Whether you are starting a new installation, trouble shooting a problem or adjusting the system, always start at the source. If the source audio or video is flawed, then there is not much you can do to correct it downstream. 

I hear people say “We can fix it in the mix or edit”. That is not always possible, you can mask it maybe, but it will never be like the original sound or video.



Spending time getting source material correct can save a lot of work later in the mix. At the end of the day what you are trying to get is the original sound or video to the public with no artifacts. 

EAS on All Streams

As a reminder to all engineers, FCC part 11.51 (c) indicates all analog and digital radio and television stations shall transmit EAS messages in the main audio channel. All DAB stations shall also transmit EAS messages on all audio streams. All DTV broadcast stations shall also transmit EAS messages on all program streams.

This simply means that all FM stations that are operating in DAB mode must transmit all required EAS activations over the main channel (analog and HD-1) plus any additional sub channels (HD-2, HD-3 etc.). The same is true for television stations, EAS audio and video must be transmitted on all streams (main channel .1) plus any additional streams (.2, .3, .4, etc.)

Some television stations have problems ingesting and triggering the EAS in their encoders. Make sure to contact the encoder manufacturer for the correct procedure. When tests or alerts are being transmitted, verify that all streams are sending the data. The EAS unit only logs that it generated the test or alert…not that it actually went over the air.

What is the SMPTE?

Video standards are defined and ratified by SMPTE, the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, which consists of industry professionals and manufacturers that work together to create standards so that equipment from various companies work with each other. Without this organization’s stamp of approval, you would likely have to purchase all of your equipment from a single manufacturer and innovation would stagnate.

SMPTE has been Delivering Standards Since 1916 and has been the innovator of some of the most iconic standards for high-quality content, as well as those that are facilitating the transition to an IP-based multiscreen world. And SMPTE continues to innovate at a rapid clip.

Today's key standards include Material eXchange Format (MXF), Interoperable Master Format (IMF), and Serial Digital Interface (SDI and HD-SDI), while emerging standards, like High Dynamic Range (HDR) and ST 2110 for digital video over IP, continue to ensure that all areas of the industry have a common foundation for development, operation, and quality.

Keeping up with your Tools

Storing tools the right way makes life easier when there's a job to be done. But the storage and organization possibilities are almost endless

Regardless of whether you're dealing with a million sockets or a single screwdriver, the basic goals are the same. As you evaluate tool storage ideas, keep these principles in mind:

Keep it organized: A jumbled kit is a recipe for wasted time. Organization means you know just where to find just what you need.

Keep it safe: Tools can be costly, and your storage system needs to protect them. That might mean shielding them from unnecessary knocking around, or it might mean safeguarding them from would-be thieves.

Keep it portable: With the right storage system you'll have the things you need right where you want them.

Don't let your tool chest become a black hole. There are many types of tool organizers that can help you keep even the smallest stuff in its place.

Soft tool bags are lightweight and easy to store.

Pro Audio – Cut before Boost

While we normally say, “there are no rules in audio mixing”, there a lot of “best practices”.

One of those involves equalization or EQ. Always cut frequencies before boosting.

Grammy winning mix engineer Andrew Schelp says, “the first goal of a mix engineer is listening to the mix and listen for anything you hear that is not supposed to be there, then proceed to remove it”. Most often that will be completed with level and/or EQ settings.

Be sure to listen in full context of all the tracks. Keep repeating the listening test until nothing is heard that doesn’t belong.

After that you may find a track that needs a little boost in a certain frequency range to help it blend with the other tracks.

Be careful because when you boost a frequency you are raising the level of that track, so balance the level when boosting EQ. What you are looking for is a “season to taste” balance.



At the end of the day, any dynamics added to the mix (including EQ) should never draw attention to itself.  

Now that is real radio!