March 2012 Meeting – Orban

The first time I laid eyes on an Orban product was when we had moved a newly purchased FM station in Eugene, Oregon in 1977, upgrading it to stereo, raising it by 1500 feet elevation, and dropping the elevator music in favor of a new brand of FM top 40. I set the new Orban 8000 at about 5 dB of compression and walked away. That, and a set of new heads for the Revox tape decks made “K-Sound” really sparkle, even though my successor would turn up the gain to trade off some of the fidelity for loudness. He understood the business better than I did.

Orban’s chops in the broadcast radio and TV realm are certainly undisputed. The company continues to address the needs of current broadcast technology, with processors to address specific needs for digital side channels, streaming, and the new TV loudness rules. Our next meeting features two of the rock stars of broadcast audio. Orban Founder and VP of Engineering Bob Orban will discuss the workings of the new Orban Optimod-TV 8685 for Surround Sound and loudness control. Also, Orban VP of New Product Development Greg Ogonowski will discuss the latest in streaming technology offered by Orban.

This is your chance to meet Bob and Greg and ask those nagging questions you have about audio processing. Let’s give these guys a big welcome Wednesday, March 14 at noon at TV Magic, 8112 Engineer Road in Kearny Mesa, San Diego. As always, members and guests are welcome.