pdowns Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 I've seen lots of discussion about which FM transmitter is best. I'd like to stick my neck out and suggest that very few of us give their sound the attention their show deserves. We spend thousands on lights and controllers, and for most, $150 or less on an FM transmitter.I think our sound deserves more than a couple percent of the typical budget.The good news is you "only" need to spend $995 for a Broadcast Warehouse TX5. This is a commercial quality FM transmitter. It will go well with my Showtime Pro Commercial Light Controllers.What! You are already swearing I'm nuts and that's way too much and your xyz only cost $150 and it's great (no, it's not). Did you only spend $150 on your home theater??? There's a reason why not, and you can hear it.So this year I'm going to spend a good portion of my "2012 budget" on sound quality. I heard my brother's TX1 last year and was blown away.The TX5 has a built in power level adjustment that can be set from 30 mw to 5 watts from the front LCD panel. No one needs 5 watts but the TX1 doesn't have this power level feature and that's why I recommend the TX5. You could save some money buying a TX1 and an attenuator but I'm going the lazy route.Your show deserves great sound. Your audience will be amazed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Simmons Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 You're kidding, right?Have you ever listened to a EDM transmitter coupled with a Ramsey T100 antenna? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis Cherry Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 That is overkill just to broadcast in front of your display.You only need to have enough power for viewers to hear the display, anything further a waste.The EDM line of transmitters fits this requirement just fine without spending that much money.Power (10-100 mw.)You will be blown away at the sound quality of the EDM also.Just my 2 cents worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimswinder Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 the transmitter is only as good as the car radio it is being heard on.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james campbell Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 jimswinder wrote: the transmitter is only as good as the car radio it is being heard on.... that is a very good point,also only as good as your sound card Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis Cherry Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 And only a good as the audio file. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Constantino Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 I have to agree. To most people the audio is the last thing they think about. I been using a EDM transmitter for the past few years and I find that it works ok. I have looked into the the TX1 and TX5 and I plan to use one in the next year or two. They are a bit pricey.I get about 50% of people on foot and the other in cars. So being that I am an audio engineer I have already stepped up my PA out side with pro gear. People love the way it sounds.The other thing to keep in mind is, media file and audio source. I use a external audio interface not the sound card on my PC. I also use only WAV files, not MP3's.One thing I learned in the past 16 years as a audio enginner is that "sound" is very subjective. What sounds good to one person may not sound good to the other. Lots of people like MP3's and Bose speakers I think they both sound horrible. To each his own.Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimswinder Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Steve Constantino wrote: I get about 50% of people on foot and the other in cars.Lots of people like MP3's and Bose speakers I think they both sound horrible. To each his own.I also have well over 60% that watch the show from the sidewalk...so have outdoor speakers.Went to a place where I could hear the speakers side by side and ended up buying a pair of Polk Atrium outdoor speakers...blew the BOSE away no problem and quite reasonably priced. Powered by an old Martinez Amplifier... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Constantino Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 jimswinder wrote:Steve Constantino wrote: I get about 50% of people on foot and the other in cars.Lots of people like MP3's and Bose speakers I think they both sound horrible. To each his own.I also have well over 60% that watch the show from the sidewalk...so have outdoor speakers.Went to a place where I could hear the speakers side by side and ended up buying a pair of Polk Atrium outdoor speakers...blew the BOSE away no problem and quite reasonably priced. Powered by an old Martinez Amplifier..."No highs no lows must be Bose" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdowns Posted May 23, 2012 Author Share Posted May 23, 2012 Uh, no, actually I'm not kidding.Yes, I have listened to an EDM and a Ramsey T100 (I used them in my last show). A similar question, have you ever listened to a TX1 or TX5?If you were to compare your show's audio with a local radio station, which would sound better?Another person suggested the TX5 had too much power. This is not at all about power. It's about sound quality.I know my suggestion goes outside of traditional budget guidelines, but for those who might want to improve their audio I wanted to suggest a product they might consider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 i'm curious what you have invested in the lighting side of your show...I agree its subjective, and while I'm extremely happy with my EDM, i'm sure the TX-5 does sound incredible. Good specs, etc. You may very well be the first one on the LOR block to get one. if you can afford it, and want it, don't see a reason not to go for it..What is your plan as far as antenna, etc for the remainder of this broadcast quality installation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdowns Posted May 23, 2012 Author Share Posted May 23, 2012 The entire audio signal chain, from media file to all the parts up to the antenna should be deliberately chosen to get the best sound possible. And I would like to share my opinion that it's possible to make a very noticeable improvement in the sound that is delivered to our viewing audience. I don't get compliments on my "excellent sound." I see this as an opportunity!For me, I tend to get my audio from the iTunes store so I don't have much control over the audio quality. Hey, it's pretty good enough. A radio station would totally disagree.In the past I used a laptop for a show controller with a XITEL MP3-Streamer for my "sound card." (This product is poorly named. It has nothing to do with MP3 files.) I would recommend that product as a good improvement over most laptop audio hardware. And it was less than $50. This year I'll use a new desktop PC that has high quality sound support on the motherboard.Use good cables. I run my sound through an inexpensive Yamaha mixer but that's not necessary. I find the mixer makes it easy for me to tweak the volume so that I drive the transmitter correctly. I don't mess with tone controls because that was the music producers' job.This year I'll use the TX5 transmitter and I'll probably set it for 30 - 50 milliwatts of output. I won't be the first LOR user with a Broadcast Warehouse transmitter.I don't think the antenna has to be chosen too carefully, but you do need to do something deliberate. A $40 folded dipole will get the signal out just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edvas69 Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 pdowns wrote: What! You are already swearing I'm nuts and that's way too much and your xyz only cost $150 and it's great (no, it's not). Did you only spend $150 on your home theater??? There's a reason why not, and you can hear it.Im glad you have that kind of budget where you can spend that much on a transmitter, but really hard to justify in any terms for nearly everyone.A home theater is used all year around and is not restricted by the users own car system when it comes to sound quality comparisons. So the money spent on a home thearter is more justified and not a really good comparison to a transmitter used for a Christmas display. A Christmas display which is used for 1 month a year just doesnt warrant such a high end transmitter. Yes its top quality but hard to justify with the amount of use it would have per year and the majority of listeners would never even notice the difference.The EDM transmitter is the perfect balance of great sound quality and price for our hobby and even that is a bit to pricy for many peoples budgets, but is the best choice if sound quality is an important factor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 edvas69 wrote: pdowns wrote: What! You are already swearing I'm nuts and that's way too much and your xyz only cost $150 and it's great (no, it's not). Did you only spend $150 on your home theater??? There's a reason why not, and you can hear it.Im glad you have that kind of budget where you can spend that much on a transmitter, but really hard to justify in any terms for nearly everyone.A home theater is used all year around and is not restricted by the users own car system when it comes to sound quality comparisons. So the money spent on a home thearter is more justified and not a really good comparison to a transmitter used for a Christmas display. A Christmas display which is used for 1 month a year just doesnt warrant such a high end transmitter. Yes its top quality but hard to justify with the amount of use it would have per year and the majority of listeners would never even notice the difference.The EDM transmitter is the perfect balance of great sound quality and price for our hobby and even that is a bit to pricy for many peoples budgets, but is the best choice if sound quality is an important factor.I think you capture the prevailing opinion.That said I look forward to seeing the light show that showcases the sound system... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Constantino Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 DonFL wrote:That said I look forward to seeing the light show that showcases the sound system...Come stand in front of my house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenL_MCSE Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 I have done a LOT of research on broadcast sound. You are correct about the transmitter, the sound quality is even better than an EDM connected to a computer. But that transmitter is overkill for 30 days of broadcasting. AND add in the fact that most people watching your show are families that are impressed with the entire show and not worried about the quality of sound since the freaking lights are dancing to the music.In my research I found that the best thing to do is use a compressor limiter between your PC and your EDM. I did research on that too; I use a Behringer Composer MDX 2100. The limiter portion keeps the volume at a constant, no peaks, no valleys. The compressor is where the real magic comes from. It is how the professional radio stations make their sound so good. The compressor tightens the sound waves.You can find some info on broadcasting from Radio Brandy and just google some of the info you read there...By the way Radio Brandy recommends EDM too.But if you want to buy that transmitter, it is your money - It seems to me they even recommend a particular antenna too, correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Constantino Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 KenL_MCSE wrote:AND add in the fact that most people watching your show are families that are impressed with the entire show and not worried about the quality of sound since the freaking lights are dancing to the music.How true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big joe Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 if you like it, you should get it. remember it's your money. funny i spend mine on whatever i want .. i think you should too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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