Just listened for the last couple of hours and I must admit I've really enjoyed the mix of tracks.
Reminds me of the fictional 'Forever FM' from Peter Kay's Care Share.
Just listened for the last couple of hours and I must admit I've really enjoyed the mix of tracks.
Reminds me of the fictional 'Forever FM' from Peter Kay's Care Share.
I always thought the BBC missed a trick by not launching a Forever FM popup station on Sounds to coincide with the series.
They can, only online of course with the same vibe and change the name of the station to Capital FM Retro or something like that. Dust off the old jingles, station ID's and go.
Just listened for the last couple of hours and I must admit I've really enjoyed the mix of tracks.
Reminds me of the fictional 'Forever FM' from Peter Kay's Care Share.
I always thought the BBC missed a trick by not launching a Forever FM popup station on Sounds to coincide with the series.
I'm enjoying the audio on this, it takes me back. It'd be interesting to hear a side-by-side comparison of the same track being played on WSQK vs, say, Heart 80s eg Running Up That Hill. Hopefully this isn't the last we hear from the FM250.
Just listened for the last couple of hours and I must admit I've really enjoyed the mix of tracks.
Reminds me of the fictional 'Forever FM' from Peter Kay's Care Share.
I always thought the BBC missed a trick by not launching a Forever FM popup station on Sounds to coincide with the series.
It's not the first station to fall foul of the Peter Kay legal machine - they tried it on with the real Chorley FM (which was, er, an FM station in Chorley) but got nowhere because you can't copyright a town name.
Global really have nailed this, as previous posters have said.
The processing is a reminder of how good it was in the 80s. Even with an 80s Invonnics FM processor you can hear the difference even on the web stream. It's punchier but more natural sounding than current digital processing.
It's certainly different.
I'm not sure I'd say more natural. Perhaps more fatiguing, I like the music but after 15 minutes I tuned it because it had practically zero dynamics.
Modern processors are much better at retaining dynamics.
The Invonics 250 was a nice unit when not running "hard". It sounds like it's been set very hard to me. If it was backed off just 6dB it would sound very nice.
I think they've turned down the top and bottom bands a little to give it a subtle AM mid range sound as well.
I have an Inovonics 255 processor which was a "more vicious" and cheaper version of the 250 released in 1987. Here's what it sounds like with an 80s music stream ... http://canada1.reliastream.com:8096/stream
Global really have nailed this, as previous posters have said.
The processing is a reminder of how good it was in the 80s. Even with an 80s Invonnics FM processor you can hear the difference even on the web stream. It's punchier but more natural sounding than current digital processing.
It's certainly different.
I'm not sure I'd say more natural. Perhaps more fatiguing, I like the music but after 15 minutes I tuned it because it had practically zero dynamics.
Modern processors are much better at retaining dynamics.
The Invonics 250 was a nice unit when not running "hard". It sounds like it's been set very hard to me. If it was backed off just 6dB it would sound very nice.
I think they've turned down the top and bottom bands a little to give it a subtle AM mid range sound as well.
I have an Inovonics 255 processor which was a "more vicious" and cheaper version of the 250 released in 1987. Here's what it sounds like with an 80s music stream ... http://canada1.reliastream.com:8096/stream
KISS FM, with the same voice over guy as Capital FM had back in the day from what I heard?
Global really have nailed this, as previous posters have said.
The processing is a reminder of how good it was in the 80s. Even with an 80s Invonnics FM processor you can hear the difference even on the web stream. It's punchier but more natural sounding than current digital processing.
It's certainly different.
I'm not sure I'd say more natural. Perhaps more fatiguing, I like the music but after 15 minutes I tuned it because it had practically zero dynamics.
Modern processors are much better at retaining dynamics.
The Invonics 250 was a nice unit when not running "hard". It sounds like it's been set very hard to me. If it was backed off just 6dB it would sound very nice.
I think they've turned down the top and bottom bands a little to give it a subtle AM mid range sound as well.
I have an Inovonics 255 processor which was a "more vicious" and cheaper version of the 250 released in 1987. Here's what it sounds like with an 80s music stream ... http://canada1.reliastream.com:8096/stream
KISS FM, with the same voice over guy as Capital FM had back in the day from what I heard?
Global really have nailed this, as previous posters have said.
The processing is a reminder of how good it was in the 80s. Even with an 80s Invonnics FM processor you can hear the difference even on the web stream. It's punchier but more natural sounding than current digital processing.
It's certainly different.
I'm not sure I'd say more natural. Perhaps more fatiguing, I like the music but after 15 minutes I tuned it because it had practically zero dynamics.
Modern processors are much better at retaining dynamics.
The Invonics 250 was a nice unit when not running "hard". It sounds like it's been set very hard to me. If it was backed off just 6dB it would sound very nice.
I think they've turned down the top and bottom bands a little to give it a subtle AM mid range sound as well.
I have an Inovonics 255 processor which was a "more vicious" and cheaper version of the 250 released in 1987. Here's what it sounds like with an 80s music stream ... http://canada1.reliastream.com:8096/stream
KISS FM, with the same voice over guy as Capital FM had back in the day from what I heard?
Global really have nailed this, as previous posters have said.
The processing is a reminder of how good it was in the 80s. Even with an 80s Invonnics FM processor you can hear the difference even on the web stream. It's punchier but more natural sounding than current digital processing.
It's certainly different.
I'm not sure I'd say more natural. Perhaps more fatiguing, I like the music but after 15 minutes I tuned it because it had practically zero dynamics.
Modern processors are much better at retaining dynamics.
The Invonics 250 was a nice unit when not running "hard". It sounds like it's been set very hard to me. If it was backed off just 6dB it would sound very nice.
I think they've turned down the top and bottom bands a little to give it a subtle AM mid range sound as well.
I have an Inovonics 255 processor which was a "more vicious" and cheaper version of the 250 released in 1987. Here's what it sounds like with an 80s music stream ... http://canada1.reliastream.com:8096/stream
KISS FM, with the same voice over guy as Capital FM had back in the day from what I heard?
This was a little KISS FM Monaghan (pirate) tribute stream I had put up a few years ago for some Irish anoraks, and KISS had used Charlie Van Dyke at that time. The stream is using the original voiceovers (and nicked JAM jingles) that the pirate station used back in 1988.
While on London 3, Global seem to have done some tweaks which makes sound better. Less artifacts which is hard when you're working with 32k DAB+ stereo.
While on London 3, Global seem to have done some tweaks which makes sound better. Less artifacts which is hard when you're working with 32k DAB+ stereo.
They didn't have to restrict themselves to 32kbps given the space available on London 3.
But they decided it was better to reduce their other stations to squeeze WSQK into their exisiting capacity instead.
While on London 3, Global seem to have done some tweaks which makes sound better. Less artifacts which is hard when you're working with 32k DAB+ stereo.
They didn't have to restrict themselves to 32kbps given the space available on London 3.
But they decided it was better to reduce their other stations to squeeze WSQK into their exisiting capacity instead.
Not surprising. Additional capacity is a cost that would come out of Global's profit... it's not something that the client would expect to pay.
As it is, it shows that bitrate is only one factor in how a station sounds.
I've don't like Stanger Things, it's not my type of programme, but I think WSQK - The Squawk is excellent!
They've brilliantly recreated my experience of excitingly listening to the radio whilst in the US in the early 90s (I know The Squawk is an 80's station though!).
Week 2 and new tunes on the playlist and still sounding awesome - that wide stereo image!!
I must admit, I love the exaggerated stereo image on WSQK.
But... shouldn't it be harder on the encoders, making it even harder to get a decent sound from the 32kbps.
Not heard it on London III, but on the 48kbps web stream it sounds great.
Always thought that stereo was stereo, innit - put playing with the stereo image in StereoTools this weekend has been much fun. Audio processing is a bit of a dark art though!
Stereo image/enhancement is sooo good and open. Better than all they woolly sounding processors these days. I really wanna know what they are using for their stereo. It's not only the Ino.
Stereo image/enhancement is sooo good and open. Better than all they woolly sounding processors these days. I really wanna know what they are using for their stereo. It's not only the Ino.
Comments
Reminds me of the fictional 'Forever FM' from Peter Kay's Care Share.
I always thought the BBC missed a trick by not launching a Forever FM popup station on Sounds to coincide with the series.
Steve Penk did
https://penkyblog.weebly.com/home/forever-fm1264605
It's not the first station to fall foul of the Peter Kay legal machine - they tried it on with the real Chorley FM (which was, er, an FM station in Chorley) but got nowhere because you can't copyright a town name.
I have an Inovonics 255 processor which was a "more vicious" and cheaper version of the 250 released in 1987. Here's what it sounds like with an 80s music stream ... http://canada1.reliastream.com:8096/stream
KISS FM, with the same voice over guy as Capital FM had back in the day from what I heard?
Charlie Van Dyke.
Or Brian James
This was a little KISS FM Monaghan (pirate) tribute stream I had put up a few years ago for some Irish anoraks, and KISS had used Charlie Van Dyke at that time. The stream is using the original voiceovers (and nicked JAM jingles) that the pirate station used back in 1988.
They didn't have to restrict themselves to 32kbps given the space available on London 3.
But they decided it was better to reduce their other stations to squeeze WSQK into their exisiting capacity instead.
Not surprising. Additional capacity is a cost that would come out of Global's profit... it's not something that the client would expect to pay.
As it is, it shows that bitrate is only one factor in how a station sounds.
They've brilliantly recreated my experience of excitingly listening to the radio whilst in the US in the early 90s (I know The Squawk is an 80's station though!).
I must admit, I love the exaggerated stereo image on WSQK.
But... shouldn't it be harder on the encoders, making it even harder to get a decent sound from the 32kbps.
Not heard it on London III, but on the 48kbps web stream it sounds great.
Always thought that stereo was stereo, innit - put playing with the stereo image in StereoTools this weekend has been much fun. Audio processing is a bit of a dark art though!
Far from the tinny audio sound we once had on the main Global stations.
Because they are processing in analogue from the picture it looks like they have one of these to digitise the output: https://www.telosalliance.com/radio-processing/audio-interfaces/omnia-mpx-node