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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!brl-tgr!wmartin
From: wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin )
Newsgroups: net.audio
Subject: FM Compression
Message-ID: <5054@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 4-Oct-84 10:16:44 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.5054
Posted: Thu Oct  4 10:16:44 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 5-Oct-84 08:58:22 EDT
Organization: Ballistics Research Lab
Lines: 24

As one who listens to FM both at home on a quality (my opinion :-) system,
where I want wide dynamic range in the source material, and on a cheapy
headphone radio, where I want consistently high-level audio to drown out
the noise of the bus and the inane chattering and babbling of the other
passengers who don't have the sense to keep quiet, I appreciate the
dilemma of FM compression on classical stations.

I would think the answer would lie in putting the compression in the
RECEIVER, not in the transmitter. If car systems and headphone radios
had built-in "automatic audio gain control" or suchlike circuitry, which
would do to the received signal the same thing that the transmitter
compressor/limiters do, would not that achieve the "best of both worlds"
for both audiences? If such circuits were switchable by the user, you
could enjoy full dynamic range in quiet environments, but compress the
signal when it is necessary for it to override road noise or ambient
sound levels.

I thought most or all radios had some form of AGC in any case; maybe if
it was slightly modified it could perform this function with little or no
extra cost.

Will Martin

seismo!brl-bmd!wmartin     or     wmartin@almsa-1.ARPA