The Orban 6300 is a high-quality, multipurpose stereo audio processor for digital radio, digital television, netcasts, STL protection, satellite uplink protection, and digital mastering. With 20 kHz audio bandwidth, the 6300 succeeds Orban’s popular OPTIMOD-DAB 6200 audio processor but offers improved processing algorithms and more flexibility. Any of its three outputs can emit any of the following signals:
• Stereo enhancement, equalization, and AGC without look-ahead peak limiting
• Stereo enhancement, equalization, and AGC with peak limiting
• Stereo enhancement, equalization, and multiband processing (2-band or 5-band, including AGC) without peak limiting
• Stereo enhancement, equalization, and multiband processing (2-band or 5-band, including AGC) with peak limiting.
A talent headphone processor.
Use the stereo enhancement, equalization, and multiband processing without peak limiting to drive talent headphones. Delay is less than 5 milliseconds from input to output. This is particularly useful in HD Radio™ facilities, where off-air headphone monitoring is impossible due to delay.
A no-compromise processing chain for digital transmission and media
Use the stereo enhancement, equalization, and multiband processing chain with peak limiting for any digital transmission channel, like HD Radio™, DAB, DRM, digital television, and netcasts. Moreover, newly designed compression ratio and knee controls make the 6300 perfect for subtle compression in mastering and production. Mastering-quality look-ahead limiters and a pristine signal path provide superb audio quality.
A studio AGC (with peak limiting for STL protection)
Use the 6300’s AGC with peak limiting to substitute for the AGC in an OPTIMOD at the transmitter and to provide protection limiting for the STL. The AGC is turned off in the transmitter-side OPTIMOD. The 6300’s two independent stereo look-ahead limiters can be switched to operate either “flat” or on a 50 µs or 75 µs pre-emphasis curve to protect a pre-emphasized path like a typical analog microwave STL.
The 6300’s AGC uses the same dual-band, window-gated, matrix technology as the AGCs in Orban’s 2300, 5300, 8300, 8382, 8400, 8500, 9300, and 9400 OPTIMODs. It can accurately substitute for the AGCs in these devices and can help maintain an all-digital signal path throughout the facility. Because the 6300’s AGC is more advanced than the AGCs in Orban’s 2200, 8200, and 9200 OPTIMODs, the 6300 can upgrade the performance of these older products when substituted their AGCs. Moreover, because the 6300 supports presets that can be recalled by remote control, it can be automatically synchronized to the presets on-air at a transmitter-side OPTIMOD when presets are dayparted.
The 6300‘s multiband processing is the same as that used in OPTIMOD-Surround 8585‘s 2.0 processing path and will sound identical. In addition, it is similar to the processing used in OPTIMOD-FM 8500‘s digital radio processing path, while the AGCs of the 6300 and 8500 are essentially identical. To help you match the sound of an 8585, 8400 or 8500, the 6300 provides presets with the same names as those in these processors. If you are using a factory preset at a transmitter-side 8400 or 8500, you can recall a preset with the same name in the 6300 to ensure that the sound stays the same as it would if you were using an 8400 or 8500 with its internal AGC.
Automatic Loudness Control for Digital Television and Netcasts
The 6300 offers two-band and five-band presets carefully tuned to the demands of sound-for-picture applications. These ride gain subtly and unobtrusively so that the sound is always comfortably listenable.
In sound-for-picture applications, the 6300‘s built-in CBS Loudness Controller™ tames source-to-source loudness variations, ensuring consistency and maximizing audience satisfaction. Starting with V2 software, the 6300 also offers a CBS Loudness Meter and support for Dolby Digital® dialnorm metadata, making it perfect for processing ATSC subchannels while Orban’s 8585 Optimod-Surround processes the main channel — the 6300’s processing algorithm is now identical to that provided by the 8585’s 2.0 processing channel.
Starting with V2 software, the 6300 includes presets for analog television using FM aural carriers with 50 µs or 75 µs pre-emphasis. This allows you to purchase a 6300 for your analog television transmitter and continue to use the 6300 when you upgrade to digital transmission.
PreCode™ Conditions Audio for Low Bitrate Codecs
Orban’s PreCode™ technology manipulates several aspects of the audio to minimize artifacts caused by low bitrate codecs. PreCode offers an optimum balance between liveliness and artifact reduction, minimizing “phasey” and “underwater” artifacts without sucking the life out of the audio.
