Anybody Know A Software Clone Of the Audiomax & Volumax?

[NightAire]

(I had a TERRIBLE time trying to decide which board to post this on; hope this is the right one...)

I've had the chance to play with either a CBS Audiomax or a Volumax, and these days I can't afford to get one.  Does anybody know of any software  currently available, either a DSP or VST or any kind of plug-in OR stand alone software that is similar in feel to either of these two boxes?

I tend to compare Sound Solution to the Optimod with the XT/2, and I've come across the Lightweight Multiband Compressor  http://www.savioursofsoul.de/Christian/vst-plugins/effect-plugins/dynamics/  that compares favorably with the old CRL stacks...  but not having an real experience with the Volumax or Audiomax, if I've come across a software equivalent, I didn't know it.

Does anybody know of a software emulation of these classic processors?

[Kent T]

Not yet that's decent. Likewise for the Gates Sta-Level or Level Devils. Or the Fairchild.

[frankberry]

Adobe Audition should be able to duplicate the Audimax and Volumax expansion/compression/peak limiting curves.
I'm not sure that anyone will write software to duplicate them since they were not normally used in recording studios.

[BobOnTheJob]

Audimax

Not sure if this will help, but in searching, the correct spelling if the Audimax is above. As one who witnessed the change to the Audimax/Volumax, it was a ginormous step forward, especially for FM. I remember that in mono, if you controlled the input level well, placing the FM Volumax 410 in the test mode would hold the mod meter at exactly 100% and it actually sounded pretty good. Those diodes didn't sound bad in '67.

[NightAire]

Kent: That's been my problem.  Most software shies away from comparing themselves to ANY hardware solution (with just a couple of exceptions).  I know the guy who wrote Sound Solution kept saying, "this is NOT an Optiomod emulator!!!"  ...Maybe not, but it sure can ACT like an Optimod.   

Frankberry:  Certainly Audition allows adjustments of attacks, releases, thresholds and ratios...  I'm looking for more than that.  I get the impression the Audimax (thanks, Bob!) and the Volumax created very distinct audio "signatures" that go beyond attack, release, ratio and threshold.

I can get Audition to approximate the DBX 160, but only vaguely.

Bob, what you're describing is what I've heard about those boxes.  I heard a streaming station once that claimed they were using that setup, and as you described, the density was INSANE.  At the same time, any distortion seemed pretty "musical."

I'd just love to get a chance to see how it reacted with varying input levels, what settings could be adjusted, etc.  That may not be an option, unless I strike it rich and can afford to just buy and re-cap one...

[BobOnTheJob]

I can get Audition to approximate the DBX 160, but only vaguely.

The DBX160 (at least the 1976 version with the analog meter) was worthless for broadcast use in my book because of the very sloppy attack time. On paper, with the infinity to one ratio, it should have made for a dandy peak limiter. The catch is, if you pushed it to 20db of g/r in that mode, it let peaks through that were up to 20db above the average level! A pair of diodes hung across the output solved that but that's a pretty crude solution. It had no provision for changing the attack or release. Pretty device with it's analog meter but for any medium where peak control is needed, it was useless. Worth noting that the Audimax and Volumax have no attack, release or ratio adjustments (however the Audimax may have a mention in the manual about changing a resistor to speed up the release time). About all you can do is set the Audimax per the book and vary the drive to the Volumax to create the audio signature desired. Have you played with Breakaway Broadcast Processor? Amazing piece of software that flat out blow away the 10 year old Omnias and Optimods. At $199, this really borders on a free lunch : http://www.claessonedwards.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47&Itemid=55 

[dannyscott101]

Kent: That's been my problem.  Most software shies away from comparing themselves to ANY hardware solution (with just a couple of exceptions).  I know the guy who wrote Sound Solution kept saying, "this is NOT an Optiomod emulator!!!"  ...Maybe not, but it sure can ACT like an Optimod.   

Frankberry:  Certainly Audition allows adjustments of attacks, releases, thresholds and ratios...  I'm looking for more than that.  I get the impression the Audimax (thanks, Bob!) and the Volumax created very distinct audio "signatures" that go beyond attack, release, ratio and threshold.

I can get Audition to approximate the DBX 160, but only vaguely.

Bob, what you're describing is what I've heard about those boxes.  I heard a streaming station once that claimed they were using that setup, and as you described, the density was INSANE.  At the same time, any distortion seemed pretty "musical."

I'd just love to get a chance to see how it reacted with varying input levels, what settings could be adjusted, etc.  That may not be an option, unless I strike it rich and can afford to just buy and re-cap one...

It's been so long since I've heard an audimax/volumax in action that I can't remember what it sounds like...

However, what I THINK it may have sounded like is one of the presets in the cheap version of Breakaway...  I believe it's called 'French Kiss'.  It has that hard 'bricky' attack sound that almost sounds like it's letting a little of the attack through, yet it keeps the actual level under the threshold.

I've seen a Volumax or two hit ebay in the past few years, and I don't remember the prices being outrageous.  If you want the real thing, I would get one and refurb it.

I wonder though...  Will the actual sound of the CBS twins please your ears of today, or is the memory of it perhaps 'polished' by the passing of time?

[Kmagrill]

When I was a kid, my older brother was an engineer at WMYQ in Miami.  One Sunday night, I happened to overhear a terse exchange between the group's VP of engineering, Vern Milton, and the programming consultant named Jerry who was having some success in New York with a new format that eventually became Urban.   At one time, WMYQ had been a dominant number one with CHR, but now Jerry was loosing the ratings war to cross town rival WHYI and he blamed his loss on the audio processing (A Volumax/Audimax combo) that was just a couple of years old at the time.   It was true that WHYI sounded brighter and better.  I had even made the same comment to my brother before.  Vern listen to Jerry's rant for about 10 minutes before he'd had enough.  He spun on his heal and said, "The number one station in our radio group is a 1000W AM station in St. Louis.  It wins in ratings and billing.  It beats all the other stations, AM and FM, because they play what people want to hear. Period.  Don't tell me that you cannot compete in Miami with a 100,000W FM station."  Jerry had no answer.  Despite this exchange, a few months later, the station recieved one of the first Optimod 8000s ever made.  It was amazing to hear, not only compared to the CBS Labs stuff, but it also beat the competition across town in both loudness and in clarity.  Did it help the ratings?  Well, no, not really.  The other station still won, proving Vern correct.   

However, it was clear that the CBS labs gear couldn't touch an Optimod 8000a.  I don't know what WHYI was using, but it was better than the CBS twins yet not nearly as good as the 8000.    Years later, I worked as a student engineer for another, small market station still using the CBS stuff.  By then, CRL was on the scene with the FM4 and Orban had the 8100 out.   The station with the Volumax/Audimax combo litterally fell off the dial compared to the early 80's stuff. 

There are some good technical reasons why the CBS stuff wasn't able to compete.  You can read online about the pitfalls of wideband audio processing, especially for the FM service.  Bob Orban has also written some on how and why he designed the 8000A to overcome many of those limitations.   It's quite interesting.

[HadYourPhil]

Believe Y-100 was using a cobbled-up audio chain to split the audio bands up a la DAP. Back in the day when an audio chain was literally that. See the nearby Vigilante thread...

The days of black magic audio... Missed, because of the challenge, and the rewards!

[radiorob2.0]

Y100 airchain...

http://home.comcast.net/~shands8546/pwpimages/YAirChain.jpg

This was brought up in a Y100 post on the Miami board.  Bill Tanner himself chimed in pointing out the left channel of the three band EQ was used for the phones.  But it's a pair of LA-3A into a noise filter then a Volumax FM 4111.