Breakaway One - Rackmount

[ehsanspicedigital]

Hi all, After a bit of soldering and drilling and mounting later, I have completed the BaO Rackmount project. Let me know what you think, The good, The bad, And what can be improved! Thanks lads.

[BriansBrain]

Bloody Fantastic.... Very Impressive

Great work - make it available - order only with a deposit that covers all material

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[Frequent Lee]

When you're setting the input level make sure that the gains are set to as close to zero as possible and the output level from your mixing desk is as high as possible BUT NOT peaking the reds. This will ensure that you get the best signal to noise ratio out of Breakaway.

[ehsanspicedigital]

Right right understood, I was initially going to use XLR’s instead of the 6.5mm’s to connect to the UR22 but the XLR input is reserved for Mic level inputs whereas the 1/4inch jack input can handle a line level inputs, I’ll keep this in mind though, Also Brian, PM me, I need to have a chat! Thanks

[mpx]

Very nice

[mikroman]

With that cover and knobs it looks like a optimod 9100
Some tips: There must a compromise at input level. You have to leave headroom for the microphone if there is no dynamic processing before entering the microphone channel. The variations in the volume of the speakers in front of the microphone can be large and it is very difficult to keep within the reference level of the vu meter. Personally, I set it so that the peaks go to -6dBFS, so that there is room for possible surprises. I would not worry too much about the noise to signal ratio, because in the case of the ur22 it is over 100dB, so the degradation in that aspect is negligible. If the AGC ratio and range are set with small values ​​@-6dB input it may happen that the overall perception of loudness will be somewhat lower, so that should be taken into account.

[Albert H]

That's pretty damn nifty! Bear in mind that "less is more" - don't ever "overdo" the processing. You might not be the "loudest" thing on the band, but you can be the best sounding!

[ehsanspicedigital]

Yes albert, Absoloutely correct, Heard “over-processed” stations using BaO and think to myself, Is there really a point of it then! Unbearable to listen to for more than a few minutes!

Mikroman, Yes your correct, But in my case fortunately i’ve got a Sonifex RB-ML2 on the Mic’s in the studio, Catches the peaks before even reaching the mixing desk which is good, Still hoping to upgrade to a DBX-286 in the future, heard a lot of good things about it!

I was basing the processor off an Omnia 9, But then started adding knobs and it became a kind of mix between an Omnia9 and a Optimod 9100!

Knowing that the audio coming out of the Mixing desk is limited to a certain level, I was thinking of keeping the input gain around -3dB just incase someone’s fiddled around with the Mic’s gain knob on the mixing desk. Still thinking of keeping the Optimod 6200s as a spare in case this ever has any issues, But i’ll create a video outlining the failsafe’s and things that i’ve put into place to make sure that the processor is online and running correctly as much as it can.

BaO’s silence detector is very very powerful, when used correctly…

Thanks again for the nice comments everyone. Just to ask, If i was to make this available to everyone to purchase, Would you? Is it something that there would be a demand for? The biggest outline in my opinion is the dual, Simultaneous processing for FM&DAB at the same time, Which could be appealing to many.. Well Let me know! Thanks again everyone, I’ve still got a few projects in the making also

[Frequent Lee]

Just to ask, If i was to make this available to everyone to purchase, Would you? Is it something that there would be a demand for?

There's a guy in the Netherlands who sells pre configured Breakaway pcs for €100, not with the display in the case but screens are cheap enough from China if you'd want to have it that way it still wouldn't cost more the €150.

There is absolutely NO need for a fancy soundcard, the £10 usb ones work perfectly for rds etc. They use exactly the same Cirrus Logic or Texas Instruments DAC microchips that the expensive so called professional audio interface use.

[ehsanspicedigital]

Ah Okay, I used a ur22 because i was using it when used to use StereoTool ages ago, €100 is very cheap. What is the spec of the machines do you know? With this it’s just the kind of form factor that sells it for me it being a rack-mount unit and having the touch screen on the front, I Paid £260 for the case alone!

And with the cheaper sound cards i’ve had a lot of problems with whining sounds and a lot of other problems like it doesn’t connect reliably and can’t handle line level inputs etc.

[ehsanspicedigital]

This will ensure that you get the best signal to noise ratio out of Breakaway.

I believe your use of cheap sound cards that may have a higher noise floor is the reason that you would be so conscious about the SNR, With a decent sound cards I’ve it’s nothin to worry about really!

[Frequent Lee]

This will ensure that you get the best signal to noise ratio out of Breakaway.

I believe your use of cheap sound cards that may have a higher noise floor is the reason that you would be so conscious about the SNR, With a decent sound cards I’ve it’s nothin to worry about really!

Absolutely not the case, if the dac chip is identical then by default the specs are the same, go download the data sheet and look. Cirrus don't make a shit version that's for AliExpress specials and a premium version for Steinberg or M-Audio etc, it's the same device.

Signal to noise ratio is very very important which is why any audio engineer worth their salt is conscious of it.

Cheap or expensive, you should worry about snr and it's relevance to audio processing regardless.

[mikroman]

Depending on the situation. If the studio is far from the processor in an analog setup, it is crucial to have balanced inputs.
Cheap cards do not have them. A sound card is not just a DAC. Poorly designed other components, which is to be expected from cheap production, can disrupt the linear characteristic to which the baseband is extremely sensitive.

Also, the output levels of "more expensive" sound cards are higher, which ensures transmission to the transmitter input with potentially less interference. I had the opportunity to set up a commercial link whose input standard was fixed +6dBm without the possibility of adjustment without disassembling the entire device. "Cheap" cards cannot deliver this. Furthermore, "more expensive" cards are mostly embedded in a metal casing, which reduces the possibility of RF interference.

And let me not forget, all audio cards, except for a few special ones on the market, are made primarily for audio production, not for MPX transmission. In practice, this usually means a smaller or larger lack of response at the top and bottom of the MPX spectrum that has to be compensated for somehow (mostly by software, which is not the best solution, but we can live with it).

Conclusion, if you are an enthusiast or if you really don't have money, then go for cheap solutions. If you are looking for higher reliability and less mysterious situations that cause headaches, invest in more serious equipment.


PS
Speaking of the s/n ratio, don't forget that on FM, if you don't really use DDS, you can get around 66-70dB at best, which is far below what even a cheap card can offer

[ehsanspicedigital]

[quote=ehsanspicedigital post_id=46286 time=<a href="tel:1752138807">1752138807</a> user_id=2997]
[quote="Frequent Lee" post_id=46270 time=<a href="tel:1752077732">1752077732</a> user_id=1419]
This will ensure that you get the best signal to noise ratio out of Breakaway.

I believe your use of cheap sound cards that may have a higher noise floor is the reason that you would be so conscious about the SNR, With a decent sound cards I’ve it’s nothin to worry about really!
[/quote]

Signal to noise ratio is very very important which is why any audio engineer worth their salt is conscious of it.

Cheap or expensive, you should worry about snr and it's relevance to audio processing regardless.
[/quote]

Your not wrong mate, Just it would be a bigger concern on cheaper cards, like Mikroman said, the complimentary components are usually the bare minimum and cheaper. Along with obviously the level concerns.

If you would please share an Ali-Express link for a 192kHz sound card that you’ve used in the past so i can do my own evaluation and compare weather in the case of processing audio, If it is actually an option.

In my opinion though like Mikroman said, the pros outweigh the con’s and i’d rather stick with a name brand high quality soundcard that’s going to be reliable and just work. And it’s just kind of peace of mind also isn’t it? I don’t know about you lot but once you’ve spent a decent amount of money on something it’s easier to think it’s be more reliable and less stressful.

That’s just my take on it, If they work for you then save your money. Imo the higher end ones are better. Thanks.