At 2oceansFM, the process of delivering crystal-clear audio to your radio is both fascinating and intricate. Here’s a simplified look at how it all works:
1. Music and Audio Storage: – We store all our music and audio files on a network storage unit called a NAS. Think of it as a big hard drive connected to our network, making it accessible to all our computers.
2. Automation and Playlist Management: – Our ‘automation’ PC reads these files and plays the music and spots (sponsorships and station promo’s) based on either a playlist generated by software called Station Playlist or by one of our live broadcasters (DJ’s).
3. Studio Mixer: – The audio from the automation PC (NAS) or DJ is fed into our studio mixer, a central hub where all audio sources, like microphones, MP3 and CD players, come together. The mixer ensures that everything you hear is well-balanced.
4. Delegation Switcher: – From the mixer, the audio is sent to a delegation switcher, which decides what goes on air. Most of the time, it’s the audio from Studio-1, but it can switch to other sources, like an outdoor broadcast.
5. Tie-line Codec for Outdoor Broadcasts: – When we do outdoor broadcasts, the Tie-line Codec takes over, seamlessly switching the live outdoor audio directly to air. When the broadcast ends, the studio audio automatically resumes.
6. Audio Processing: – Next, the audio passes through an Audio Processor. This device equalizes the sound levels and adds some special tweaks to ensure the audio sounds great on FM. It also prepares the audio for stereo transmission by combining and encoding the left and right channels into a single signal.
7. Transmission: – The processed audio is then sent to our FM transmitter, which generates the FM signal that your radio receives. For 2oceansFM, this is at 97.1 MHz.
8. Broadcasting: – The transmitter sends this signal up a coaxial cable to the new, upgraded antenna on our studio roof, where it radiates out into the airwaves. Any radio tuned to 97.1FM can pick us up.
9. Receiving the Signal: – When you tune your radio to 97.1FM, it picks up the signal, decodes it, and recognises that it’s a stereo broadcast (thanks to a special pilot tone included in the signal). Your radio then plays the audio in stereo, giving you that rich, immersive sound we all love.
And that’s how your favourite tunes, news, and shows make their way from our studio to your speakers, delivering high-quality, local content to the Augusta community! 2OceansFM, making waves around Augusta.