did AM used to sound better back in the day?

[alocispepraluger102]

remember those awesome voiced announcers those big stations had?

[Teasing the Korean]

WABC in NY used to put so much reverb and compression on the DJs voices they sounded like God.

[7/4]

WABC in NY used to put so much reverb and compression on the DJs voices they sounded like God.

I always thought they were broadcasting from the bathroom.

[JSngry]

Something not mentioned (unless I spaced on it) was the end of "clear channel" station designations. They cut up the bandwidth and things went downhill.

When did this happen?

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

zenith- what a great company

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

my friend doug just got a TV spectrum analayzer box and we are going to analize the spectrums of old zenith tvs

[bolivarblues]

As far as pop/rock music, especially in the 60s, it was mastered to sound good on the radio, which was typically a mono, AM setup. It's why something like CCR sounds so great in a crappy old factory car radio. Same thing with mono records; especially with the Beatles, many prefered the mono albums because the most care was put into that particular format due to its popularity. The Beatles themselves were heavily involved in the final mono mix, but the stereo mix was more of an afterthought, handed over to an engineer or even apprentice in some cases because it wasn't deemed that important. Jazz was way ahead of rock in that respect; stereo had caught on a full decade prior to becoming commonplace for rock recordings.

Edited March 30, 2007 by Frankie Machine

[AllenLowe]

"Tubes were only a small part of the equation"

gotta disagree - because what I think you are hearing on those old braodcasts is, very specifically, a warmth that pervades even their lo-fi sound - and this, from my experience, corresponds very directly to the use of tubes in the signal path.

[alocispepraluger102]

"Tubes were only a small part of the equation"

gotta disagree - because what I think you are hearing on those old braodcasts is, very specifically, a warmth that pervades even their lo-fi sound - and this, from my experience, corresponds very directly to the use of tubes in the signal path.

i cherish memories of one of our local area fm stations that kept its tube transmitter 10 years after most had discarded. that warm glossy sound was something to behold.

[alocispepraluger102]

I WAS THINKING ABOUT SID MCCOY TONIGHT, AND HIS WONDERFUL OVERNIGHT AM RADIO BUDWEISER JAZZ SHOW FROM CHICAGO, AND DUG UP THIS NOSTALGIC THREAD. HAPPY READING.

Edited September 20, 2012 by alocispepraluger102

[Big Beat Steve]

that warm glossy sound was something to behold.

To behear, you mean?

[WD45]

"Tubes were only a small part of the equation"

gotta disagree - because what I think you are hearing on those old braodcasts is, very specifically, a warmth that pervades even their lo-fi sound - and this, from my experience, corresponds very directly to the use of tubes in the signal path.

Yes - tubes on both ends of the experience.

As someone who used to power up and power down a 5000w tube AM transmitter as a livelihood, I can attest to that.

The AM chip in radios for many years cost pennies. AM became such an afterthought for so many manufacturers--they were obligated to put it in to maintain parity with other manufacturers. And they did so as cheaply as possible.

When digital compression came to the fore, we had many conversations about the loss of fidelity at radio conferences. IBOC was seen as the holy radio grail. It brought its own set of problems, especially on FM.

AM on HD Radio sounds pretty good. When it works, that is.

[gmonahan]

The big speakers on the really old AM radios made a difference too. I have a 1939 Motorola radio (with cool preset buttons for the national clear-channel stations!), and the sound is great. I'm sure the tubes play a big role, but so does that large speaker.

gregmo

[alocispepraluger102]

gosh, i loved that satiny glossy sound........

The big speakers on the really old AM radios made a difference too. I have a 1939 Motorola radio (with cool preset buttons for the national clear-channel stations!), and the sound is great. I'm sure the tubes play a big role, but so does that large speaker.

gregmo

some of those speakers were huge. one, hooked up to a long shortwave wire hooked to my atwanter kent, gave me the worst shock i ever got...

Edited September 20, 2012 by alocispepraluger102