[WXBH-Discuss] Our Audio Quality

[John Hicks]

A few more notes about the audio quality:

Right now we are broadcasting the Internet stream, which theoretically 
is 128kbps, quite sufficient for good quality audio.

However most of our sources are less than 128kbps. Pacifica feeds us at 
64kbps and WRFN streams at only 48kbps. On top of that, the quality of 
audio coming from these sources varies (even for Pacifica). Remember 
that WRFN relies on volunteer programmers and some of them are better 
than others.

If the stream sounds good but the broadcast sounds worse, there are a 
few more factors invloved:

--We currently don't have a way to monitor the broadcast over the air in 
order to adjust the audio signal level.

--The sound is coming out of an onboard Ensoniq sound card and going 
into the Fern Creek sound board (not directly into the transmitter).

--Since we have limited access to FCHS, we can't just drop by and work 
on the problem. We have to make an appointment to go in and work while 
our Fern Creek chaperone waits. (It would help if we had an extra 
computer or two so we could simply swap out the old box and swap in a 
newly configured one that has been thoroughly tested.)

--John