Klinker Media » Sound processing
Good soundprocessing makes or breaks your listener’s experience. It ensures a consistent sound, optimal intelligibility, and that recognizable ‘radio sound’ on FM, DAB+, and online. In podcasts, soundprocessing also provides a significant improvement in audio professionalism. Stereo Tool is the state-of-the-art sound processor for this, and one of the most widely used tools for audio processing worldwide. However, the complexity of this software requires specialist knowledge to get the most out of it.
At Klinker Media, we have years of experience in precisely configuring this audio processor. We translate your requirements into custom-made presets, ensuring your station or podcast gets the professional sound it deserves.
The regional broadcaster of the province of Zeeland approached us with the request to configure a Stereo Tool preset for their television channel. The sound had to remain subtle and dynamic as befits TV broadcasts, but in a controlled manner. An additional challenge was that Stereo Tool was going to replace an existing hardware processor. Klinker Media was commissioned to configure Stereo Tool so that it approached the original sound of the hardware processor as closely as possible.
After the TV processing preset, Omroep Zeeland came to Klinker Media a second time, requesting a special pre-processing preset. During radio broadcasts, audio fragments are often broadcast that come from all kinds of sources, including reporters on the road, listeners, and external producers. The sound level and recording quality vary greatly between all these recordings, which complicates consistent on-air final processing. Therefore, we developed a special Stereo Tool preset as a “pre-processor” to bring the different fragments closer together in terms of sound – and this with enough dynamics so that the final processing still has room to do its job.
For YourSafe radio, we developed a state-of-the-art preset that maximizes all the latest possibilities in Stereo Tool. We delivered fast-responding hit-radio soundprocessing, punchy and fresh with plenty of stereo width. A challenge here was the large variation in the format and therefore the many different genres and other content. Based on recordings of the cleanfeed, we fine-tuned the preset to get the maximum out of all types of content.
Dino Radio is a non-stop music station featuring the top 1000 hits from the 70s and 80s. They can be heard in Belgian Limburg on FM and DAB+, and of course online. We developed a new preset for them to refresh the station’s sound. The new sound remained dynamic—fitting for 70s and 80s music—but with a consistent feel.
For the Danish radio station 24syv, we delivered a custom-configured Stereo Tool preset. 24syv was a station with mainly speech and news content. Music was also broadcast for a few hours a day. The assignment was to develop a preset that works particularly well for speech with a constant volume and yet sufficient dynamics. In addition, the hours with music also had to come through well. With the innovative functions in Stereo Tool, we built a preset that adapted itself to the content to maintain the sound for both scenarios. 24syv commissioned us to be inspired by the sound of the fellow Danish station DR1. We adjusted the tonal color of the preset accordingly, while it still maintained its own identity.
For the Belgian station Crooze (on DAB+ in Flanders and Brussels), we delivered a new soundprocessing preset for Stereo Tool. We used the latest compressors in Stereo Tool to create a tight sound that works for the diverse genres on Crooze. Their music database was largely normalized. We took this into account in the preset so that we could find a nice balance between consistency and dynamics.
We discuss how you want your station or podcast to sound and what you find important. If you have a specific sound in mind, it helps to indicate a reference station whose sound you want to approach (possibly on certain aspects).
In addition, you provide us with a cleanfeed, or at least a few hours of WAV recording of your station with a representative mix of your programming: different music styles, speech, jingles, commercials, and news. This should include microphone processing, but explicitly without final processing. We will fine-tune your sound on this material.
In our studio, we develop the Stereo Tool preset based on your input and your reference audio. We take into account how you broadcast: on FM, DAB+, or online. If necessary, we can also deliver multiple versions with subtle nuances depending on your distribution medium.
With the first delivery, you will receive an .sts file that you can load into your own Stereo Tool. You will also receive a short technical explanation on how to use the preset, and the specifications for which Stereo Tool version you need as a minimum.
You can only properly judge a sound by listening to it in practice for a few days. In this phase, you put the preset live (or possibly on a shadow stream) so that you can hear the result on your content.
Based on your feedback, we fine-tune the preset in the agreed number of correction rounds. In this way, we work in steps towards the final result. In addition, we offer the possibility to provide your preset with periodic updates, for example to process further feedback from practice, or to maximize the use of new functions in Stereo Tool.
We would love to hear from you! Then we will get to work together for the perfect sound for your radio station or podcast.