Stations running a full stack of HD Radio multicasts get a new processing option from ATC Labs. The company is introducing two additions to its Perceptual SoundMax line at NAB Show New York: a 2U hardware processor built for FM plus up to five HD Radio channels, and a software platform that can process dozens of stations on a single server.
The hardware flagship, the Q24-6888HD, handles analog FM along with HD1 through HD5, and each HD service can carry its own processing profile. ATC Labs said that lets an engineer match the sound to each channel's programming and bit rate, which matters on multicasts squeezed into low data rates. The box includes FM composite outputs with built-in RDS, a dedicated 192 kHz digital MPX output, AES67 audio connectivity and five StreamMax streaming outputs. A built-in diversity delay of up to 12 seconds lines up analog FM with HD1, and the unit can also be configured for AM and up to three DRM services.
The Q24SOFT puts four functions in one software package: the company's Aideal Audio processing, StreamMax encoding and streaming, software FM MPX generation with RDS, and Nielsen CBET watermarking. ATC Labs said it runs from a single stereo channel up to 64 independent stereo instances on a server-class workstation, with the ceiling set by CPU capacity and licensing. Streaming support includes multi-rate AAC and MP3 encoding, HLS delivery, CDN connectivity and AES67 input and output.
Both products use Aideal Audio, which ATC Labs describes as 24-band processing paired with psychoacoustic design and several deep-learning networks that track changing audio and adjust the processing while holding to the chosen profile. CEO Deepen Sinha said the approach gives groups the flexibility to serve multiple HD Radio channels or scale across a cluster of stations in software.
A management tool, SoundMaxManager, handles configuration, tuning and monitoring across both the software servers and SoundMax hardware. The company said a trial of Q24SOFT is available from its product page, and ATC Labs is exhibiting in Booth 660 at the New York show.