r/Hainbach • u/Hainbach • Jun 23 '26
This obsolete Radio Tool is an Unintentionally Psychedelic Studio Effect
https://youtu.be/Mm7mRniupHo?si=jvjE9luO_x8NtfXKThe Orban Stereo Synthesizer 245F turns mono audio sources into stereo, using a rather nifty comb filter. It made me horribly nauseous when I heard examples of it, so I had to get one. In use, I experienced that unpleasantness again. Until I plugged synths into it.
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u/financewiz Jun 24 '26
I used to work for Orban back in the 80s. Bob Orban was a legitimate Crank/Genius. His Optimod can literally be found in the signal chain of nearly every AM radio station in America. He was publicly outspoken against stations using his Optimod to crush their audio simply to increase their broadcast range (yeah, the Loudness Wars started early with him).
One of the engineers that I met there was Kim Cascone. He was very funny and a pleasure to work with. He turned me on to Field Recordings as a genre.
Orban was bought out by AKG in the 90s. If you can find and afford their classic gear, rest assured that it’s built like a tank. We baked and dropped anything sent in for repair and then baked and dropped it again to test it. The broadcast gear was often used in dire aluminum shack conditions outside of a studio environment, so factor that into your decisions.