WHY DOES MUSIC SOUND DIFFERENT ON RADIO?
Between the master and the listener, radio can add a processing and transmission chain. That is where part of the FM feeling comes from.
Gain control, compression, limiting, spectral processing and stereo management can make a track feel denser, steadier and more present.
Broadcast is also built around real listening: cars, small radios, background noise and moderate volume. Important elements need to stay readable.
Every station tunes its chain differently. BROADCAST! aims for that delivery feeling on your own track, with a synced A/B.
Automatic gain control follows level changes over a longer time scale. Faster stages then catch transients and peaks. Together, those layers create the sense of continuity associated with many FM chains.
Stereo and high-frequency content may also be adapted for transmission, which can change perceived width and brightness.
That is why a track you know by heart can suddenly feel heavier or closer in the car, even at a similar listening level.
Bass, vocals and dense choruses often make these changes easiest to hear in a direct A/B.
FM CHAIN. MASTERING. A/B.
Level, dynamics, transmission and a same-excerpt comparison.