PC2RadioThe one-minute explanation
Your music player produces left and right audio. An FM stereo generator combines those channels with a stereo pilot into one composite signal, usually called MPX. RDS can add the station name and text. A compatible transmitter turns that prepared signal into the radio signal your listeners receive.
Three jobs that are easy to confuse
- Playout chooses what plays next: songs, jingles and scheduled programmes.
- Audio processing changes tone and controls levels. It does not automatically mean the software generates MPX.
- MPX generation prepares the stereo composite signal for a transmitter. Check that your software and licence include it.
You might use separate applications for these jobs, or software combining some of them. Start with the input your transmitter actually accepts rather than the most impressive list of software features.
Match the input before buying
A socket labelled left/right audio expects ordinary programme audio. A dedicated MPX input expects the already encoded composite signal. These are different signal paths. If the transmitter already generates stereo and RDS internally, feeding it ordinary audio may be the simpler choice.
Do not send an MPX signal through another stereo encoder. Do not assume that every product option has the same inputs. Check the selected configuration and its manual.
What a computer-based system needs
- A stable computer and a supported audio source.
- Software with the processing and encoding features you need.
- Either a suitable direct MPX output interface or a compatible network encoder/decoder route.
- The correct transmitter input, cables and level calibration.
Compare the cable and network routes before choosing hardware.
Start with a practical example
For a computer beside the transmitter, a suitable audio interface can provide direct MPX. For a remote transmitter site, choose a compatible studio-to-transmitter link and establish whether it transports programme audio or a full composite signal. The required interfaces depend on that signal path.
Our own pc2radio MPX preview shows a direct-MPX development project. Remote transport capabilities must be confirmed separately.
Sources and next step
Consult your exact transmitter manual for input and level requirements, and match these to the current software and audio-interface documentation.
Let’s check your setup.
Send your transmitter model, operating system, audio interface and whether the transmitter is local or remote.
Email demerzel@pcs-electronics.com →Advice, product prices and orders are handled by PCS Electronics.