Internet radio just got sadder..
Yesterday I decided to take a look at Plantronics.com to see if they have any new products. You won't believe my total shock to find that one of their most amazing products (StreamSolo) is no longer offered for sale. Now, for those of you who call yourselves "webcaster" and aren't familiar with StreamSolo, you my friend have just missed the proverbial boat. It's gone. Set sail for "nevertobeheardfromagain." And what a shame it truly is.
StreamSolo was the only AGC/EQ processing software for Windows based systems that I considered to sound as good if not better at times than the revered Orban 8200 commonly found in most FM stations worldwide. How you ask, could a software program (who's cost was a mere $99) compete with the likes of the broadcast industries most coveted, Bob Orban's most researched, most hyped and most overrated hardware processor in the world? Apparently, pretty easily.
StreamSolo known to some as Octiv 5.1 was the flagship product of the now defunct Octiv.com. The creator of the groundbreaking Octiv 5.1 whom I'll call Leif, is not only an audiophile with ears of the utmost sensitivity, he's also a magician. Leif managed to create a program that made 'ol Bob's work seem.. well let's just say, a whole lot of time has been spent promoting Orban products and little time on innovation. On the other hand, Octiv.com had a modest fan base and at one time Octiv (pre-5.1) was the most popular Winamp output processing plug-in, ever.
The members of the Octiv team sought other projects, closed its doors and sold all assets to Plantronics. I'd be speculating if I were to venture a guess as to how long ago this took place. Suffice to say, Plantronics had no idea what to do with StreamSolo and sister product StreamPro years later. The proggies sat on their website day after day with little attention given to updates. There were no discernable bugs in either program. So again, it's incredibly sad to see such a work of audio art fall by the way-side.
If it's any consolation "webcaster", you can pick up StreamAV, a similar processor built on the same core as StreamSolo for a hefty $499. All is not lost.
As for Leif, master of all things audio processing.. he's again sending a message to Bob Orban with his latest work, http://www.linearacoustic.com/octimax.htm
StreamSolo was the only AGC/EQ processing software for Windows based systems that I considered to sound as good if not better at times than the revered Orban 8200 commonly found in most FM stations worldwide. How you ask, could a software program (who's cost was a mere $99) compete with the likes of the broadcast industries most coveted, Bob Orban's most researched, most hyped and most overrated hardware processor in the world? Apparently, pretty easily.
StreamSolo known to some as Octiv 5.1 was the flagship product of the now defunct Octiv.com. The creator of the groundbreaking Octiv 5.1 whom I'll call Leif, is not only an audiophile with ears of the utmost sensitivity, he's also a magician. Leif managed to create a program that made 'ol Bob's work seem.. well let's just say, a whole lot of time has been spent promoting Orban products and little time on innovation. On the other hand, Octiv.com had a modest fan base and at one time Octiv (pre-5.1) was the most popular Winamp output processing plug-in, ever.
The members of the Octiv team sought other projects, closed its doors and sold all assets to Plantronics. I'd be speculating if I were to venture a guess as to how long ago this took place. Suffice to say, Plantronics had no idea what to do with StreamSolo and sister product StreamPro years later. The proggies sat on their website day after day with little attention given to updates. There were no discernable bugs in either program. So again, it's incredibly sad to see such a work of audio art fall by the way-side.
If it's any consolation "webcaster", you can pick up StreamAV, a similar processor built on the same core as StreamSolo for a hefty $499. All is not lost.
As for Leif, master of all things audio processing.. he's again sending a message to Bob Orban with his latest work, http://www.linearacoustic.com/octimax.htm
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