-
Audio levels
Hi
I am a new vegas pro user and just finished going through the manual, so I think I am ready to start my first project. However, there is one basic issue that puzzles me: sound levels. I know there have been a lot of post about this topic, but I nevertheless feel I don’t know how to handle this in the right way.
1) It is adviced not to touch the master level and keep it at 0dB. So, what is the use of it anyway? What are typical cases where this can or should be changed?
2) I frequently read that for broadcasting the levels should be put at -20dB. Is this also necessary when just making a home movie? Can’t I just keep the levels the way they are (provided they do not get in the red area)?
3) Some say you should do a normalisation, some say it is better not to do this. How should I best handle the audio tracks with added mp3 (background music), i.e. how to keep them all at the same level and which level should that be? It is not for professional purposes, just home video.
I hope someone can help me out on this or suggest some references/links
Dirk
-
2 Replies
-
I think I’ve written novels on this subject over the years. The cow has an article about deadly levels that I wrote a decade ago.
A-if you have a mix that’s perfect, but slamming 0dB, then pull the master down accordingly so you’re not messing with the mix levels, just the master.
B-Some numbskull years ago wrote a book saying that -20dB is where your peaks should be hitting. I’ve chewed him out in public for this on more than one occasion. There are two scales that xover people know.
0dbFS (full scale) which is a digital measurement
0dbVU, which is an analog measurement
For years, the relationship between the two varied. Panasonic had their version, Casio had theirs, Tascam had theirs, and the variances were nutty between them all. The industry finally settled on -20dBFS as being equal to 0dBVU.
Simply be sure your peaks are in the -3 to -6dB range at output and you’ll be fine. I run much hotter than this, but I also use compression tools to keep the mix in place.For just home video, don’t be afraid to normalize. It’s not a terribly good practice as a first remedy, but it works just fine for most things, especially in non-broadcast/distribution video.
Douglas Spotted Eagle
VASSTCertified Sony Vegas Trainer
Aerial Camera/Instructor -
Glad to hear that for the hobbyist life is not that difficult after all. Thanks!
Dirk
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up