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Audio levels peaks fpr broadcast, someone with a sound background please…
Hi:
Just a quick thought. It is very confusing out there as to what broadcast levels for audio are. If you are a sound guy or have massive experience deealing with audio, please help.I normally only deal with picture edit and a sound studio deals with audio. recently I have done a couple of music videos and 2 pilot promos where I got the audio mix as an AIFF that I had to import into Avid.
I set the tone at -20 (it was default at -14) and made sure the levels never went over +6db. Then they said it was a little too quiet and I went to a maximum of +8.
My question is, what levels I should be aware of and what should be the highest I should allow the levels to peak?
Thanks
Using 2x Xpress pro 4.6 with Mojo and 2x MC v.10.
Sam
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2 Replies
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Sam,
Audio levels as measured on various types of VUs meters are grossly inaccurate, so you have to figure out what works on the machines you have and go by that. For instance, on a Digibeta’s meters, -20 equals 0 VU on an analog meter. If your peaks are close to that, then that volume will look right to you on the DBeta deck, but be really low when measured on a Beta-SP’s meters, for example. This is due to the difference in how each system reacts to and represents the peaks in the signal based on the ballistics of the metering system.
Avid’s meters are pretty responsive to peaks, so if you reference to -20, then your signal should have peaks in the +12 range in the Avid UI (as a guess). What you want to end up with when referenced to tone (-20 digital, 0 analog), is a signal with peaks at around -10 on a DBeta with the body of the signal close to or a little over -20. On an analog deck, the meters should be close to 0 with peaks hitting between 0 and +3. An analog reading with the bulk of the audio down around -7 or less is too quiet. Depending on the system you use, some compression may be in order, but don’t go heavy-handed, because it will get compressed again in the broadcast chain. These suggestions are for commercials or promos. You can back off a bit for programming, which doesn’t have to be in-your-face.
If you are going direct from the Mojo to the VTR, you should probably consider a basic mixer in between, since Mojo’s output is unbalanced.
Sincerely,
OliverOliver Peters
Post-Production & Interactive Media
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
Hello,
I am an AVID editor working on an Adrenaline system on mainly news shows.I have my audio reference level set to -20.
My levels usually peak between -20 and -14.I output to a Sony 1800 BetaSP deck.
A producer I work with wants to know what level to look
for (good levels) to spot check the tapes the Editors lay off.I do not know exactly what number to tell her to look for.
I know if digital is set to -20 it should be set to 0 Analog.
What looks like great audio on the Avid, peaking at around -14, looks low when playing back on
these Sony 1800 decks.I am now confused as to how to explain why.
work is the curse of the drinking class.
o wilde
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