Checklist to prepare for broadcast

[Ben Scott]

you can get ppmulator to work with FCP if you set it up with audio hijack and soundflower
PPM should have dialogue at a minimum of 4ppm and max should never go over 6ppm where 4ppm represents -18db and 4ppm is 8db higher

you will need to check the goniometer in soundtrack pro as well to check for Phase cancellation

for color correction I am sure walters article is good on this bit and how to apply the broadcast safe filter

make sure all titles are protected for 14.9 in UK

where in doubt about PSI e.g. red image and constant flashing images with different luma values bring down saturation and contrast and maybe even add motion blur

main rule
Always check picture and audio on broadcast quality kit e.g. if SD output be viewing on graded CRT and proper monitor speakers in a some sort of a controlled environment audio and ambient lighting

[Adam Taylor]

Not quite accurate….Correct you cannot go over 6ppm, as that will get an instant rejection, BUT you can’t simply whack on a compressor and pump the heck out of it either.
In the UK I know the stations now use loudness analysers which can work out the relative loudness of dialogue and music – if you are out of the approved range you fail.

Like Michael, I too do everything…audio, video, motion graphics, grading, etc (and i’m uk based) so have first hand experience (built up over 20+ years) – I had my first audio rejection this year when a commercial i mixed was just too full-on to pass, even though it was peaking several db below the limit.
I could have stumped up £700 for Dolbys plug meter but just decided to remix it first and see what happened. It passed because being made aware of what failed, i could compare it to previous stuff i’d mixed and had passed.

You may also find that rules for programmes may be slightly different to those for commercials, so you need to be aware of the rules relevant to your particular job.

I would never attempt to do a mix for broadcast in FCP, its simply the wrong tool for the job. I use Protools LE (don’t need the £20k hd setups for my work), and a hardware PPM meter. Excellent monitoring is a definite must – and that does not mean decent hi-fi speakers. Your monitors MUST have a clear accurate representation of the audio, without artificially sweetening the sound.

For me, the most valuable plug-in is Waves L2 Ultramaximiser – (used as the final plug on the master mix )settings of output limit – -9db, Ultra noise shaping, dither 20bits, and varying the threshold to give a gain reduction (on the red meters) of around 3-4 db has worked every time for me. This is applied AFTER i have done my compression, eq’s and balancing – not instead of.

And off air, the ads hold up well against their peers.

Depending on the material you are doing, the possible pitfalls of doing audio with no experience could easily cost you more (both in time, money, possible missed air dates) than booking a session at a posthouse. Thats how I learned…as a video editor on several shows I spent many hours in a mixroom watching the dubbing mixer, asking the occasional pertinent questions, and reading everything i could around the subject. It takes time, study and practice.

I would seriously recommend phoning the Senior Transmission Engineer at whichever station your material is being transmitted from, explain your situation and ask for their advice. They would much rather you asked and got it right than blindly kept on sending and crossing your fingers. A little humility can go a long way!

Good luck, and stick with it…experience is the only way to learn.
adam

Adam Taylor
Video Editor/Audio Mixer/ Compositor/Motion GFX/Barista
Character Options Ltd
Oldham, UK

http://www.sculptedbliss.co.uk

[Christian Hart]

Would just like to say thanks to Adam Ben and Nick – that is all incredibly useful information. I hope to never find myself in that
situation again (up at 2am using the wrong tools, no time to spare
and with no solid understanding of what i am doing!)

Believe me i tend to be the sort of person that learns as much as i can
first, before attempting anything like this but as i say, it landed in my lap..

The transmission engineer was quite helpful in pointing out what would fail the program but i obviously couldn’t ask him a million questions eg “how do i correct audio that is out of phase” etc etc so some heavy reading was required in places.

I corrected luma / gam levels and checked audio remained between -18 and -12db before mixing down and, for simplicity, centering all tracks (mono mix was stated as acceptable)

It’s supposed to be broadcast very, very, shortly so we shall see…

Thanks again.