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High Frustration Levels, Low Audio Levels
I just finished a week long shoot. I ran my audio through the Panny DVX-100 and everything seemed fine through the headphones. Even seemed okay on the meters. I mean, it isn’t like I haven’t done this before.
On monitoring the levels through my VTR while capturing, I find the dialogue levels to be way too low.
Yes, I’m trying to stay calm. I’m using Vegas 4, Sound Forge 5 and Noise Reduction 2.0.
What’s the best way to procede? Pump-up levels in Sound Forge, adjust in Vegas while applying noise reduction? Can anybody suggest a better course of action (other than drinking myself silly with Johnnie Walker?)
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4 Replies
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How low is way too low? After capture did you run some footage thru preview (I’m sure you did) but what do the Vegas audio meters read?
Once we know that we can help you try to boost them if they really need it.
Don -
Try adding the Wave Hammer audio FX and choose the “Mastering for 16 bit” preset.
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Did you change the master volume level by accident?
JerryW
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Try usig the ‘compressor’ available under the plugin icon in the audio track header. It has a number of presets but you can also try adjusting the input and output gain sliders and applying some compression of up to around 6dB and this will lift your overall level and subjective ‘loudness’ and reduce the dynamic range and should give you a far more useable output. If there is some hiss/noise when you do this, as can happen when you lift very low levels, you could try adding the ‘noise gate’ plugin in the chain and try starting it at around -35dB and see if this will help clean up the bottom end. Try not to go too high with this as you may gate the lower audio levels with some nasty results. Use with care!
You can buy some great plugins that would fix this problem very easily. I use the Waves L1, L2 and L3 Ultramaximiser plugins for all our audio work as they give superb results.
Chris Young
CYV Productions
Sydney
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