[Peter Groom]

You shouldnt need to pad it at all.
Just take the line level signal from the desk and put it into the XLRs, and reduce the gain.
Reducing the gain to 0.7 on my Zoom takes it so a 1 k PPM ref tone is calibrated correctly on the input meters, so 0.7 on a Zoom is correct for line. Then just ensure your output from the desk doesnt go over +8db from ref and youll be good. You do have tolerance over that but its not good practice to routinely go over correct level. Best stay within your calibration and reduce the desk op accordingly as appropriate.

You may want to set up an internal limiter to take care of any overs for you, but dont let it stay hot. This should be a saving limiter not a regular use limiter.

Peter

Post Production Dubbing Mixer

[Peter Groom]

Hi Brendan
not wanting to try on a real job and fail, can you explain the relink process youve suggested so i can have a go before it matters?
Peter

Post Production Dubbing Mixer

[Peter Groom]

I dont know about a plug in. Ive certainally never seen one, but with AVID MC5 its basically the same as youre doing no, but can handle up to 9 screens. So no big revolution Im aware of.

Funny. I never feel that syncing the cameras is much of a hassle. I suppose it depends on excatly how many cameras and how long the reels are. My seqs are usually 4 cams for 1 hour so not too much.

I do find that spreading the clips across different drives helps massively with the playback smoothness in multiclip. I think its a bandwidth thing – especially with HD footage.

Peter

Post Production Dubbing Mixer

[Peter Groom]

I went straight from AVID as a QT REf into DVD. No Sorenson sq.
Peter

Post Production Dubbing Mixer

[Peter Groom]

HI jeff
Its AVID DVD by Sonic
Peter

Post Production Dubbing Mixer

[Peter Groom]

Thanks Michael.
Ill have a look at what options im presented with in AVID DVD when i get a chance and cross reference to your thoughts.
Cheers for the prompt response.
Peter

Post Production Dubbing Mixer

[Peter Groom]

Ty
Youre entitled to your opinion, as is everyone.

As a studio guy who has complained about cautious levels from the field myself over the years, I was surprised – but I can tell you that it is the opinion of a great many highly regarded UK recordists that cameras input electronics do differ in what levels they can accept before distortion, (not clipping) and this is not a fault, but circuitry design.
This is not my opinion, but feedback from field recordists on the topic.
Peter

Post Production Dubbing Mixer

[Peter Groom]

Sound recordists are “very sensibly” nervous about running the audio too hot in the field. They calibrate their mixer ppm 4 to a -20 on the camera. Then hit a 6 on the mixer thats fine. BUT be aware that the input electronics of many cameras dont like it as hot as that and can create distortion, which is a sure fire way of YOU not hiring THEM again.

When youre in the field, you dont know what coming next as it “live” unlike those of us in post where we can rewind and do it again. So if a mixer recordist lines up mixer and camera correctly, but then allows audio to go over the ppm 6 – it will be off his scale very soon. And so, how loud was it? Did it clip, or distort. No one knows until the editor rings him and tells him it all needs to be re shot. Whos paying then.
And anyway the levels arent an issue really in the edit, as when it goes to the dubbing mixer, he can and will fix issues like that with far greater tools at his disposal than any FCP can ever have!
It is going for a dub right??

When you say it plays back low. do you mean that a -20 tone on camera input doesnt make a -20 playback on the FCP. Then that an FCP issue. You should find that those tones come in and playback (with the fader at an unadjusted 0 position) at a PPM 4 in the edit suite. Is this not the case.

Peter

Post Production Dubbing Mixer

[Peter Groom]

I took the recording into pro tools. Its fine!
It goes high, but doesnt clip or distort. dropping “erm” by 4 db makes it fit well with the other material.
If its sounding bad your end id suggest i ts your soundcard or speakers that cant cope.
Peter

Post Production Dubbing Mixer

[Peter Groom]

Its a damn good question, that ill need to look into to answer, but for the moment id suggest an analogue pass wont kill anyone.
I think any vtr will struggle with sdi as the audio will be embedded and embedded at the wrong rate. im NOt aware that VTRs have any sr adjustment internally.
Cheers
Peter

Post Production Dubbing Mixer