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vox1
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Joined: 14 Nov 2004
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 Posted: Mon May 28, 2007 12:13 pm Post subject: Levels question... |
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Hi, this is an old question that I have to revisit and get some fresh
clarification about. For broadcast applications, I have long been routinely recording to a "digital Peaks level of "-12" as "analog zero" and consider "-6" as absolute maximum which i've believed translate favorably in instances where i'm supplying dry Vtracks to post-prod. houses. for final mix(TV).
OTOH, i send out normalized tracks at a higher average-peaks level when end-use is non-broadcast (narration, etc)... I mostly use Bias Peak. I'd
be interested in standard 'rules of thumb' on optimum levels dependent
on end-usage; A) For tracks going to another facility for broadcast mix...vs
B) material being sent out, say, "air-ready" for radio or TV/audio, and C)
finalized non-broadcast-tracks being distributed for such apps as...web audio,
corp. video, multimedia et.al.
I'd welcome any definitive advice on the subject as the answers have varied amongst a couple of engineer friends that i've chatted with about this topic recently...
Best Regards,
MikeM
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Jowillie
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| Posted: Mon May 28, 2007 1:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | I have long been routinely recording to a "digital Peaks level of "-12" as "analog zero" and consider "-6" as absolute maximum |
Why would you not do the same for the other applications?
Digital distortion is still lost audio quality.
WE 
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vox1
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| Posted: Mon May 28, 2007 8:46 pm Post subject: |
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Perhaps I should rephrase this. Is it an acceptable standard to shoot for an average peaks level in the vicinity of -6db Digital for tracks being sent out for post-prod. mix or otherwise, what is a 'conventional' standard that you'd suggest as a fairly 'universal' optimal level - whether it is going somewhere else for video post,or otherwise going out as a final, "air-ready" track for broadcast. In the case of the latter, i naturally want to minimize the extent to which my audio might 'invoke' any crushing/limiting by the station's on-air signal-processing chain.
Thanks,
Mike
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Bill Campbell
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Joined: 09 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 4:23 am Post subject: |
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My TV stations ask for -9. Radio I send at -3. The producers at those facilities will adjust as needed.
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sdelgo
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Joined: 04 Dec 2006
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Location: Milwaukee
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| Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 5:00 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | For broadcast applications, I have long been routinely recording to a "digital Peaks level of "-12" as "analog zero" and consider "-6" as absolute maximum |
Vox,
"Analog zero" or "line level" is -18dbFS that is where the meat of your signal should hang around during tracking. This will give you an enormous amount of headroom in 24bit, and more than you'd need in 16 bit as well.
Material going out over the "air" radio/tv will be so compressed, limited, companded etc...that you could get away with sending your work in at
-6dbFS. I've actually sent stuff in at -12dbFS and it sounded fine.
As for web... I'm not all too familiar with the final levels but I would say it more likely be a sample rate and bit depth issue more than an amplitude issue. The whole bandwidth thing.
Going to post production I'd leave as much headroom as possible for the sweetening process. Others on this board can answer this better than me however.
Hope this helps.
Steve
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vox1
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| Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 10:14 am Post subject: |
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Thanks guys!
Mike
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