1khz tone volume for digital file?

Yoyodyne wrote on 4/6/2010, 10:57 AM

Howdy, I'm delivering a mpeg-2 file to a cable company for air and they need 10 sec of 1 khz tone. I've got the tone but not sure at what level the tone should be set at. Is their a standard for digital file delivery?

Thanks a bunch for any info.

Comments

kdm wrote on 4/6/2010, 11:30 AM

Haven't heard of a digital delivery requiring a 1k tone. Audio for digital delivery is normally referenced to -20dbfs. It should also meet their peak and nominal level requirements though (often -10dbfs peak, -20dbfs nominal, but that can vary, and how you need to measure it varies as it isn't necessarily dbfs for nominal/rms levels, esp. for Dolby spec'd/LEQ deliveries).

If a reference tone is really what they want, I would guess -20dbfs, but you should ask them to be sure.

musicvid10 wrote on 4/6/2010, 11:35 AM

Generally, -18dBfs for UK delivery, -20dBfs in the US.

The BBC has the "18dbfsstereotone" available for download, or you could easily roll your own in Sound Forge.

richard-courtney wrote on 4/6/2010, 1:07 PM

Ask for their specs. We have been doing files with -20dBFS with the slate
indicating as such. Nobody here has requested a countdown just silent black
before program. Program starts at 0:0:0;0 However when they load it into a server
or DDR a tech will usually verify your material and set in/out points for the channel's
playlist.

Yoyodyne wrote on 4/6/2010, 4:41 PM

Thanks a bunch folks. I checked out some of the other media delivered by other people and tone level was all over the place. Never had a request for tone at the head of a digital file before.