Comments

farss wrote on 11/2/2004, 2:37 PM
Are you talking about recording it or mixing it for output?
Recording anything you should aim for the peaks to be as close to 0dBFS as possible, if you don't have reliable peak metering thhen drop it back, absolute last thing you want is to clip. However recording at too low a level means you are throwing resolution away.
Setting the dialogue level in a mix is a much more complex issue, and it's not just the level that counts, you should also consider the degree of compression relative to the listening environment.
I strongly recommend everyone buys Jay Rose's book: Audio for Post Production. This very topic is covered in great detail. Follow the excellent advice given there, some of the stuff is quite subtle but will make a huge difference to customer satisfaction.
Bob.
skibumm101 wrote on 11/2/2004, 7:48 PM
Output is what i am looking for, I am a sound engenieer by trade, and understand recording. I am oloking for guidlines on what my ouputut levels should be when doing my final mastering. I dont want my final product to be too loud when put in a dvd, or be too soft. i am sure there are comfortbale listinging standerds. just havent found them
farss wrote on 11/2/2004, 9:37 PM
There are no standards. Most things have a volume control so your listeners will do what they please. I always get me peaks for the overall mix just under -0.1dBFS, they can always turn it down.
What matters far more is where the dialogue sits within the mix, this is something only you can judge, there's so many factors. Listening to the mix in the intended environment (not a studio) would seem the best approach.
In some movies the dialogue is deliberately kept low to make you strain to listen and them whamo, the monster jumps right in front of the blonde, chain saw screeching.
Just think sbout this, in a cinema you can keep the dialogue down a bit, it's a very quiet environment and it gives more room for other things. In a classroom you need the dialogue pretty compressed and right at the top of the mix otherwise they'll never hear it.
Bob.
Spot|DSE wrote on 11/2/2004, 9:38 PM
As Farss indicated, as close to 0dBFS. Your peaks, regardless of what they are comprised of, should be as loud as possible. You build a video mix around dialog. Use compression if you must, and usually you must. This IS the standard. Has always been since the days of digital. Question has never been the peak level, it's been the average level relative to 0dBvu. ATSC set that standard 3 years ago.
http://www.creativemac.com/2003/02_feb/tutorials/analog_dv_levels.htm
We use Wavehammer or UltraMaximizer to set levels on final to -.02dBfs.

If you're a sound engineer, asking this question is like asking "how loud should a lead vocal be in relation to the rest of the mix?" It's a content-dependent answer. Hard rock would have a lower vocal level than pop jazz or funk, and significantly lower than rap.
skibumm101 wrote on 11/3/2004, 9:36 AM
Thanks for all the answers. I unserstand that dialoge is different and should be adjuisted on different types of dialog in relation to everything else, I was wondering what people were doing or if there was a standard. and i think i got the answeres.
farss wrote on 11/3/2004, 12:51 PM
Just to flesh this out a bit more. Some time ago I did an in-store kiosk DVD. About every 10 minutes it runs a commercial about This Months Special, Press a Button for More Details.
THe dialogue for that I really hammered with Wave Hammer, peaks read -0.1dBFS, but troughs read around -3dBFS. REally leaps out at you and Eq ed to match the tiny speakers in the LCD screens.
But if you take the bait and press the button, same guy talking but way less compression. Peaks still at -0.1dBFS but now troughs at -8. No one wants get hammered that hard for very long and now they're focussed on listening.
So with dialogue apart from the peak value the degree of compression makes a bigger difference. Pro VO guys can speak with a lot of natural compression, I've head some where you could set the volume control to "-1" and you could still hear them.
Bob.