how would you go about doing that

Tools/ print to DV tape. I've never used the option myself, preferring to print files from the hard drive after they are rendered.

I use the Print to DV tape option every time. Only rerender the necesary. Print the bars, one moment of black, then the video, and more black.

Erni.

I have noticed that feature.. it will also let you insert a standard intro file if I'm not mistaken. The issue I have though, is this:

The whole reason for having tone at the head of the tape is so that the audio levels can be set for the following program. If you lay the B's&T after the fact, you aren't acomplishing anything but having bars on the tape because "everyone else always does it".

It would be nice to be able to lay bars and tone at the head of the program, and then adjust your levels accordingly. I know it can be done by printing to tape first, and then bringing it back in as media. Not a big pain, but a pain none the less.

btw, having bars and tone on your master is important. Having bars and tone on the copies distributed to the masses (unless they request it) is annoying.

Just my 2 cents

Gary,
There is also a downloadable -20, -10, and 0dB test tone on our site, www.sundancemediagroup.com/help/kb if you don't want a print to tape project.

What would a television station use the tone for? And how?

JBJones

A television station uses the tones to set their levels to make certain that your video matches their systems. Problem is, television stations use analog gear. -20dB Full Scale (digital measurement) is equal to 0dB in the analog realm. This is a 'new' standard as set forth by the ATSC. Up til recently, differences of -8, -12, -14, -18 have all been 'standards' by various digital audio equipment makers.
Anyway, to my knowledge all broadcasters require tones/bars. I've never submitted anything without it, but I'm fairly certain it's still required.

If they zero at -20dB then should my audio be bumping around -20dB also? Or should it sill be around -6dB which I normally use to keep from over driving the tape.

JBJones

On the colour bars question - although having Vegas put them there complies with requirements, shouldn't they ideally be generated by the camera that shot the footage?

I don't Print TO Tape from the T/L. That's the Feature of my Dell Notebook - hah! - I rather print the whole project to a New Track and it is this New Track file which I then PTT through VidCap. This works for me. However, this doesn't give me Tone 'n Bars. I've just put together a PAL T&B SMPTE by PTTing from T/L to my Canon and THEN Captured this back into V4. Edited this to make about a 10 second T&B - 2 sec black in and out - and will be using this in my next project. This now gives me the flexibility I need to PTT the project from a New Track file.

Regards,

Grazie

I'd like to see some of the procedures used in broadcast described.

Is there an "official" standard set forth by an organization or association (PBS, SMPTE, NBC, CBS, ABC, etc) for the format of color bars, tone and slate on a broadcast program (and are they adhered to)?

How much deadroll should be provided at the beginning of a tape?
Should the bars be standard or SMPTE?
Can the bars have other information, such as slate info supered on them, or are "pure" bars necessary?
Of what frequency tone and level is the most accurate tone to use?
How long should the slate be and what information should it provide?
Is a countdown necessary, and if so, what length?
Should the countdown include audible "beeps" on the second counts?
How much "black" should preceed the program?

I have always used 60 secs of SMPTE bars and tone, 10 secs of slate, including a countdown with audible beeps from 10 to 2, 2 secs of black, then program.

I'm always frustrated when importing analog material, albeit high quality, and there's only 10 secs of bars and tone. I constantly have to rewind to make the fine adjustments. Those who use a vectorscope during setup know will know what I mean.

Although these standards are not necessary for most productions, any programming that is to be mass produced, professionally copied or used in broadcast media, whether it's a long-form program for the networks or a local cable commercial should contain these reference elements.

Let's hear from the guys in trenches.

Thanks!

MichaelS - here are the answers to most of your questions. Anyone out there can feel free to add to them of course.

First off, there is unfortunately no set standard as to what should appear at the head of the tape. Different stations and facilities have different requirements for content. PBS seems to be the most strict, and you can read their Red Book @ http://www.pbs.org/producers/redbook. The larger the market, the more standardized their operation is, which requires more specific information. Many broadcast facilities have an automated master control system, so following their guidlines is a must for your tape to work correctly.

Basicly, you want to check with any station or facility before you submit anything to them, as what might be good for NBC, might not be for FOX. Another key question to ask them is what is the preferred format I.e., BetaSP, DigiBeta, DVCpro... some places believe it or not, still want stuff on 3/4".

The dead roll at the beginning of the tape shouldn't be longer than 10 seconds to let let the machine get to speed before the Bars and Tone.

Slate information is important - Always include the title of the production, it's exact run time, the name of the production company, and air dates if for broadcast. Often you will see the slate information included with the countdown or the bars. I do mine that way, placing the countdown in the upper right corner, and slate information in the rest of the frame.

As far as the bars tone and countdown, here is the why and how:

Bars-
Every piece of video equipment equipment is different. The levels generated by your camera are not the same as the ones created by mine, nor do they have the same exact values as the VTR at a broadcast facility. For that mater, no two VTR's settings are the same, even if they came off the line together. Color bars provide a standard that can be used to ensure the product airs with the same values it was created with. When you lay bars at the head of your program, you are basing the levels of your production on tose established by the bars. Tone is the same way. 0db on the tone at the head of your program should reflect 0db throught the production. That means that when your tape arrives at a facility, the tech or operator will set the video levels to match your bars, and the audio levels to match your tone. When the tape plays, it will look just like it did on your machine. If your BnT are inaccurate, your piece could look like crap.

Tone frequency is not truly important. Yes, different places might prefer different frequencies, but as long as the tone level matches that of you piece, everyone should be happy.

The Countdown should start at 9 and countdown to 2, with a corresponding 'beep' at the change of each digit. On the same frame the '2' dissapears, the beep should be of a noticably higer pitch. This will let someone who might not be looking at the screen know that the countdown is over. That last tone should be followed by 30 frames of black, after which the first frame of your piece should begin.

For NTSC productions at least, SMPTE bars seem to be the accepted standard. They offer a better level of adjustment to the system. You will often see a station or facility place a tag in the middle of their bars stating their cll letters or organization. As long as the box the information is in is black with white letters, is centered on the "long bars" and not the lumi / contrast section at the bottom, it should be fine. I wouldn't reccomend that section for a full slate though. I will often use that section as a quick slate for my master tapes, placing the title of the production and the date produced there as a quick reference in case a lable comes off.

As a final note, you are correct- there is nothing more frustrating than trying to set levels on 10 seconds of Bars and Tone (or as we call it TarzansBones). Anything less than 30 secs and you have to rewind before you can get good levels.

Bars and Tone are one of the most important elements for outside airing of your production. Without them, or with inaccurate bars, you piece will play like crap with off-colors and bad audio levels. A perfectly made piece can look like second rate cable access if you ignore this step.

I hope I've answered your questions without being too long-winded.

If anyone has more accurate information, or a better way of explaining it, please feel free.

You want your audio in Vegas hitting as close to zero dB as possible for maximum resolution. It's on the analog side that I/O should be calibrated. Fullscale metering reads differently than analog metering. I wrote an article on this that can be found on the DMN or on the Sundance site.

Thanks for your thoughtful and insightful response. You have reinforced what I have known for years...that the concensus is that there's no concensus. Your methods could certainly serve as guidelines for any production house.

I often have to re-edit other peoples work for broadcast...you should see some of the terrible production procedures that are allowed to pass as "professional". I occassionally get cable commercials that are on the tape so tight, they literally "upcut" the program material.

Also, let me add that when there is tape available, be sure to add a second or third run of your program/commercial, including bars/tones/slate. The first take can sometimes be damaged from repeated use. That second or third take has saved my rear on many occassions.

Thanks!

Ok. So, now that we've gotten all of that established. I know how to create the bars in Vegas. What is a good way to create the tones and then the count down?

JBJones

You can download the tones, you can generate them via print to tape, and you can generate them in Forge, and some other DAW applications.
Never heard the term "tarzan's bones," I like that!
We built our own countdown/slate, and there is one as a veg file on the Sundance site that was adapted from one made by Dr. Dropout as well. So, there are three header files available on the SMG site. One from me, Dr. Dropout, and Jeffrey P Fisher.