audio levels on dvx/hvx?

scorsesefan

scorsesefan

Veteran
I have always kept the dials at about half way point, but recently I was told this was too high. I was also under the impression that because dvx/hvx audio meters have no yellow bars, it was OK to peak a little into the red. Any thoughts?
Thanks
 
Whether that's too high or not is entirely relative to how loud the sound is you're trying to record.

On a DVX there's no yellow, so a few dots of red is okay.

On an HVX there's no red unless you hit maximum clipping, so no, no red is allowed on an HVX.
 
I might also add the obvious, where the meters are reading is more important the where the dials are pointing. The meters indicate more of what the actual recording is then the dials.

I like to take a mono source and run one track low, reading most often at around 50% and the other track higher at around 70 to 75 %. This will create two tracks with differing levels derived from the same source.

In post, the dialogue audio editor can then use the 1st lower track for louder passages and the higher recorded track for quiet passages. Hopefully this will provide material for an even audio master track once they're cleaned and a master track is built.

it's worth the effort to record some audio tracks and then take them into an audio editor and manipulate them for the sake of learning through hands on experimenting. This will give you additional insight and confidence in the craft.

PS: On a DVX or HVX use the limiter. I think it's called the ALC in the menu,... something like that.
 
10s said:
.....

PS: On a DVX or HVX use the limiter. I think it's called the ALC in the menu,... something like that.
Click to expand...

Are you sure it's really a limiter? I don't know the details of those cameras but FYI, normally the action of an Automatic Level Control (ALC) and that of a limiter are very different. An ALC has a 'setpoint' that it tries to keep all sound at, turing up the gain when the sound level is below that point and turning it down if it goes above. When an ALC is in action and you're recording speech, let's say, you can hear the background noise level 'pumping' as the circuit turns up the gain to try to find the missing sound during pauses and then turns it back down after a brief loud start as the speech resumes. A limiter, OTOH, has no effect at all on the gain as long as the level remains below its threshold setting and starts to reduce the gain quickly if it goes above. It allows the loud and quiet parts to remain in their natural relationship to each other without pumping but kicks in if the level threatens to go above a 'never-exceed' safety point.
 
DVX has no auto levels, it IS a limiter. I suppose HVX is the same.

There is no "right position" for the potentiometers, levels are right when the peaks hit near the top. If using a mixer the feed is at line level and the level match is done with a test tone from the mixer.
 
On a DVX, yes. Not on an HVX. You can go two or three dots into the red on a DVX with no problems; that'll still leave you 8 to 6dB of headroom before clipping.
 
Petrus said:
DVX has no auto levels, it IS a limiter. I suppose HVX is the same.

There is no "right position" for the potentiometers, levels are right when the peaks hit near the top. If using a mixer the feed is at line level and the level match is done with a test tone from the mixer.
Click to expand...

Good to know ... Thanks
 
Barry_Green said:
On a DVX, yes. Not on an HVX. You can go two or three dots into the red on a DVX with no problems; that'll still leave you 8 to 6dB of headroom before clipping.
Click to expand...
OK. Thanks, Barry. That's what I thought, but my producer likes me to turn the levels down to 2 or 3 dots and then when I bring it into FCP I bump it to, like, +5db and I get noise.
 
Steve,

I had the same confusion about the term ALC on the DVX at first also.

In Panasonic speak, however, they used it as Automatic Limiter Control.

Confirmed on Page 83 of the "DVX book". It starts to attenuate at -6db and tries to keep level below -4.5db. It is not capable of taming very "brief transitory peaks".

Ken :beer:
 
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