Audio levels for 1K tone?

maddogmike

maddogmike

Member
[FONT=verdana,arial][SIZE=-1] I'm preparing an advertisement for commercial TV, and I want to do it right.

I've got color bars and a 1k tone built right into Premiere. If my commercial's audio levels average -12db, what do I set the tone to?

I think it's ZERO db, but I need a second opinion.[/SIZE][/FONT]
 
maddogmike said:
[FONT=verdana,arial][SIZE=-1] I'm preparing an advertisement for commercial TV, and I want to do it right.

I've got color bars and a 1k tone built right into Premiere. If my commercial's audio levels average -12db, what do I set the tone to?

I think it's ZERO db, but I need a second opinion.[/SIZE][/FONT]
Click to expand...

Assuming we're talking about peak-reading digital audio-style metering, not analog style VU metering, then no, it should be either -16 or -18. Either is pretty acceptable, just let them know which it is. BTW, a 1K tone at -16 peak is approximately 0 VU.
 
I don't know if my scale is digital or analog. I'm in Premiere, if that helps. I guess that means digital.

When I bring in the color bars and tone that Premiere provides, it's automatically set to -18db.
 
One correction. I just remembered I had my master volume dialed down. So the automatic -18db I was getting for Premiere's tone is really an automatic -12db.
 
-12 (for a 1K tone) would probably be ok, but it's very hot in VU terms (about +4 or so), and you never know when analog gear might enter the picture (can anyone say Nagra?), so I'd say it's better to use -16 or -18, and note what it was in your report to them.
 
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you can set the tone level to whatever you like, its just a reference level so the next guy can line up the same as you were working to. in uk usually tv stuff is -18dBfs and film is -20dBfs. It just goes in the notes to the editor which you used.
 
The TV-company I have dealt with had a rule that average dialog should be at -12dBFS maximum. Peaks over -6bDFS have to be listed on a report sheet and absolute allowed peak is -3dBFS.
 
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