How to get the audio levels spot on? HVX

[Mavoz]

Hi,

Am steadily learning the HVX at the moment...and have had a little bit of grief getting the mic levels right....

Is the basic theory that the indicator should always be peaking at the 0db - top mark?

Does one run the risk of causing clipping doing this?

Is it best just to rely on the headphones?

I'm using an SM58 mic and have so far found that it seems ok in camera...but then when I bring it into Premiere the levels are too low.

I'm assuming that the SM58 does not need phantom power.

Any tips appreciated!

 

[Steve House]

Hi,

Am steadily learning the HVX at the moment...and have had a little bit of grief getting the mic levels right....

Is the basic theory that the indicator should always be peaking at the 0db - top mark?

Does one run the risk of causing clipping doing this?

Is it best just to rely on the headphones?

I'm using an SM58 mic and have so far found that it seems ok in camera...but then when I bring it into Premiere the levels are too low.

I'm assuming that the SM58 does not need phantom power.

Any tips appreciated!

The SM58 is a dynamic mic rated at ~-55dB output. It does not need phantom and cannot use it. If you have to turn the gain up too high to get adequate levels you can set your camera's input sensitivity to the -60dBu option using the setup menu.

Peaks should be well under the 0dBFS mark - the first mark on the left, about mid-scale, represents -20dbFS, the second 2/3 the way to the right is -12dBFS, and 0dB is at the extreme right hand side of the scale. Speech should average about -12dBFS with occasional peaks perhaps hitting in the -10 dBFS area. If you were using a mixer capable of sending tone, a 0VU tone on the mixer should align to the -20dBFS mark on the camera.

 

[Mavoz]

Peaks should be well under the 0dBFS mark - the first mark on the left, about mid-scale, represents -20dbFS, the second 2/3 the way to the right is -12dBFS, and 0dB is at the extreme right hand side of the scale. Speech should average about -12dBFS with occasional peaks perhaps hitting in the -10 dBFS area.

Thanks for that...I kind of figured that it should peak maybe just over that -12dbFS mark....which is what I have it doing....

but for some reason when I bring the audio into Adobe Premiere Pro2...the levels seem way down in there...and I have to actually turn them up!

Not sure if this is a Premiere thing or a HVX thing!

Will have to keep experimenting. Thanks.

 

[John Froton]

I try to keep the sound levels dancing between -12db and -6db on the HVX.

You might consider using a preamp box for your mic(s) such as the MIXPRE by Sound Devices. I feed my mic into the MIXPRE and adjust the volume slightly up on the MIXPRE and slightly down on the HVX. The preamps on the MIXPRE are quieter so you end up getting a slightly cleaner signal this way.

You are right about Premiere. It seems quiet to me also, so I just boost the tracks with the Audio Mixer in Premiere to where they dance around the -6db mark. Not sure if this is typical or a Premiere thing either.

 

[David W. Richardson]

I have the same problem with Premiere 6.0 when it comes to pulling audio from my Zoom H4. Audio from the camera (DVX100a) seems fine, level-wise. But volume of the audio from the SD card used in the H4 is low.

I always take the audio -- whether from camera or H4 -- and normalize it using Cool Edit 2000. That seems to do the trick.