low overall audio

HerzogisGod

HerzogisGod

Well-known member
Im using an Oktava MK012 for my interior sound. Ive noticed that when I play back footage on my television te audio is rather low. I have to turn my tv almost all te way up. There is no hissing or anything like that...just overall low audio.

Im using an HVX 200 and the audio dials are set as follows: Ch 1 - center, and Ch 2- slightly past center.

I run te XLR cable into channel 2 and set both recording switces to ch.2 this way I am recording two tracks at once.

are these dial settings correct? or should they be higher? Or is this s post production thing, or a situation with my television?
 
Where is the dialogue sitting on a VU meter?

If your dialogue is sitting below -20dB on average, you're under-mixing it. You can certainly boost the level in post-production, and even nice and full recordings will benefit from a bit of compression, but your production tracks should be recorded at a suitable level. As the saying goes: never boost when you can cut.

The input gain settings on the camera will vary depending on the mic you're using, the loudness of the performance, the distance from the mic, and a variety of other factors. Propper input gain should be high enough that you have a nice and loud recording, but not so high that your recording clips or distorts.

If you're having difficulty judging correct audio levels, start by examining your monitoring procedure. Use high-quality closed-back headphones (Sony MDR-7506 are the standards), and keep your headphone volume consistant while shooting. Your tracks may be under-recorded because your headphones are too loud. Try using a standardized tone to callibrate your `phones at the start of each day (eg. 1kHz tone at -20dB). That way you will have a stable point of reference for your monitoring.

Under-recorded dialogue can be a real problem, especially with 16-bit audio. When you record at too low a level, you aren't using up all the available dynamic range. The camera may be able to record 16-bit audio, but you may only be recording onto the first 8 bits.
 
Thanks for the comments.

All I know is when I'm recording, the audio meters on my lcd screen are moving up and down nicely. I never hit the red zone either.

For some reason I have to crank my TV all the way up to hit a satisfying volume....regular tv shows are quite loud at the exact same level on the TV.

where is the -20db indicator located?
 
I would guess that you've set your XLR's for line-level input, rather than mic level. Check the settings and see.

Phil
 
I checked, they are both set to mic level.

I think it's the Oktava. I have it set up with a high pass filter, plus BBG. Might be too much for the kind of dialog I am recording.

All my exterior sound is right on the mark. Im using an Audio Technica and it picks up just about every nuance of sound you could imagine.

So yea...That might be the issue. The sound isn't terrible...just a bit on the low side for my taste.

Like I mentioned the audio levels on the lcd bounce around nicely while im recording and I always use headphones.

anyways...Ill try and be a bit more mindful in the future.
 
One other thing - with the DVX 100 you actually do want to hit the first-second bar in the red for peaks. Red does not equal a blow out. So if you're riding below the red, you are recording too low.

Phil
 
HerzogisGod said:
where is the -20db indicator located?
Click to expand...
If your camera's audio meters aren't telling you the actual level of your audio (relative to either -0dB full-scale or +0VU), then you'll probably have to bring the footage into editing software to know exactly where your audio is sitting. Another option is to pop in a tape on which you've recorded line-up tone (1kHz sine wave at -20 dB), and see where the camera's meters sit. You may want to mark that point with a bit of paper tape, since that will be approximately -20dB. That tone tape's handy to have, since you can also use it to set your headphone volume.

Production dialogue that has not been mixed or compressed will almost always sound quieter than broadcast sound, but the difference shouldn't be as dramatic as you've described.
 
HerzogDude -

There's no "correct" setting of the dials. The HVX has two thin white vertical lines in the audio meters. The one towards the left is -20dBFS, the one further right is -12dBFS. Conservatively, your meters should average around -12dB; but if you don't have a lot of variation in level, you can push farther towards 0dB. Set the gain dials in order to achieve this. For best sound quality and level, you want the meters to be as close to 0dBFS (the rightmost part of the audio meters) as possible without risking any peaks that actually hit 0.
 
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