Proper audio in, help please!

Z

Zab

Active member
Hi!
I was to start printing my timeline to the cam and a doubt came to me. What level of audio should be the right one? I can see (when monitoring on the dvx screen) that the audio levels go to the top most of the time, and of course they are always red. In my NLE I can see that after limiting the audio it never goes further than -0,3db, so it is not supposed to clip, isn't it?
Well, my question is, do I have to worry about the audio level in the dvx or, with a peak of -0,3db it is allright despite it reaches the top?

Thankyou so much!

PS1. I forgot to say that it is a videoclip of a 'new metal' band, a strong one ;-)

PS2. I have to give them the master in 2 hours! :o
 
Re: Proper audio in, help please!

I'm assuming you're using automatic gain control and the built-in mics? Or you would've said so, right?

I find the audio level meter on the DVX a little misleading... it shows red where most meters would show a gradual shift from green through yellow to red, with red indicating a problem. On the DVX, you want to be in the red zone, just not hitting the final bar (which is shaped like "-|" rather than just "-". If I'm not mistaken, the "-|-" bar where the red begins is -12 dB, a pretty low level; each bar after that is about 2dB. So, if you're far into the red, but not hitting the last bar (which AGC won't let you do), about -3dB is what you should be getting.

I'd also recommend leaving it there, or just normalized up to -2 or -1.5 dB. If you set your levels "perfectly" (some peaks at 0 dB), some players will sound like they're clipping....

-Barry
 
Re: Proper audio in, help please!

P.S., "always red", if true, means you're not getting the best audio. You really want some variety and dynamic range in your sound. AGC basically compresses the hell out of everything, aiming to keep a constant high level which wrwaks havoc on music. One of the most important things that distingushes a pro camera from a consumer camera is the ability to set audio level manually - use it!
 
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