Set LCD Audio Level Meter to -20dB?

EidolonFilms

EidolonFilms

Well-known member
The audio level meter on the AF100 LCD appears to have its "sweet spot" marker at -12 dB. Does anyone know how to switch the marker to lie at -20 dB?

The first time we ran sound from an SD302 mixer to the camera, we set the mixer to tone, and dialed in the camera audio wheels until we hit the little marker. After capturing the clip, the tone came in at -12. I believe the BARS on the AF100 also put out a tone at -12. Does anyone know how to change it so we can properly set the mixer tone without simply guessing how far below the -12 dB marker to set the levels?
 
-12db is the proper level for the tone. Why would you want to change it? Setting it lower will give you audio levels that are too low and once you boost them in post you will end up with a higher noise floor.
 
With a professional mixer going line out into the camera, you want to use -20 dB. That way when the sound person is monitoring the levels on the mixer (which is analog), they can properly monitor their levels, which go up to +20 (so +20 on the mixer = 0 on the camera, which = clipping). Using -12 would mean the sound person has no accurate reference for how their levels are being translated into the camera, it would be +8 dB too hot.
 
My sound recordists work fine with their line devices at -12db and 0db.

The AF102 now outputs tone with bars. ( Thanx Panasonic - good move)

Get your recordist to work with that as a setup..
 
Hmm... Ok I was hoping we could just keep doing it the way we did it on an HVX200 and Canon XHA1 (which both had a -20 marker on their level meters.)
 
EidolonFilms said:
With a professional mixer going line out into the camera, you want to use -20 dB. That way when the sound person is monitoring the levels on the mixer (which is analog), they can properly monitor their levels, which go up to +20 (so +20 on the mixer = 0 on the camera, which = clipping). Using -12 would mean the sound person has no accurate reference for how their levels are being translated into the camera, it would be +8 dB too hot.
Click to expand...

Agreed. HVX200 has lines/marks/tatoos at -20dBFS and -12dBFS. -20dBFS is a good standardized reference level.

However, it should be possible to do a few quick tests with any given mixer/recorder and figure out what settings correlate to -20dBFS. The -12dBFS line can be used as a "careful, we're peaking too high, line."

It should also be possible, in a firmware update, to add the -20dBFS line. (A set-able line that we can move from -24dBFS to -18dBFS would be really nice!)
 
Yea, we have tested it and found that the meters hit -20 just a couple notches below the marker, but it is more imprecise than having an actual marker to judge it by.
 
EidolonFilms said:
Yea, we have tested it and found that the meters hit -20 just a couple notches below the marker, but it is more imprecise than having an actual marker to judge it by.
Click to expand...

Sorry I wasn't more clear. Once the mixer knows what settings on his/her mixer translate to -20dBFS on the AF100 (provided the AF100 settings are also taken into account) then let him/her worry about the rest. It would just be a matter of taking a few notes and then matching the setup next time.
 
So very glad you brought this up before I told my sound guys the bars were set for 20... would've made us both look a little bad...
 
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