Audio levels

[joet082964]

Hello friends,

I am new to Premier but have done some basic editing in other software over the years. My question is about proper audio levels for export.

I recently did a short product video, adjusting the video segment audio, voice-over tracks, and backing music tracks accordingly, using quality headphones from my PC. During my editing, the audio seemed extremely loud in my headphones, so I adjusted according on the audio tracks.  However, after export, the audio levels were way too low to use on a widescreen TV at a tradeshow/conference where the ambient room volume was fairly loud.

Can anyone give me some guidance on how to determine the appropriate audio levels I should see during editing so that the exported playback is correct? For example, should I keep the PC audio level at 50 while editing, then aim for a certain db level in Premier?

[R Neil Haugen]

The levels used typically are aiming for peaks of -12dB or -6dB that have been posted here for b-cast work. Doing something that's going to be used in a trade-show setting, personally I'd go for the -6dB. There's a guy that does DVD's for some clients still, and as in his experience they're typically 1) older and maybe have hearing problems and 2) everything else in their system probably sucks, so turning it louder gets sound system distortion (think tv speakers) ... when he does DVD's he sets sound peaks to -3dB just to get it a bit louder.

But most specs posted have been either -12dB or -6dB for peaks.

You'd want to use some compression to make sure your quieter parts aren't (comparatively) too quiet. And adjust your sound settings &/or headphones so that the peaks you've set are ok on your ears. Not the other way around.

Neil

[joet082964]

Thank you!  I have googled and youtube'd but I am still unsure how to police those levels.  Do I just watch the audio meters?  if so, am I just adjusting my mix to see if it hits the -6bd marker? 

[excited_Genie16B8]

https://www.tcelectronic.com/Categories/Tcelectronic/Computer-Audio/Plug-Ins-%26-Add-On-Licenses/ADO...

[RobShultz · Accepted solution]

You could select all of the clips in the timeline and then do a right click on any clip and go to audio gain. I do normalize all peaks to -8z

[chrisw44157881]

there's peak and then there's compression and time weighting. I use RMS -23 where natural voice dynamic range falls into -12-10, then bs.1770 -23lufs film and -16 rms/1770 web. most stuff uploaded for youtube and stuff falls around -12-14db via compression. and if you don't compress your audio, you're gonna scare the bezejus out of them like a horror film.

[R Neil Haugen]

Great stuff, Chris ... And nicely stated.  

Neil

[joet082964]

Thanks RobShultz  ...this basic step was exactly what I needed.