LayBack Test Tones

[sessions]

Any one got a quick lesson on creating test tones for a layback procedure to digibeta for a television show?

[dr sound]

1K at -20 for the duration of bars. Your Pro Tools should be set at -20 = 0
How's that?

[scottgreiner]

You can use the tone generator on an aux, or just bounce 60sec to disk and save it as a generic for every session. It's best to have a VU meter (not peak), like on a console, to help line up tones and keep your mixes in the ballpark.

[MAProTulz]

And the top of your headroom should be considered -10 for
delivery to networks/broadcasters? With 0VU at -20, you've
got oodles of headroom in your PT rig.

When doing post, I make sure that I'm not blowing the top
off the VU meters, aiming to get the average bouncing
well between -5 and 0VU. I don't like having a whole
lot of dynamic range in my mixes for TV - it gets kinda
lost. Is this a generally good practice? What say ye,
doctor?

Dan Roth
Otitis Media
otitis-media.net

[Doug Ring]

Really quick way: Click-Drag a region of the length you want on an audio track, go to Audiosuite:Signal Generator, type in the frequency and level you want, hit Process.

Voila! A file of the length, frequency and level you want. (Hint: make sure your volume graph is set to zero before you output it through a desk!)

You can do digital silence this way too: select white noise in Audiosuite and turn the level to INF.

[dr sound]

Poster: MAProTulz
Subject: Re: LayBack Test Tones

And the top of your headroom should be considered -10 for
delivery to networks/broadcasters? With 0VU at -20, you've
got oodles of headroom in your PT rig.

When doing post, I make sure that I'm not blowing the top
off the VU meters, aiming to get the average bouncing
well between -5 and 0VU. I don't like having a whole
lot of dynamic range in my mixes for TV - it gets kinda
lost. Is this a generally good practice? What say ye,
doctor?

Dan Roth
Otitis Media

dr.sound replies:
Dan,
I'm using "Dorough Meters" to see both average and peak. If -20 = 0, then you get 20 db of headroom. Networks "typically" want nothing over -12, so that gives you 12 db of peaks. Just make sure you know the specs of the end user such as ABC/NBC/CBS/FOX etc and go from there. I wouldn't use a standard VU meter as my sole judgement. Use a good VU&PEAK Meter and also check at your Master (Digi Beta etc). Hope this helps.

[BothMan]

[/QUOTE]
dr.sound replies:
Dan,
I'm using "Dorough Meters" to see both average and peak. If -20 = 0, then you get 20 db of headroom. Networks "typically" want nothing over -12, so that gives you 12 db of peaks. Just make sure you know the specs of the end user such as ABC/NBC/CBS/FOX etc and go from there. I wouldn't use a standard VU meter as my sole judgement. Use a good VU&PEAK Meter and also check at your Master (Digi Beta etc). Hope this helps.

[/QUOTE]

oops! I think you meant
If -20 = 0, then you get 20 db of headroom. Networks "typically" want nothing over -12, so that gives you 8 db of peaks

[dr sound]

Poster: BothMan
Subject: Re: LayBack Test Tones

oops! I think you meant
If -20 = 0, then you get 20 db of headroom. Networks "typically" want nothing over -12, so that gives you 8 db of peaks

dr. sound replies.
No,
What I mean is if you mix your average level to -20 or "O" you have peaks up to -12, which is
-8 from the digital "0". Let me rephrase this, you have 20db of headroom above 0, the network "typically" want NOTHING over 12, which leaves 8. Now if -20 = "0", and the networks want nothing over -12, that gives you 12 to use for peaks. Does this now make sense?

[dr sound]

You can't use that 8db thats left. You don't own it and they won't give it to you.
Now does that make sense?

[MAProTulz]

Makes sense if you've ever worked in post, I think. That's
why I asked about -10. I guess I'd be 2dB hotter than they'd
prefer with my peaks. It's counter-intuitive to music guys,
especially if they've bought into that "use up all the bits"
fallacy. Yes, you're not getting absolute full fidelity
that your rig is capable of, but once it hits the tape, it's
going to be more compromised and then when it hits the
tower, whoo boy. Believe me, degradation at the mix
stage is the least of your worries.

I haven't made the cash outlay for Dorroughs, but I've got
VU's with peak lights. Every time I've tried to ask about
audio requirements, I've gotten no joy until speaking with
the engineering staff. You _really_ don't want to
trip the transmitter's limiters. They've got a real
long release and a brutal attack and you'll punch a lot
of holes in your mix level-wise if you do that.

Actually with post mixing, I've found you'vegot to be
pretty careful and train yourself to leave out the
freq's that sound nice on the big monitors but torture
the head end. Not a lot of bass, too much high end
will splatter, etc. If it's for TV, concentrate on
the stuff under 8K and above 100. Theatrical mixes
are a whole 'nother story.

Just went to a trade show today, speaking of meters.
Talked to the sales dude for Modulation Sciences - they've
got this cool scope called Spider Vision. It's a phase
and level scope and it's REALLY cool!

Dan Roth
Otitis Media
otitis-media.net