Yet another Dolby SR peak level thread

[mr.armadillo]

We've just received a Dolby SR mix from another studio for a commercial which will end up on 35mm. It reads 82dB leq, so that's fine, but the voice over hits peak at -0.5 dbfs. Usually, when going on analog optical track, we peak at -14 dbfs to prevent distortion. I'm confused... shall I ask them to remix, or am I just worrying too much, and they know exactly what they're doing? (Obviously, I am not )

[minister]

i would ask for a remix, in a calibrated room. a VO that peaks at -0.5dBFS is LOOOOOOOOUD!! the standard being that -20dBFS=85SPL, you can imagine how LOUD that VO is. perhaps this was a commercial facility that mixed this? but they got a 82LeqA? or LeqM? with those kinda peaks? sounds like they need to work on their average levels and bring down those peaks.

SR optical is very unforgiving with over-modulation. it craps out entirely or distorts very nastily.


-14 is conservative, and works fine. but it all depends on the material... you can go higher with SR optical.

but remember, you have only 9dB of headroom in the midrange = 100Hz, 1k, and 3.15k.

[mr.armadillo]

Thanks a lot for your quick reply, Tom. It's Leq(m), btw, and yes, the mix has been done by a commercial facility.

[Richard Fairbanks]

yes, the mix has been done by a commercial facility.

Obviously not a facility that is planning on the mix playing from optical! That sounds like either inexperience or simple laziness. I think you should offer them a chance to remix, if they would like to, after you explain to them that you have no choice but to limit the mix severely to get the peak levels where they MUST be for optical. Remind them of the headroom restrictions of optical tracks. Once they are reminded they will probably be happy to have the chance to fix it themselves. Is it just one consonant or something like that, or is the dialog really that uneven?

Otherwise, do what you have to do and don't loose sleep over it!

[mr.armadillo]

Long story short - turned out they've always mixed like that and never got a complaint from the lab (for whatever reasons), and they where more than happy that I pointed it out. The new mix is still at 82dBleq, but peaks at -10dbfs now, and it sounds decent.