Please hit -6 db to -4 db as an average, with an RMS of -18

[Piers Gibbon]

A basic question I'm sure...but I just don't know how to do it!

This is what my audiobook client wants:

"The voiceover wav file should be hitting -6 db to -4 db as an average, with an RMS of -18"

and he also states that:

"DO NOT compress, gate, use noise reduction on audio files. Never use any gates or downward expansion."

I spoke with a Protools HD engineer friend and he said this was easy to do with an HD plug in called Surround Scope which would keep an eye on levels for me..but of course I don't have that plug in!

Any ideas as to how to do this?

THANKS

[Piers Gibbon]

Sorry - just to be clear I am the voiceover who is about to record this audiobook in my own studio

...so I'm looking for a plug in or settings or something visible on protools so I can see that my levels are right for this client as I record

thank you

[JFreak]

First of all, there are two things asked from you;

1)
Loudness. RMS of 18dB means that you should have a dynamic mix (average levels 18dB lower than peaks). You can use almost any meter out there to get this reading. If you see two simultaneous meters for a signal, this would be the lower one.

2)
Peak value. As soon as you're finished with your mix, lower/raise its levels so that loudest peaks are between -4..6dB. It basically means that you shouldn't clip/limit your mix and the loudest part should "hit orange" (if you have PT8 or later which have the new gui).

Absolutely best tool for this situation would be the Waves Dorrough metering plugin, but I assume you don't have it Waves have demos available but it requires iLok key, so 2nd best would be the "bx-meter" by plugin-alliance.com (can be demoed without iLok).

[JFreak]

Originally Posted by Piers Gibbon

...so I'm looking for a plug in or settings or something visible on protools so I can see that my levels are right for this client as I record

Whenever you RECORD, set the fader settings to "pre-fader" and see that the levels "hit yellow" every now and then, but not any hotter. Yellow is the new red. This way you have plenty of headroom and do not have to worry about clipping the recording. But you still have all the resolution you can ever hope for. Yellow means 15dB below full scale.

[Piers Gibbon]

Thank you!

I was kind of assuming that PT 10 would have some sort of metering plug in that I just didnt know the name of....ah well, thanks very much for the advice

[Piers Gibbon]

and here's a free meter plug in that I'll try tomorrow

http://www.sonalksis.com/freeg.htm

[janmuths]

Originally Posted by Piers Gibbon

Thank you!

I was kind of assuming that PT 10 would have some sort of metering plug in that I just didnt know the name of....ah well, thanks very much for the advice

It does. Phasescope. Put it across your stereo master, set it to peak&rms

[Piers Gibbon]

Thanks for that...unfortunately I do not seem to have Phasescope

I have just paid for the full version of PT10 after testing the trial version...the ilok now has the full version licence so I was assuming I didn't need to actually download the installer

Am worried that this installer might somehow break the working set up I have!

But do I need to do that to get the full set of plug ins that I have paid for?

thanks for your help

[JFreak]

PT10 trial is the full version. Only that the license is time-limited and once it's done it's done. If you have a permanent license you can continue using the software as it is.

[Piers Gibbon]

ah...so why do I not have Phasescope I wonder?