Audio Levels for film!!!

[villagesound]

Hi there, i do a lot of mixes for advertising and the output audio level that the video editing suites request is -6 dB. I am mixing a few short films that will be featured in the film festival and i am wondering if anyone could give me some insights into optimal output levels for film. Thanks. dave

[mgoorevich]

Originally Posted by villagesound

i am wondering if anyone could give me some insights into optimal output levels for film. Thanks. dave

There is no optimum.
Its a different beast and it should be mixed and monitored on a proper dub stage.
You can be as soft as you want and as loud as you want without clipping.
There is a dialog level standard. From here you level your BG's, effects and music.
There are many posts here and on the Gearslutz about the film standards.
Just search a bit.

[villagesound]

Tanks Michael, I almost always mix for Ads, etc at -6 dB. I've been poking around on forums and confess that i do find it a little confusing. Do you think i would be safe to set my output level to -20dB for the films or will that be too quiet? I put a L2 limiter on my output fader. Thanks!

[Sonny Keyes]

I don't think there's a quick answer to your question. If you have an hour, read through this thread and you'll have an idea how complex your question actually is:

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/post-...st-levels.html

I also work in advertising, and I know that when I have to mix (even commercials) for cinema, at a minimum there should be a Dolby LM100 in the studio, which measures not just level, but level-over-time, a concept that's a little hard to wrap my mind around!

[mgoorevich]

Originally Posted by villagesound

Do you think i would be safe to set my output level to -20dB for the films or will that be too quiet? I put a L2 limiter on my output fader. Thanks!

No. A -20 dB output level makes no sense. Also why do you want it to be -20 dB?
Again, you are NOT limited to the regular broadcast scale. Thus you may NOT want to use the limiter.
Try to think from the end of chain. Most probably, your mix will be reproduced through the Dolby CP650 unit which is found almost in every theater around the world. No a "good, old" Dolby SR has 110 dB of dynamic range.
This is allot. It's more than you mix for TV and even for CD.
So this can give you a bit an impression how dynamic your sound can be.
And you don't want to kill it with the limiter. It's ok to put the limiter to eliminate peaks, but that's it.
Try not to think about the limiter at all. Bring your dialogs to a good level. Work in the calibrated monitors and acoustic treated room. Build sfx around it. Mix all in a big room only.

[EarHole]

I mix ads as well and can tell you that a film mix is an entirely different animal. There is no need to involve the meters. You need to have your room calibrated (see extensive sticky above) and mix to taste. You let your ears be the judge. Get the dialog in a comfortable place and then mix music and effects to taste. Avoid using a brickwall limiter to control you levels like you would an ad. You can't compress it into submission. In fact use as little compression as you can get away with.

[subwoof]

Don't worry about your meters. Mix with your ears. That's the beauty of film mixing. Go see a ton of films in a good theater. That will help tune your ears. Mix dialog at "normal" sounding levels, then wrap sound effects, foley and music around that. If your room is calibrated to Dolby specs and is the proper size, then the only rule is "if it sounds good, it is good".

:)

[idris]

Would I be right in thinking, if you're used to working on commercials and working on shorts, that you don't have access to a calibrated room and that the productions in question can't afford to pay for such facilities?

[puffin]

Hi guys,
My room is calibrated and you can see it against picture in HD if you want.
I am pretty jammed up mixing Rollertown, but I am sure we can squeeze a few shorts in to have a quick listen before you send them to the festival. If you have time to wait, Dolby is coming in on the 6th for a tune up but I doubt you have that time.

Brian Power, CAS

www.thehideoutstudios.com