Web Specs?

[Napping]

Situation: Mastering a reel for a client, a collection of forty commercials that were mixed for broadcast and have a level and dynamic range which is all over the place. It's obvious looking it over that they haven't always concerned themselves with hiring out mixing or sound design. Sometimes a stereo track is thrown on with the simplest FX by the film editors themselves and sounds proper garbage. Anyway, I have been asked to level it all to a standard so that when someone checks their reel online they won't need to adjust their volume. I explained that since we are skipping the broadcast stage compression hasn't been applied and these need to be mastered for the desired effect. I seem to have that job now, though I am not sure what I'll be paid

Question: What spec should I hit for the internet. The video editor said to master to 0dbfs, like a pop track, and I have been advised to go with his take on it. Though he is apparently one of the best video editors in the city, I have noticed he isn't always spot on with audio knowledge. Why would he be? Anyway, can anyone weigh in on this? What should my RMS and peaks be? What should LUFS or LKFS be? How much dynamic range?

Thanks!!!

[wheresmyfroggy]

For most web spots I have done, I have mixed to -2dbfs. (I usually mix them to -10 as that is what my standard template for terrestrial delivery here in the UK is set up for, then just put 8dB gain on my output)

The consideration here is that the majority of audio that people are sourcing whilst on their computers is modern 'pop' music and poorly and most often over-recorded amateur footage (Youtube). So mixing at near digital peak keeps your audio at comparative levels to what people are used to receiving.

Worrying about RMS/Peak/LUFS is probably counter productive when dealing with the completely unregulated world of the internet, and the best you can do is try to fit snugly in with the average content it contains...

My $0.02

[Dallas Taylor]

Yep, same here. I usually do around -2 for web. That leaves a couple of dbs just in case of any weird summing if they re-convert the video.

[Napping]

Done. Makes sense. Time to make a pop record

[Dallas Taylor]

Just for clarification. I don't change the mix in any way. I just bring the output of my limiter up to -2 (usually at -10). I don't do any additional compression or anything.

[tom_lowe]

"worrying" about loudness isn't a complete waste of time, for starters, it would enable the OP to check the loudness of all the commercials, then normalize them to a standard figure (I aim for -16 LUFS when doing things online with a dBTP of around -3 to allow for compression artefacts). This would then stop the levels jumping around between each clip on the reel, which can easily happen if no overall loudness is adhered to and instead each clip is slammed at -2dBFS.

Dynamics wise, although there are no official standards on this, EBU R.128 recommends an LU range of 10 for TV material, for online this could be a little lower, given PC speakers are on the whole probably worse than those in TVs and can't deal with lots of dynamic range well.

As for the point about the internet being unregulated, while this is true, it doesn't mean you shouldn't work to LUFS/LKFS. Say everybody started doing it, audio on the web would be a lot better.

And ignore your editor saying go to 0dBFS - you'll almost certainly get overs when the signal is reconstructed by the D/A convertor on playback.

[Napping]

Tom, thanks, man!!! I was feeling a little lost before you chimed in. Having guideposts for dynamic range and LUFS are really helpful with so much material. As much as possible, I would like to have a reliable workflow, so I don't have to go back and tweak endlessly. I will be working calibrated to 79, but still. Metering will be very helpful and just watching peaks doesn't account for overall loudness. Appreciate your point about PC speakers. I think I'll tighten these up pretty good. Have Ozone 5. May try to get a handle on it. Have Waves complete and some Sonnox plug-ins as well. Use Nugen's VisLM meter. No experience mastering, but I can mix these to LUFS within the dynamics parameter EBU recommends and feel more comfortable working. Oh, and I dig the "ignore your editor" advice. Sick of him knowing more than me about audio Thanks again!!!

[Vedat]

I do my web outputs at -5. Anything above that is too much I reckon. Especially with commercials being as loud as they are.
Most people have their computer volumes fairly high, if not maxed to hear the poorly sounding youtube clips better anyway. -5 sits well in any situation.

Oh, yes ignore that editor.

[tamasdragon]

I keep it around -5dBFS. In my experience, going over this could cause trouble because of the crappy flash or html5 or whatever codecs it goes through. Minus 5 seems to be a safe area.

[Napping]

Vedat & Tamas, thanks for the input! Will update here when I start working. Have another project to finish first, but I'll weigh all advice I get and figure what seems best as I get moving; hopefully tonight.