What to trust, the meter or my ears?

[David Tamés]

Originally Posted by David Tames

It's often debated if peaking at -12 dB is too hot and -20 dB should be used as the reference. The issue is that if you go over -12dB peak, you might have a problem with distortion if you go to an analog format like Betacam SP (assuming you line up -12db on your NLE to 0db on the analog system). While 0db in digital is a brick wall, 0db in analog still allows for some headroom with +3db peaks not considered a problem. As long as you have good dynamic range, don't be concerned about much of the program being below your peak levels, but you should be concerned about too much peaking.

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

[...] ***STOP! the -20 dB you refer to as standard reference is for a 1 kHz tone, not peak audio. You set tone at -20 and have room from -20 to 0 for your peaks [...]

Ty, let me rewrite that so it actually makes sense (what was I thinking?) and does not mislead anyone, please tell me if the following paragraph makes sense now (consider the following a draft for comment):

It's often debated if your average signal should hover around -12 db or -20 db, it's a question of how much headroom you want to allow for the peak portion of your program, which should not go over 0 db. It also has lots to do with the overall dynamic range of your mix. As long as you have a good signal with peaks and valleys that average around -12 dB with plenty of peaking up the -3 db range and a few right to 0 db (it's good to use a limiter on the final mix), don't be too concerned about some of the program being closer to -12 db than 0 db, as long as the average hover just over -12db. -20 average makes sense for production recording, but for a final mix you're better off with -12db average and a healthy number of peaks in the -6db to -3db range.

A separate issue is dealing with other formats downstream, one issue is that if you have most of the peaks right up against the 0 dB brick wall all of the time, you might have a problem with distortion if you then go to an analog format downsteam like Betacam SP (assuming you line up -12db reference TONE on your NLE to 0db analog on the analog system). 0db analog still allows for quite a bit of headroom with +3db analog peaks not considered a problem, in fact it is good to see a reasonable number of peaks over 0 dB analog.

Ty, please, set me straight here.

[Ty Ford]

Hi David,

Pretty much. I use a combo meter that shows RMS and peak simultaneously. The meter has a "peak hold" feature that indicates where that peak hit for a few seconds before going back down. That's helpful in case I'm looking away for a moment.

I generally don't pay much attention to the RMS level after I set levels with a reference tone. I DO pay a lot of attention to the peak level.

Regards,

Ty Ford

[David Tamés]

Originally Posted by David Tames

Ty, let me rewrite that so it actually makes sense [...] for a final mix you're better off with -12db average and a healthy number of peaks in the -6db to -3db range. [...]

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

Hi David, Pretty much [...]

Thanks Ty, DVi is a really awesome board, where else do things like this get straightened out so quickly, efficiently, and accurately, like this?