Audio levels

Mike Kujbida · May 28th, 2010, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duane Adam

Also, you should shelve the high end of the music track with an EQ so the the voice can cut through a little better. I usually cut as much as 6db's above 5K although the frequency depends on the tracks.

On the advice of my co-worker (a musician and recording engineer), I now lower the mids of any background music as, IMO, this lets voices punch through even better.
Some experimentation is necessary to find the proper frequencies but this isn't hard to do.

Duane Adam · May 28th, 2010, 09:44 AM

That's probably more correct technically, but in my experience not sufficient if the internet is the intended output, or if the voice EQ is adjusted to emphasize the high end. Your friend's formula is appropriate for mixing music where the voice would "sit" in a mix, while shelving the entire high end is more effective for letting the voice dominate a track, such as in dialogue or a commercial.

BTW, if the internet is the intended output, I always check the final mix on a pair of cheap computer speakers as that's what it's likely to be heard on.

Ken Jarstad · May 30th, 2010, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duane Adam

Vegas 9 has a greatly improved ducking tool where you can drag a selection and change the level by simply pulling down that part of the volume envelope. (You'll need to insert an audio volume envelope first to the track you want to duck).

Almost all professional audio tracks duck then music when the voice track appears, its a little extra work but not much.

Also, you should shelve the high end of the music track with an EQ so the the voice can cut through a little better. I usually cut as much as 6db's above 5K although the frequency depends on the tracks. The listener will rarely detect the music track is a bit softer, but they will be able to hear the voice more easily.

Duck? Ducking? I think I know what you mean - but is this standard terminology?

Duane Adam · May 30th, 2010, 11:53 AM

Ducking is when you use the side chain of a compressor to lower levels when a specific frequency range is present such as that of a voice. You can simulate the effect manually in Vegas9 by creating a loop region and pulling down that segment of the audio volume envelope. Either way, one track "ducks" below another, and yes it's a standard audio term that's been used for years. You can hear it on numerous TV commercials.

May 28th, 2010, 09:44 AM	#17
Duane Adam Major Player Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Gilroy, CA Posts: 398	That's probably more correct technically, but in my experience not sufficient if the internet is the intended output, or if the voice EQ is adjusted to emphasize the high end. Your friend's formula is appropriate for mixing music where the voice would "sit" in a mix, while shelving the entire high end is more effective for letting the voice dominate a track, such as in dialogue or a commercial. BTW, if the internet is the intended output, I always check the final mix on a pair of cheap computer speakers as that's what it's likely to be heard on.

May 30th, 2010, 11:53 AM	#19
Duane Adam Major Player Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Gilroy, CA Posts: 398	Ducking is when you use the side chain of a compressor to lower levels when a specific frequency range is present such as that of a voice. You can simulate the effect manually in Vegas9 by creating a loop region and pulling down that segment of the audio volume envelope. Either way, one track "ducks" below another, and yes it's a standard audio term that's been used for years. You can hear it on numerous TV commercials.