Audio Broadcast levels

Hi,
After reading on the subject, here's what i found...and “think” being good.
But i want to verify...
When working in full scale (up to 0 dbfs) and -12 db test tone:
Average -10 to -6 dbfs with peaks at 0 dbfs
When working in "broadcast" standard and -20 dbfs test tone.
-20 dbfs being calibrated to an equivalent 0 VU meter
for normal TV programs: Average -20 dbfs with peaks never surpassing –10 dbfs.
For commercials: Average –14 dbfs with peaks never surpassing –10 dbfs.
Does it make sense ?
Can we rely on digital db scale ?
...or must we always use a analog VU meter ?
thanks

Commercials don't really play hotter. They are perceived hotter because the audio is always overcompressed.
A quality television program (or any audio recording for that matter) has dynamic range. And a lot of it. That means there are quiet parts and loud parts. If you watch the VU meters, they really bounce. Most people think things sound better that way. Open air, space, good recordings.
TV Commercials compress the crap out of the audio to make them sound really loud without actually making them louder. There's no quiet parts, only loud parts. If you watch the VU meters on a commercial, it's more like on/off. Sound/no sound.
Because everyone has to follow the same peak rule, commercials are just compressed to he!! to gain percieved volume. In actuality, they don't peak any higher than the program they're in (unless someone in Master Control fell asleep).

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Well, it is true that every broadcaster has different specs for audio. Once had to do a show for Starz that also aired on MSNBC and local NBC... the specs for all were different. Video and audio...all different. Made it kinda expensive to deal with...almost restrictively so. We had to tell them that for this to be economical we needed a consensus... and they gave us some leeway.
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Hi there,
I teach Journalism production to undergrauate journalism students. We teach the Adobe apps: Audition, Premiere, InDesign, Photoshop.
In Audition, radio students construct stories with various recorded or sourced audio files in the Multitrack view, then mix them down to the Edit view for saving as MP3 files.
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Matt Petersen wrote:
4) Something else?
Oh, definitely that... In a nice, idealised student setting you can spend loads of time polishing everything after the event... but in the real world, stuff happens. For a start, if you have loads of different takes, all of different levels then what tends to happen is that each individual file is sort-of okay in itself, but not necessarily compared to any other file. So firstly you have to get all of these files to at least a vaguely consistent level, and that's where batch processing comes in. Assuming that the basic recording technique was okay, then batch normalize all of the individual files to about -1dB. This is way quicker than doing each one by hand, and it means that the next stage in the process you can generally whizz through a lot more easily without mucking about with levels all the time.
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I am tempted to raise the track audio to the max without clipping, but this seems a bit too much. What is acceptable or the norm for DVD audio? Any advice appreciated. I have noticed a wide variation in DVD volume levels,

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It all depends on the dynamic range of your source.
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Already, you have gotten three answers, expressing three personal choices. They are somewhat close, but each differs by the editor.
I am glad that you are asking, because one of my really big pet-peeves is to find a tutorial, that I really want to view, only to have an ad, that runs before the tutorial hit at about +6dB above the Audio levels of the tutorial (like ads on many TV broadcasts), and I have to quickly attenuate the Volume, only to have to ride the Volume up, to hear that tutorial. This can be really painful, if I am working with my headphones on.
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As X noted the requirements of your final distribution point is essential.
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Open each clip in Soundtrack Pro and normalize them to -6db. That will give you a reliable baseline for all the clips, and put the peak levels right where you want them.
Then, either in STP or back in FCP, adjust the level of each clip so the average dialog level is around -12db. Do this both by ear and watching the audio meter.
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Adjusting Audio Volume Levels

Often, one has Audio that is too loud, or too soft. Sometimes, they have added a music Track, that needs to drop down to clearly hear the dialog from another Clip. While there are Audio-editing programs, like Audition, SoundBooth, and even the free Audacity, PrE, or PrPro can handle such adjustment just fine. These adjustments can be made for the entire Clip, or can be Keyframed over time.
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In PrPro, one can also Rt-click on the Audio Clip, and choose Edit in Audition (if you have it installed), or Edit n Soundbooth (if you have one of the suites).
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Here are some AdobeTV tutorial links for Premiere Elements Audio:
http://tv.adobe.com/watch/learn-premiere-elements-11/adding-and-customizing-an-audio-effec t/
http://tv.adobe.com/watch/adobe-digital-school-collection/audio-mixing/
http://tv.adobe.com/watch/learn-premiere-elements-10/get-professionalquality-sound-through out-your-movie-/
http://tv.adobe.com/watch/premiere-elements-9-how-tos/enjoy-a-perfect-balance-of-audio/
Hunt

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