Audio Level for documentary

Hello Everyone,
I am currently editing a short documentary focused on a Rock band. As I never really spent many energies on Audio in my previous projects, I would like to be precise in this one.
Does anybody knows what are the audio levels that I should mantain for dialogues? I heard that they should stay below 12-dB. Is that true and is there anything else I should know?
In addition, I obviously will put rock songs during the film, is there another rule for music?
And my last question is, whenever I want the interviewees to talk, with the music on the background, what level should I decrease the songs so that they don't interfere with the dialogues?
Thank you so much!

Richard,
Really? That low?
I generally find that setting the total output to -6 or so makes it about the same level as commercially made videos - like from Vevo.
Just to make sure, I downloaded a video of Maroon 5 running all over LA to play at weddings (I know - illegally - but only for a test) and put it into Premiere Pro. I set the audio to max out at -6 by putting in a -6 gain. I took turns playing it back from YouTube and from Premiere Pro and it sounded like the same level to me. A non-scientific test of course, but it seems reasonable to me.
If you want to recreate the test, I downloaded this video:
I used this web site to do it. Free Online YouTube Downloader: Download YouTube Videos, Facebook and many others!
It doesn't make you download any software. I imported the resulting MP4 and set the gain to -6. You do it and see how you feel about it.
Please, anyone reading this, do not use other people's work in your own videos. This is for the purpose of testing only.
As for how low the music bed should be under the speech, that is something to be experimented with. Just make sure that the total lever is around -6.

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Tomorrow i'm mixing an amateur documentary for a friend. I was wondering what kind of levels i should use for peak,dialogue and music?
It's for a festival and will be projected in a theatre if he makes it through.
Would i mix it different for television?
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G'day again =iS=.
+8 when reference to 0VU is broadcast standard.
if referenced to -20dbfs the signal will be super hot, but it doesn't mean distortion will be heard as broadcast equipment has very high head room.
it would certainly clip your standard i/o's used with logic.
the minus 20dbfs is an RMS value, and that means the peaks could go way over that, say -6.-3.(as i suggested) nice headroom for dialog, explosions, surges in the music, etc.
i often play back DVD's thru my mac, using the same setup i mix with.
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broadcast equipment is both rugged, and good sounding - has to be.
some broadcast desks with only 8 channels and say, four busses are very expensive ($100,000)- greeeeat for analog summing freaks, you can't o/l them easily.
anyway, i've been experimenting with DVD's as the medium for future music releases and i'm impressed with the dynamic range and the faithfulness to the original, sonically. Very sloooooow burning with Toast, through.
I use 24/96, even when the logic mix is 24/44.1.
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I'm glad you mentioned the preset, Silal. I kept meaning to bring that up, but forgot.
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Bah, humbug! Let me hear what the talent is saying. I don't care if I can hear every nuance of that rock ballad, I just want to be able to follow the story, the plot.
Hey, I'm an old dude, you whippersnappers.
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Hi
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Hi
I use backing tracks for some songs with a live band and we are having some issues with levels. Some are higher than others etc. I use i pad to run the tracks. I am looking for an app that where I can control the levels better. Ideally, an app where I can set the level of each track to a desired level and leave it at that level for good. Mix16 Pro seems to do that but I wonder does it save the setting as I do not want to set the levels every time I use it.
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I have a Pavilion g7*1237dx Notebook pc.
Does it have bluetooth?

Hi,
Based the following link, No:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?cc=us&dlc=en&docname=c03072347&lc=en&product=5199554
You can use a dongle (USB - BT) for your machine.
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BH
**Click the KUDOS thumb up on the left to say 'Thanks'**
Make it easier for other people to find solutions by marking a Reply 'Accept as Solution' if it solves your problem.

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Message was edited by: SDMacuser

Audio Level for documentary

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