Audio level peaks in FCP

Is there a range that you audio levels should be while editing, such as between -18 and -12?

There are a different suggested values because you're measuring an average
of a moving target. Also different types of sounds produce different
measurements. Typically, peaking at -12dBFS most of the time works out well.
As a point of reference, you can record some pink noise at -18dbFS (RMS)
and that should produce 85dB SPL (C-weighted) from each speaker.
That way you'll know how loud your mix will sound in a theater.
Your question asked about a range of levels rather than a peak value.
That's a little trickier. How soft should the "quiet" sounds be?
I usually get the loud sounds set up with good levels (peaking at -12dbFS),
then turn down the volume of my system, so that I can hear the effects
of background noise in the listening environment. Make sure you can
still hear those soft sounds. Usually you'll have to make the softer
sounds louder that they would be in real life.

Similar Messages

Audio Meters "peak indicator" gets stuck after prolonged use of Premiere Pro CC.

Does anyone else have this issue? After using Premiere for a while (maybe an hour or so straight) the audio meters peak indicator will not reset when you start/stop. What do I mean? If your audio level peaks or goes into the red, it stays there like it should letting you know that the levels had hit above +0db. This is normal. This is good. But usually when you stop the timeline and start again, that red peak indicator is reset and disappears. But for me, after prolonged use (which is say about an hour or so), the meters stop resetting and the red does not go away unless I click on the meter to make it disappear. It looks like this even after stopping/starting the timeline:
***Meters work fine for the first 30mins - hour or so of editing. Hitting stop and then start again resets the meters as it should.
***Eventually the peak indicator (see screenshot above) gets stuck and won't go away. The meters continue to work fine, but the red does not go away.
Only way to then reset it is by clicking on the meter itself. Restarting Premiere Pro CC will put everything back to normal again and it should work fine again...for a while...before its starts to lock up again. This issue was present in 7.0.0 as well as the newly updated 7.0.1 I'm on a 2011 27" iMac with 16gb of RAM. (I've submitted a bug report, but curious if this happens to others.)

Jim Simon wrote:
I'm wondering if it's just me.
Maybe it's just you who has that much clipping audio. Most of us tend to avoid that.
#Layers
As much as I wish all my audio were perfectly leveled at all times... You mix live weddings with DJ's that don't know their own equipment with layers of audio in post and its a recipe for some +0db audio.
In all seriousness, I do hope that if others see this bug, they'll chime in and that this bug gets fixed. It's annoying.

Is there a way to find peak audio level?

I'm using FCE 4 and I am trying to adjust the audio level on a number of tracks. In most of the I can do it without problem using Normalization Gain, but one track refuses to adjust. From what I have read it could be because there is a peak (audience clapping) at the end of the track. If I split the track into a different clip item, should that work? or is there a way of finding out where a peak is without listening to the entire track? I saw something like that but it may have only applied to FCP.

I don't believe that there's a way to find the peak (or peaks) within FCE. But if the track isn't normalizing then there should be at least one peak somewhere.
However, I have experienced audio anomalies when playing back and when exporting content with four to six audio tracks: at certain moments, the volume rises abruptly, even though such a volume increase is not present in any of the audio tracks. Perhaps FCE is incorrectly "reading" a volume increase at a certain moment, thus interpreting it as a peak, and therefore "deciding" that normalization is not possible.
By the way, my solution for fixing the audio anomaly that I mentioned above was to process my audio in an external editor, as I simply could not get FCE to handle it properly, even after trashing my preferences files, trashing all of my render files, creating a new Sequence and copying my clips to it, etc.

Editing Audio levels in FCP using Filters

Dear FCP Pro's
For over 3 years, on hundreds of projects, I have been tediously adding key frames in my time line to make sure audio levels balance between the -18 dB and -12 dB range. My undying question is this: What filter can I use to automatically set the low and high audio parameters? What can I do to tell FCP that I want all audio peaks to be limited at -12 dB and the rest of the "lower volume" audio to be limited at -18 dB? I just want everything to fall in that range AUTOMATICALLY. I spend many tedious hours, I feel in vain, simply because of my lack of audio finalizing know-how. Thanks so much.
spartben117

There is nothing "automatic" about editing. It is long tedious work. I for one like the ability to manually lower and raise the audio when I want it done, not when the system THINKS I want it done.
Editing takes time and effort. And a lot of patience.
Shane

Monitoring peak audio levels?

In FCP 3, I relied on audio meters to ensure that my peak audio levels never went above -6. The meters "remembered" the highest level registered. I could play the entire timeline and come back 30 minutes later and know exactly the highest audio level reached. Now in FCP 5.1, the peak audio level stays on the meter for only about 3 seconds, then resets itself. So, the question is, is there a way to simply measure the peak audio levels to ensure that my program is broadcast safe. Thanks in advance...Brian

I think if you export your final track to soundtrack pro and then normalize, you'll acheive what you're trying to do. You can define how high the highest peak should be. Normalize will not change the relationship within the audio just raise everything the same amount. But, that said, how you perceive audio levels is subjective and levels need to judged with both the meters and your ears.

Audio level way too high after disc burn

Hello!
I just burned my first test disc of a project and have come across a strange problem. The audio on all of my tracks has jumped to an extremely high (and unacceptable) level. It is well above the level set in FCP and even what plays when simulating the disc from within DVDSP. The ac3 files out of compressor seem to be fine. In fact, everything seems okay until the actual burn. When playing the disc in DVD Player, it's so loud that in many places there is actual peaking. Is there a setting I'm missing, maybe? I tried searching, but didn't find anything like this.
Any ideas?
Cameron
MacBook 17" 2GB RAM Mac OS X (10.4.6) FCS 5.1, LaCie 300 + 500

Hey Drew,
Gotcha, I just realized it must be fixing something with markers. I haven't had a problem with that yet though, fortunately. I've been exporting directly out of FCP using Compressor, so there's no intermediate file. Like I said, the encoded ac3 sounds perfect, so it seems like it's something happening in DVDSP. Do you know of anything in that program that might have caused this? If it makes any difference, I burned the disc by simply hitting the "burn" button rather than building. Could that cause this sort of thing?
Cameron

Audio Levels

I now I can boost the audio levels in the timeline
but what is a good range for the recorded audio levels
when they first come in to FCP ?
I have footage that's coming in at -2.4 dbs and peaking
a little above that and under -1.8
I assume this is lower than optimum
thanks

The dynamic range of your mix is dependent on the final viewing environment. For example, movie theaters have large, relatively expensive sound systems that can reproduce a large dynamic range. Television speakers are much smaller, and often the listening environment has more ambient noise, so very quiet sounds may not even be noticeable unless the overall signal is compressed and the level increased, which reduces the dynamic range.
For example, television stations normally accommodate only 6 dB between the average loudness and the peaks. Dolby Digital feature film soundtracks, on the other hand, can accommodate up to 20 dB between average and peak levels. This is why loud sounds in a movie theater sound so loud: they are much louder than the average level.
When you mix your final audio, you choose a consistent reference for the average level. When you choose the average reference level, you are actually choosing how much additional headroom you have before your signal distorts. The higher you set the average level, the less safety margin you have for peaks in the signal. This means that the loudest sounds in your mix cannot be much louder than the average levels, and so the mix is less dynamic.
Acceptable amount of dynamic range:
Theatrical Dolby Digital 20 dB
Average videotape 12 dB
Television broadcast 6 dB
If you set the reference level of the Final Cut Pro floating audio meter to –20 dBFS, you have nearly 20 dB of headroom, since 0 dBFS is the digital limit for the loudest sound. If you set the reference level in your sequence to –12 dBFS instead, you have less headroom. Even though the average level of your audio is higher, there won’t be as much dynamic range.
How much dynamic range you allow in your audio mix depends on its ultimate destination. If you’re editing a program for TV broadcast, a reference level of –12 dBFS is fine, since you are only allowed 6 dB of dynamic range anyway. But if you’re working on a production to be shown in movie theaters, consider using a reference level closer to –18 or even –20 dBFS (both of these are frequently used standards).
Remember that the ultimate goal is to ensure that audio doesn’t peak over 0 dBFS in your mix (as displayed in the Final Cut Pro audio meters) and won’t peak over +3 dB or so on an analog meter.
With a little help from the Final Cut Pro User Manual, "Audio Levels, Meters, and Output Channels". Pages 58 - 59.

Print to Video - Audio Level

We just sent a Commercial out to the Cable Company.
In FCP our timeline/project audio levels were carefully watched so they did not peak at more than -12db.
When we did a Print to Video so we could Master it to DV Tape for delivery (per their standards), we set the Bars & Tone at :30 seconds & -12db.
When we re-captured the video to test it out... the Bars & Tone played at -24db and the program played at -12db. Naturally, this concerned us because we were scared that our program's Audio Levels would not be up to par.
-Normally (in Avid) I would have Bars & Tone on my timeline set to :30secs & -12db... then capture from my timeline with all levels peaking at -12db.
What should our levels be set at during a Print to Video operation in FCP if our timeline/project is set at -12db?

I suspect I would not even peak at -3 dBFS. If I am using 24 bit, you have a long way to the noise floor, which means after the fact it is easy to raise the levels if required without adverse consequences.
If I am in the Analog domain, with a decent mixer with headroom, coming near 0dB I believe is harmless, as 0dB will translate out to -18 ot 20 dBFS ( I am sure this varies from mixer to mixer ) - harmless if your mixer does not clip and has headroom above 0dB. I use a Mackie 1640, which has +18 dB of headroom.

Why are audio levels limited to 12?

I have never understood why raising audio levels is limited to 12. I end up doubling audio tracks, which still doesn't raise the audio to the desired level, and seems really foolish for a professional program like FCP. Am I doing something wrong?
While I'm on the topic, I aim to peak my levels at -12, but that generally leaves my final product on the quiet side in its final form (generally DVD). Any tips there?
Thanks
Aaron

This is actually kind of tricky. Ever notice how when you import music from a cd you've got to crank the levels way DOWN? This is because the digital realm allows for a lot more perceived volume. And producers, in their wisdom, use every available bit of headroom. Even look at some of the soundtrack loops-- same dealie.
the -12 on the FCP audio scale, of you do out to an analog mixer is understood to equal zero dB ANALOGUE. But you can set the scale any way you want, really. A lot of television stations want a reference tone of -20-- giving you that much more headroom.
So... unless you're going to end up with an analogue master, treat that -12 as a general level, rather than a peak, which could go as high as -3-- although I still like more headroom than that, and try never to peak over -6 for an atomic explosion or some such.
Then you've got to take into account all the subtleties of your mix. A motorcycle passing by is louder than the dialogue, shouting is louder than whispering, foley effects like footsteps ought to be subtle. I could go on and on.
What I think one should strive for is a soundscape with things at a realistic level in relation to each other, with nothing either so low it won't be heard, or so loud that it will clip. Remember that folks can always turn up the volume on their sets, as long as you didn't make it too low.
Am I babbling yet?

Trouble viewing audio levels in Voice Over tool

Hello,
I often record voice over into Final Cut Pro using the Voice Over tool. In the middle section of the Voice Over window there is a 'Level' meter that flashes Green to Yellow and Red, illustrating the level of audio being fed into the Mac. For some reason though, this has stopped working for me.
My set up is this: A Mic in our voice over booth connects to a Soundcraft 4 channel mixing desk via an XLR cable. The mixing desk is linked to a JVC HD tape desk, which is connected to the Mac via FireWire.
Previously, to capture Voice Over I set the tape deck to 'Line' input, in 'DV' mode and set the Voice Over tool to 'DV Audio' as the source.
I can see sound levels on the mixing desk. I can see sound levels on the tape deck, but I can't see sound levels on the Mac's VO tool. Despite this, it does still capture voice over (I just can't 'see' it).
This problem is annoying because it means Im unsure whether the Mac is actually receiving an audio feed or not unless I do a test recording first.
Any suggestions as to why the Voice Over tool would suddenly stop showing me Levels, would be greatly appreciated!

My secondary Mac works fine when the AV settings are set to HDV, despite it receiving standard DV audio input. Whether FCP is set to DV or not doesn't seem to matter in this case.
In trying to resolve the issue I played around with DV/HDV settings within FCP and the Deck; trying different combinations, but with no success.
+To recap (just to clarify in my own head), the situation is this:+
+Both of my Macs, Primary and Secondary, happily record Voice Over, via the Voice Over tool.+
+The Mic in the sound room connects to a Mixing desk via an XLR cable. The mixing desk is also connected to 2 sets of headphones, one for the Artist and one for the Engineer. 2 audio jacks connect the mixing desk to the JVC tape deck. The JVC tape deck connects to my Mac via FireWire to the port at the rear of the Mac.+
+The issue is that the Primary Mac does not display audio Levels in the Voice Over tool, whilst it does on the Secondary Mac.+
+While Im recording Voice Over on my secondary Mac I can see that there is an Audio input because the Green/Yellow/Red bar flashes up. On my Primary mac this bar is inactive and therefore gives me no clues as to the level of audio being fed into the Mac.+

Audio levels on the timeline & Audio Mixer

I'm confused why when you change the audio levels on a clip using the Audio Mixer it changes the levels for everything on the track?
I'm from an FCP & Avid background where you can adjust each clip using the Audio Mixer, is there a way I can do this? I find using the yellow sliders in each clip is very unaccurate and having to open each audio clip in the viewer is such a time waster.
Thanks, Andy

Audio in Premiere Pro is different--but quite a lot, in many circumstances. I'd recommend going through the help file's audio section to get a better idea of what some of the main controls are: Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 & CS5.5 * Editing Audio
But to answer your question more directly: the Audio Mixer controls track volume, not clip volume. By default, the Audio Mixer isn't set to drop keyframes, so it will affect the level of a track as a whole; check out Recording audio mixes to get more background on setting up the Audio Mixer for automation, so that you can record level changes.
The rubberbands (the yellow lines you're referring to) can be more finitely controlled by holding down the Ctrl/Cmd key as you drag; the values will move in smaller increments, then.
You don't have to load a clip into the Source Monitor to adjust the levels, if you want to adjust by the numbers. Just single click a clip in the sequence, and if the Effects Controls panel is forward, you'll be able to adjust the volume with the standard effects sliders/dials. Note that keyframing is enabled by default for the Level property, so if all you want to do is adjust the total level of a clip, it might be faster to do it in the sequence.
Audio mixing in Premiere Pro is pretty capable and the feature set is pretty deep, but I'll grant you it's a little overwhelming coming from a different NLE. I don't know if any of the previous helps you, but post back with any specific questions and we'll try to figure out a way to approach this in a fashion that makes sense to you.

How do I adjust audio levels at various points on timeline??

How do I make volume level adjustments in a single clip on the FCP-X timeline? I have a music bed and need to adjust audio levels at various points in the song. In past Final Cut programs. This should be very easy but I can't find how to do it in Final Cut Pro-X. I don't want to adjust the entire clip.
Also, I recorded voice on channel 2 and shot gun on channel 1. I only want the voice (channel 2). How can I select a individual channel once I have edited the piece. I know I can re-import the video and designate which channel to bring in but I don't want to have to do that.
Thanks!!

Select a range and lower the level, or hold the Option key to click on the level line to add a keyframe.

Audio Levels and Bins

I recently got a copy of FCE and am still getting used to it. I was wondering if you could change the audio levels in certain points. I've been using premiere for a number of years and on that you can click on the level line which inserts a point at which you can either peak and troughs.
My project is basically an interview with the a band and at certain intervals im inserting live footage. i have a track playing in the background during the interview and would like it to suddenly get louder in the places where theres footage of the subject in action. How do i go about this?
Also i have another Project that im working on which involves my recent trip to california. Basically when capturing my clips i would like each tape to be saved into seperate folders and bins. So in the program i can quickly find my clips which would be in seperate bins DAY1-DAY2-DAY3 etc.
How do i go about doing this also?
Any Help would be much appreciated
thanks

Turn on the clip overlays in the Timeline (Opt-W). Hold the option key and click on the pink audio level line to add a keyframe. Add another keyframe, grab it and pull it down. Not unlike Premiere.
Make a new bin (Cmd-B) and name it. Right-click on it and select Make Capture Bin. Anything you capture will go into that bin. For the next day's material make another bin and set that as the capture bin. You could also just capture the material and move it into appropriate bins.

Audio level keyframes

Is there a way to smooth audio level keyframes, like there is for filter and motion keyframes?
thanks for your replies!

Is there a way to smooth audio level keyframes, like
there is for filter and motion keyframes?
If you're thinking of something built-in to FCP (that is accessible via a contextual menu), then, no, I'm afraid there's nothing.
I would guess the most common workaround is just to add more keyframes and create your own taper, so to speak. But I think you knew that already.

Audio Level for the web

What audio level does one set for video files to be viewed on a web page? (specifically Flash)
I realise there is probably no "Standard" for this but what process/levels have others used.

Firstly - I have followed Andrews advice and peaked to just under 0db. (This is what I would do for a DVD export as well since I am not coping with Broadcast reference levels.) Thanx Andrew (I dont usually do web work so needed some tech reasurance)
Heres the go.
No the site I linked to is not my work but I am doing exactly the same for that same client (and a different product range). Just a litle more interactive. User will click on a Q and A and the subjects will answer.
The client is not only concerned about technical details (which they leave to me), they are also concerned about the aesthetics and design. They did not want a player visible at all.
The design for all their work is covered by a "style book" so we all follow that for all work. Basically it is "clean/fresh".
The idea of a clean screen without the player visible fits this concept and it is cool and fun. Suits the target audience. Teens/ youth.
I deliver flv with alpha (and swf) to the web guys who bolt it into the page and to the Q/A links.
I shot green screen then keyed the characters. I then composited the two characters beside each other for a large number of clips. The characters give the impresion of interacting with each other. Heads turn to each other at various times. Some of the clips are looped but all needed registration to avoid "shifts". Time consuming but great little project
The movie can be stopped by simply clicking another Q/A link or other stuff on the page. If this is done the characters simply stay on screen in their "Iddle/Wait" state. They do not dissapear of the screen. This maintains the look and design.

Audio level peaks in FCP

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for