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computer levels for sound editing?
- Thread starter dr stilly
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There's no "standard" for editing rooms. Your listening environment and equipment will have much more of an affect than your monitoring levels. Is the room sonically isolated? Is it sonically treated? How good are your speakers? These will determine your monitoring levels. If you are in a noisy environment you will probably be sound editing at a higher volume level so you can hear the audio details than if you were editing in, say, my room.
When mixing at a professional mix/dubbing stage (THX or Dolby certified) the peak volume is usually about 85dB. Surprisingly most movie theatre sound systems are set up so that the peaks are lower than that. The mix process for TV is a bit different.
Just for fun, a number of rerecording mixers who work regularly at a specific mix stage (like Randy Thom at Skywalker Sound) have a "noise" track - AC, audience, etc. - that plays in the theatre while they mix to create a more realistic atmosphere.
When mixing at a professional mix/dubbing stage (THX or Dolby certified) the peak volume is usually about 85dB. Surprisingly most movie theatre sound systems are set up so that the peaks are lower than that. The mix process for TV is a bit different.
Just for fun, a number of rerecording mixers who work regularly at a specific mix stage (like Randy Thom at Skywalker Sound) have a "noise" track - AC, audience, etc. - that plays in the theatre while they mix to create a more realistic atmosphere.
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thanks alcove. its just i realized i was editing at my computers peak volume and so found myself adjusting the levels in my editing program which isnt right because obviously on a mid levelled sound system my film would sound super quiet. so im thinking i should edit at mid levels on my computer and sound system. my sound system is not great, creative gigaworks but i mainly use beats by dre headphones. my room is not sound proof but its a quiet area really
I'm not trying to impress people, but I use Mackie HR824 speakers, about $675 each. Hey, it's my job so I need nice speakers. There is a huge difference between those and your $200 consumer monitors. Consumer speakers "color" the sound to make them sound better, so they are not an accurate representation of what you are hearing.
You may want to check out my post about sound coloration with regard to consumer products. The post is about mics and mic pres, but applies to speakers as well.
http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?p=223077#post223077
Believe me, I do understand what it's like working on a limited budget, so I'm not throwing stones, just making you aware of the handicaps under which you are working. You feel the way about my rig as I do about, say, Skywalker Sound. The upside is that it's not anywhere near as important when editing as it is when you're mixing.
You may want to check out my post about sound coloration with regard to consumer products. The post is about mics and mic pres, but applies to speakers as well.
http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?p=223077#post223077
Believe me, I do understand what it's like working on a limited budget, so I'm not throwing stones, just making you aware of the handicaps under which you are working. You feel the way about my rig as I do about, say, Skywalker Sound. The upside is that it's not anywhere near as important when editing as it is when you're mixing.
My own super-non-scientific way of setting the volume on my computer is to pop in a dvd, let it play for a little while while I adjust my sound levels, and then use that volume for editing. Like I said, not at all scientific, but it's a place to start.
As mentioned above there is no fixed level but not loud is a good idea.
Firstly you will be there for a long time so a comfortable level that will not cause fatigue is paramount.
Secondly things tend to sound good loud just by being loud. so it's too easy to fool yourself into thinking you have a good mix and find it sounds rubbish at lower levels. I like to quieten down my mix or even listen from the corridor every once in a while. If something drops out of the mix then you know you may need to adjust your mix. Monitoring too loud also introduces distortion. I would run your computer levels at about 3/4 then adjust your amp to a comfortable level.
I wouldn't trust those headphones much as I believe they are quite coloured with a fair bit of bass boost. As Alcove has already pointed out consumer equipment is designed to make your audio sound better whereas you need something as flat as possible. Try and keep your mix sessions short if you are working on headphones, ear fatigue creeps in far quicker with cans.
Firstly you will be there for a long time so a comfortable level that will not cause fatigue is paramount.
Secondly things tend to sound good loud just by being loud. so it's too easy to fool yourself into thinking you have a good mix and find it sounds rubbish at lower levels. I like to quieten down my mix or even listen from the corridor every once in a while. If something drops out of the mix then you know you may need to adjust your mix. Monitoring too loud also introduces distortion. I would run your computer levels at about 3/4 then adjust your amp to a comfortable level.
I wouldn't trust those headphones much as I believe they are quite coloured with a fair bit of bass boost. As Alcove has already pointed out consumer equipment is designed to make your audio sound better whereas you need something as flat as possible. Try and keep your mix sessions short if you are working on headphones, ear fatigue creeps in far quicker with cans.
What's your budget?
The JBL LSR2325P and Alesis M1 @ $400 a pair are pretty nice. There are lots of others but I haven't used them.
The Blue Sky eXo2 @ $500 a set (2 speakers + subwoofer + hub) are becoming a standard for professional video editing bays.
The JBL LSR2325P and Alesis M1 @ $400 a pair are pretty nice. There are lots of others but I haven't used them.
The Blue Sky eXo2 @ $500 a set (2 speakers + subwoofer + hub) are becoming a standard for professional video editing bays.
Heh, my own method is even less scientific and more ghetto -- and I'm prepared to receive a severe chastising from Alcove. 
I mixed my feature using a decent pair of Sennheiser headphones AND the built-in speaker on the TV monitor, going back and forth between the two. I figured it was the best of all possible listening environments (headphones) and the worst (TV speaker). If it sounded good on both, then it would probably be acceptable on everything in between.
I mixed my feature using a decent pair of Sennheiser headphones AND the built-in speaker on the TV monitor, going back and forth between the two. I figured it was the best of all possible listening environments (headphones) and the worst (TV speaker). If it sounded good on both, then it would probably be acceptable on everything in between.
I personally like the AKG K-240 headphones. They are relatively flat and, more importantly, comfortable for me to wear. I have to admit that about the only time I use headphones these days is when I check the headphone mix for ADR or singer sessions. As I get older I find that headphones give me ear fatigue very quickly.
Everyone has their own personal favorite set of cans. For editing a little coloration is okay. As I mentioned, it's important that you are able to wear them comfortably for long periods of time. There are some new models that do not aim the speakers directly at your ears, the idea is to reduce ear fatigue.
Something to consider is whether you want open back, semi-open or closed back. It all depends upon the amount of sound isolation you want.
Everyone has their own personal favorite set of cans. For editing a little coloration is okay. As I mentioned, it's important that you are able to wear them comfortably for long periods of time. There are some new models that do not aim the speakers directly at your ears, the idea is to reduce ear fatigue.
Something to consider is whether you want open back, semi-open or closed back. It all depends upon the amount of sound isolation you want.
Just as a quick follow up...
Don't get the K-240s because I like them. As I said, headphones for long session editing use need to be comfortable for you to wear and sound good to you. The one thing that I dislike about the digital age is that more and more we don't get the opportunity try before we buy.
Go to a really good music store and and try a lot of them. Bring a home-made CD of music and film sound (not yours, finished "Hollywood" films). Take your time. You'll have to go early in the morning so that it's relatively quiet as most musicians are late risers.
Oh, and have the decency to buy the headphones at the store. I've worked a music store and there is nothing more frustrating that spending an hour or two demoing gear for someone and they buy somewhere else - and then they would call me and say "how do I get this to..." My answer was always "ask whomever you bought it from." "But I bought it on-line!" "Well, now you can pay me to come to your home and give you lessons."
Don't get the K-240s because I like them. As I said, headphones for long session editing use need to be comfortable for you to wear and sound good to you. The one thing that I dislike about the digital age is that more and more we don't get the opportunity try before we buy.
Go to a really good music store and and try a lot of them. Bring a home-made CD of music and film sound (not yours, finished "Hollywood" films). Take your time. You'll have to go early in the morning so that it's relatively quiet as most musicians are late risers.
Oh, and have the decency to buy the headphones at the store. I've worked a music store and there is nothing more frustrating that spending an hour or two demoing gear for someone and they buy somewhere else - and then they would call me and say "how do I get this to..." My answer was always "ask whomever you bought it from." "But I bought it on-line!" "Well, now you can pay me to come to your home and give you lessons."
Quick question, and not to get off topic too much, but Alcove, have you tried the Focusrite VRM box yet? Or, since you don't mix with headphones as much, do you know anyone with ears you trust who has tried it? I find myself working with headphones quite a bit, and it seems like it would be a handy little mix device.
For those who haven't heard of it, it's designed to emulate different speakers/listening environments. So with a decent pair of headphones, you can check your mix across the board, rather than checking on 6 different speakers. Definitely not a substitute for nice speakers and a well treated room, but might be a good stop-gap.
For those who haven't heard of it, it's designed to emulate different speakers/listening environments. So with a decent pair of headphones, you can check your mix across the board, rather than checking on 6 different speakers. Definitely not a substitute for nice speakers and a well treated room, but might be a good stop-gap.
Just as a quick follow up...
Don't get the K-240s because I like them. As I said, headphones for long session editing use need to be comfortable for you to wear and sound good to you. The one thing that I dislike about the digital age is that more and more we don't get the opportunity try before we buy.
Go to a really good music store and and try a lot of them. Bring a home-made CD of music and film sound (not yours, finished "Hollywood" films). Take your time. You'll have to go early in the morning so that it's relatively quiet as most musicians are late risers.
Oh, and have the decency to buy the headphones at the store. I've worked a music store and there is nothing more frustrating that spending an hour or two demoing gear for someone and they buy somewhere else - and then they would call me and say "how do I get this to..." My answer was always "ask whomever you bought it from." "But I bought it on-line!" "Well, now you can pay me to come to your home and give you lessons."
fo sho. in london there is a cool street called tottenham court road known for its various independent audio/visual stores so they usually let you try and test and they usually bend on the price too but it doesnt matter i rather pay a bit extra to just get the goods in my hands there and then anyway, especially if i like the way they treated me. i'll head up there on thursday and post back...