Audio Levels for Video Recording and Editing - Video 101 Episode 1
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- Опубликовано: 28 июн 2017
- Tips for nailing your audio levels when shooting videos and editing. We talk about specific levels for recording audio, what to look out for and what levels you should export at.
Watch more Video 101 episodes here ► • Audio Levels for Video...
AUDIO LEVELS OVERVIEW
Measuring Audio - 0:34
Production Audio Levels - 1:26
Audio Level Tips - 2:48
Post Production Audio Levels - 4:48
What topics would you like to see in this new series? Let me know! 
Кино
3 years later, still one of the best videos on the topic
7 years later this video still *_peaks_* in it's quality…
I absolutely would like to see more in this series! As a stills shooter just moving into video for the first time - and already relying heavily on your advice as I equip my studio - these videos couldn't come at a better time. This was very useful, and off the top of my head some other areas which I'd be interested to see covered are:
* Best practices for microphone placement, mounts, stands, XLR cable quality, etc.
* Basic editing techniques - jump cuts, wipes, zooms, etc. and when they are most effectively used.
* Best focal lengths to use for 2-3 person interviews and talking head videos.
* How to shoot with 2 or more cameras and organize your media.
* Best practices for blending audio from different sources, specifically lavs, small and large diaphragm mics.
Looking forward to the next video! Thanks!
All good advice. You can also split a mono signal (a mic, for example) to the right and left sides of a stereo recorder and get a -10dB track on one side, and a -6dB or -20dB track on the other in the same device (like what you talked about, using the camera and a separate recorder). Then in post, you can drop out a distorted outburst, and use the clean side. If you also get good room tone, you should be able to handle 99% of the audio problems you'll encounter. Of course, this only works when you have more recording channels than sources. If you have 2 channels and 2 mics, better to go a little lower on your record level (as you suggested) for safety.
Love the channel - alway s a thumbs up! :)
Excellent video Caleb! Will you do one of these for exposure?
Also, I picked up your a6300 guide and i'm just about to tune mine now before my first shoot with it. Keep up the great work!
This is an excellent starting point and it's crazy how often good audio can be overlooked. And it's not even just about gear! A manager used to tell us commercial editors that a good video started with good audio, and I think that's 100% true. I know you've done a lot of with audio before, but I think focused stuff like this is essential viewing.
If you do a followup video, maybe for the more advance viewer, it would be great for a good comprehensive conversation about Loudness, its measurement, and how it's a more accurate indication your mix and volume than the True Peak indication of dB. Loudness Standards are weird to read sometimes, but consistency is their goal and I wish I knew more about them a long time ago. This would specifically help those who deliver for services, such as ATSC standards for American broadcast being -24 LUFS, which /can/ be somewhere around -18dB when looking at true peaks, though there's some difference for certain! What kinda...stinks about Loudness metering if you need to use a Loudness Radar and play your audio through it to have an accurate measurement of where it lands, and can see the problem areas you need to treat.
RUclips I think has been tossing their hat into the Web standard ring lately, but it may be only for 'music video' style content, but I think their standard is -16 LUFS, which comes in i /think/ to a true peak value of -6 dB, and that's about where I set things too a lot. There's also export settings in NLEs like Premiere that can automate a normalization process of your final mix to a number of LUFS standards, tho it's just a normalization process and not a replacement for compression and limiters and actually mixing things properly like you discuss!
Thanks Duke! Also thank you for the info on standards. I obviously blew over that stuff to get straight to web audio. Great info.
DSLR Video Shooter great feedback, Duke. And that's the beauty of Loudness standards, -16LUFS has become the current standard for LN on the web or for mobile devices. Best thing in audio in recent years. I've dug deep into this on my podcast if you want to deep dive and figure out the nuances but as mentioned Premiere can handle the final targeting for you -16LUFS for stereo, -19LUFS mono) and check out Auphonic.com which can do it for you easily and quick as well as level and clean up. The key is that all your levels become consistent across all your videos, devices and viewer's ears because the actual measurement is made based on how humans actually hear and not peak levels which tell you nothing about Loudness. Some great explanation videos here on RUclips as well. I enjoy the channel. Keep up the good work, Caleb.
Fantastic job! I was so tired of seeing microphone reviews for "best audio" and nothing mentioned about how to configure audio levels, so THANK YOU FOR THIS!
Sweet mother of Elune, yes more of these. Everyone talks about complex stuff all the time, leaving us noobs in the dark on foundation knowledge. Bring it!
This helped me so much. Usually people only talk about the recording levels, not the delivery levels and that was something I was curious about. Thank you!
Your channel is great ! Straight to the point, I like it. And your videos are very useful.
This is great! Simple, to the point, told me what I needed to know without making me watch half an hour of video.
Hey Caleb. Great 101 info. I'm an audio tech by trade. I work mostly with musicians but I also do a ton of post-production for films, docs, etc. I'd like to add one additional tip that will help your subscribers because it's SO simple but so important. If you simply add any stock Brickwall Limiter (comes with Final Cut Pro - and I'm sure all other editors have it too) to your dialog/audio tracks then you will never have to worry about clipping your output. You'd still do all the things you said to do with the post-production levels, but then also add the Limiter. And in the case of the FCP version, you literally have to do nothing (just drag and drop); it's already set to a max output of -.5db and won't let anything get louder than that. Now you never have to worry about a loud laugh or any other plosives that get away from you. It's your digital safety net! :)
Great tip Darren! Exactly what I do. Was going to do a tutorial video on it but I should've just thrown it in the video.
It's a very handy and simple tip, for sure. If people want to get really serious about their audio then they should really be working in a dedicated editor like Logic (works awesome with FCP), Pro Tools, Cubase, or whatever. But they should at least know the holy trinity of audio for post-production which is EQ, compression, and limiting. A little goes a LONG way in making good videos into great videos. And there are tutorials all over RUclips that explain how to use these tools, of course. It's worth the hour or so to at least understand the basics for dialog. Music is a whole other beast. Anyway - thanks for another great video!
This is a great start to this series. I just started working with an external recorder, and its nice to have my instincts confirmed in a simple and clear manner.
God man! I had to wade through so much sh..to FINALLY get this information explained in a simple and efficient way. TO MAKE IT EVEN BETTER: you did so in 8 minutes. Thank you, Caleb. You roooooock.
that's exactly the series I need from you! and I learned that audio is one of the most important elements in a video and trying to get better at it
Nicely done Caleb!
One of my best audio channels is/was here
"There's a lot of guidelines for the likes of TV on how loud you can go"
I tell you right now.. the adverts are void of that rule.
I think TV shows purposely make them quieter so you crank the TV for -12 DB, then ads come in at -3 or higher and blow your ear drums out
Clear, simple, and straight to the point. Super useful (as always).
That was some AWESOMELY VALUABLE info. You nailed it. Thanks very much. More power.
I love that you started this series with Audio as that I what I was researching right now. But I hope you shoot some of these tips outdoors because not everyone is going to be recording Audio/Video in controlled studio location. Great informative video. Looking forward to rest of the series.
Glad I just watched this. I have been intuitively pushing my YT audio as suggested at the end for years. I was just about to take a major turn on my current project and drop to -6db, as that's the common answer that pops up on a Google Search, gonna keep it the way it's been. Thanks.
One of the things I love about my Tascam DR-40 is it's "safety track" function.
The Tascam DR-40 has 2 built in mics and 2 XLR Combo inputs. and can record the internal mics to one file and the external mics to another file.
Now if you don't use one of the sets of mics (internal or external ... doesn't matter), you can tell the Tascam to record the same audio from whatever mics you are using to the other file at a LOWER LEVEL!
There are other recording setups but those are the 2 main ones ... 4 mincs or one or two mics to 2 files.
So I set my main track to hit -12 ish and I tell the Tascam to record the second file to pull another 6db (or more) off the recording.
If the person I am recording suddenly gets super loud or if someone starts talking on a loud speaker closely I can drop to the second file and hopefully have something usable.
This is the main reason I chose the DR-40 over the Zoom H4n.
Yep. Always confused why the zoom's didn't have this.
Eric Lefebvre I love my DR-40. When set properly, I can record my brother's band during practice sessions. Those get LOUD but the DR-40 won't clip.
I really hope this video goes viral. I'm so sick of watching RUclips videos with awful audio. It's a huge problem with RUclipsrs. They think built-in mics on their laptop, webcam, or dslr is good enough. And even if they think they are going pro by buying some cheap $20 external mic, they still don't have a clue how to monitor and set levels correctly. Or perhap, they are too lazy to sync video and audio in post. in any case, I hope this video helps others so they don't have to feel the wrath of flood.
I spent all afternoon trying to figure this out and came across your video and you were like BOOM here's what you need. Thank you so much.
I definitely appreciate this new series!! Thank you.
Thank Caleb. I just bought a Zoom H1 after watching many of your videos and I'm really grateful that you did this video as I've been searching for a good video on Audio levels for so long.
We are starting indie filmmaking and this information is amazing. Have to say this was brilliantly well done. Can't wait for the next in the series ! :-)
Love this new series! Keep it coming!
thank you Caleb for this important foundational piece. Recording to zoom recorders and directly to Adobe Audition almost daily I can confidently recommend production levels from -12db to -6db. -12db to -10db is safe, but a still bit narrow range even for casual speaking nuance and inflections if you're accommodating to the occasional laugh, grunt or lip smack. The cadence on first syllabus when starting a sentance, or response to a question are often more powerful. Excellent advice to get people talking and comfortable as a tactic for checking levels. Even though decibels are logorithmic, (log10) its important to think of and speak of decimals in 3s, not 2s. (e.g. -3, -6, -12, etc.) Post production wise I'd recommend some conservative limiting before normalizing or boosting levels to almost zero as you recommend. Other techniques too, but for beginners and pros alike, limiting is a bit safer and easier than compression for output to web.
Thank you so much Caleb! This was VERY helpful! i look forward to the Video 101 episodes! I'd for sure love to see more of these!
This is AWESOME! Please continue these 101s!
I've edited a Yogscast video and the audio they gave me had a limiter at -5 but also a boost for voices that were not so loud. Long story short: they hovered at about -10 to -8. But they didn't go below -18 even when whispering. Dynamics in Premiere can help you do that and compress audio nicely. The reason I'm telling you this is because I think their channels are a big influence and they know what they are doing.
Thanks Caleb - another clear and concise video explaining in just enough detail what is a confusing new area for me, a visuals person.
I'm a stills photographer by training so sound is a whole new area for me.
Was just thinking about doing a video like this, because I came over from the audio world to the video world. But you nailed it here and I can't imagine doing a better job. Awesome, Caleb.
Thank you Brian!
I'm new to content creating and you are an absolute lifesaver, Caleb!! Thank you so much for the hard work you put into this video!
Thanks a lot, man! Exactly the question I've had some time ago, specifically post production levels for RUclips. I've intuitively came to quite similar numbers for the post, but having some guideline for recorder levels is also helpful. Hope to hear your take on compression and maybe noise/hiss reduction in following episodes. Cheers!
Fantastic video, Caleb! Thanks heaps for this very well made tutorial with all the relevant information and the supporting graphics - all in a neat, little and concise package under 10 mins. Wish I had found you earlier! Keep up the great work!
I'm just starting out with RUclips content creation and podcasting. This was easy to digest, and answered all my questions; thank you!
Best tutorial maker out there. Short and to the point! Thanks man.
I'm excited for this new series. One thing I would really love to see is a Video specifically for RUclipsrs for getting Audio levels right and maybe some cheap or free programs that you can do a quick on screen tutorial. I think that would get you tons of hits and new Subs. Also it's badly needed.
I enjoy your style and presentation when sharing information on various subjects. I find you easy to understand and, hence, I learn from you. The video itself is done professionally. Thank you!
Clear and to the point. Truly have been enjoying your channel Thank you !
You deeeefinitively have all my support for this serie Caleb :D
Thanks for this video. I had never given audio in my RUclips videos any thought and wanted to learn more on this topic. Your video was very informative and crisp and allowed me to get any audio input levels just about perfect!
Great video. Thanks! I'd love to see you continue this series.
Great stuff dude. This is absolutely crucial. Once digital distortion / red peaks are introduced, life becomes.... challenging... =)
Thanks EYC! Hopefully the world will be a little less distorted after today ;-)
Looking forward to the next in the series. Great tips and advice Caleb!
Thank you so much for helping with audio! Plus, your video audio is perfection! :)
Great video looking forward to the next one! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your knowledge with us.
Incredibly helpful. As always. Thank you, Caleb!
Caleb, this was fantastic! Thank you so much!
Thank Goodness, I needed this. I've done a few projects recently were audio levels peaked many times, and I've always wondered where my levels should be. Side note, I love to see different types of bulbs explained (florescent, incendencent, etc) their uses and pros and cons.
I would have never thought about changing the audio levels in post. I normally try to keep it around 10 to 12 range. Thanks for the good tip, I'm going to try it now.
Thank you! I'm looking forward for the next video :D
Great stuff. Really looking forward to the new 101 videos.
awesome first episode! looking forward to the next one!
Seriously amazing. Thank you for this. God bless you, brother.
Very clear and straightforward. More videos like this would be great, keep sharing the knowledge!
Finally I figured it mostly out with a bit of info here and there but this is the best video on sound recording for video. Would have saved me of 3 years of doing it wrong ugg.Thanks
Great idea for more DSIR content videos! Thanks Caleb!
Great info in this, Caleb. Great videos as always. Thanks for sharing!
I learnt this the hard way by clipping my audio on a project which was unrecoverable , great advice and thanks for sharing
Thank God someone on RUclips I subscribed to talks about this. I have been seeing people ask others about production and mostly post production questions like these. I was going to make a video just about this and start my channel because I graduated from film school. But once again, what a coincidence you made something lol.
Something you should do next is talk about following up recording with not only shotgun mics but the placement and what mainly they are used for. Surprisingly I use shure mics and rode mics for for sound effects. That I think you should talk about. I know you covered it but follow the video up with some intel of after this. Well best of luck and I will comment on the next video with whatever you make.
I have a question and I'm sure u will help me, i want to shoot a short film with my Sony a6300, is it better to shoot with one of the profile picture settings ( slog2, slog3, cine2 or cine 4) or disable it?
because i tried shooting slog2 a fiew times but i got a lot of noise and banding..
very insightful video some things I'm looking forward to seeing get covered within the series is post production workflow (effects to get the best quality in dialogue) & potentially how to get best settings for different scenarios with the H4N as well as other recording devices !
Super helpful especially about keeping equipment level around -10-12 and post production for web being as close to 0 as possible without hitting it.
Excellent, Caleb! Thank you! Though I've kind of figured things out by trial and error (mostly error!), it was nice to hear your very clear explanation and list of recommendations.
So clearly explained. Brilliant, thanks.
Awe dang. Made my post -12. Oh well live and you learn. Thanks for the video!
Great, pragmatic information. Thanks so much for this. I watched so many videos that talked about what a decibel is conceptually, this is exactly what I needed.
I love this! Exactly the help I needed
Excellent video. Clear explanations. Many thanks!
Thanks!! This cleared up a lot of things for me. Keep em coming!!
Love the educational stuff - great video Caleb. Looking forward to the rest of the series!
Keeping within the corporate/interview theme, maybe a video on multi-cam filming/white balancing/camera matching as a solo shooter?
As it stands I'll usually just select a daylight WB preset because I use 5500K LEDs as set up times are already long enough when the client/interviewee is waiting.
Awesome! Thanks for the pointers my friend! 😊👍
-Jay
superbly explained, as usual. Please continue the series!
This was extremely helpful. Thank you so much. You just got my sub :) I’m happy to be a part of this community.
This is a great video! I am liking your new series so far. Please don't take too long before your next one comes out! =)
Amazing as always!
Everything you make is helpful and thoughtfully put together.
This was super clear and easy to follow. Thanks so much for the explanation!
Yes! More please. Great tutorial. Thank you
Caleb is so good. I watch all his videos. Thanks Caleb. Keep it up. You jam, bro.
Great channel! Very informative and helpful!
Good stuff, as always! You're video just came at the right time for me :-)
This is well put together video to reinforce something I had to learn later than I wish I did. I am sad that this series hasn't been expanded upon. You do such a great job with it and your video is well put together.
Great video!! I really appreciate the description of each different type of audio post delivery
Very interesting thoughts on editing levels. I've always been taught to shoot for -8 so that's what I do but I've noticed some other RUclipsrs have very loud audio, certainly louder than mine. Personally I watch a lot of videos at night with other people asleep in the house so I wish that it will be too loud and often have my computer volume down almost as low as it will go. So I found this video while looking around to see what is recommended for RUclipsrs and why they're all making it so loud.
You are the Man Caleb! These are so helpful!
very useful. thank you. I would love to see more in this series.
Hey Kaleb - brilliant video!! I've been working on getting the audio better on my videos...some times successfully, some time passably. This is great information. I believe my next YT purchase is going to be an audio recorder to record the sound separately from my camera. I'm looking forward to watching the other videos on how to improve audio. Also, I would be interested in a video on sound effects and how these can improve you videos. I'll have a look and see if I can find that on your channel, or it might be a suggestion if you haven't done it already. All the best, Cheers Rick
This was super helpful and exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!
Great tips, appreciate the quick and easy!
Great video! Thanks for tips!
Thanks for this upload, the information you gave is just what I was just looking for and was presented just awesomely. You got a new subscriber :) Also, typo on decibels ;)
Great video! Exactly what I was looking for...Thanks!!
The most important video I have seen in a long time. Thank you.
Great!!!! yes i would love to see more videos on audio, THANKS again for your knowledge and time
I'd love to see more of these style videos. Very helpful!
Really nice video! Keep them comming!
This is absolutely perfect. I would love to see a video on how you get great skin tones in studio and on location.