I recently started doing a little audio mixing for television and am
really winging it. Any tips suggestions would be appreciated. I have
the Digi Design AE plugins native to the Avid.

This is my procedure;

I first deal with the dialogue. I apply a normalizing filter at -4.5
db and then tweek where necessary.

I then address the bg sound. I don't treat it too much. I just worry
about levels.

Then I work the music. Depending on the situation I try to allow
sufficient volume without fighting the dialogue. I eq the music in 2
ways; a general dip in the voice range depending on the gender of the
voice and I apply a notch dip at 1,200 hz to avoid listener fatigue,
if memory serves, suggested by Fletcher-Munson.

Is this techique remotely relevant?

What about my overall approach does it make more sense to attack the
mix as a whole?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

JC

Judging from what I've seen of TV audio production, just boost the hell
out of the commercials to the compressor's or limiter's limit.
Sorry to troll so facetiously.

Quido wrote:
I recently started doing a little audio mixing for television and am
really winging it. Any tips suggestions would be appreciated. I have
the Digi Design AE plugins native to the Avid.

This is my procedure;

I first deal with the dialogue. I apply a normalizing filter at -4.5
db and then tweek where necessary.

I then address the bg sound. I don't treat it too much. I just worry
about levels.

Then I work the music. Depending on the situation I try to allow
sufficient volume without fighting the dialogue. I eq the music in 2
ways; a general dip in the voice range depending on the gender of the
voice and I apply a notch dip at 1,200 hz to avoid listener fatigue,
if memory serves, suggested by Fletcher-Munson.

Is this techique remotely relevant?

What about my overall approach does it make more sense to attack the
mix as a whole?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

JC

The TV station I work at has a policy of not eq'ing anything. All they
want is a good mix as far as levels go. The music should be kept under
the voices by the fader, not the eq. EQ'ing is very subjective, so our
station's policy is not to use this variable in the mix. The anchor
voices take priority and should be heard at all times while keeping nat
sound from video and music underneath the anchors for voice overs. Keep
it simple. It's not like mixing a music production or CD.

The other thing is execution. Opening the mics on time, bringing up the
sound for packages, hitting your music carts and taking direction from
the directors. Most producers and directors would rather have a bad mix
than a late mic or silence, not that bad mixes are acceptable. On the
other end of the spectrum, is not to open their mics too soon. The
anchors might be talking about something they don't want the audience
to hear. Catching an anchor off guard this way can get you and the
anchor in trouble. Simplify your approach to make your execution
easier.

Stan

Quido wrote:

I recently started doing a little audio mixing for television and am
really winging it. Any tips suggestions would be appreciated. I have
the Digi Design AE plugins native to the Avid.

This is my procedure;

I first deal with the dialogue. I apply a normalizing filter at -4.5
db and then tweek where necessary.

I then address the bg sound. I don't treat it too much. I just worry
about levels.

Then I work the music. Depending on the situation I try to allow
sufficient volume without fighting the dialogue. I eq the music in 2
ways; a general dip in the voice range depending on the gender of the
voice and I apply a notch dip at 1,200 hz to avoid listener fatigue,
if memory serves, suggested by Fletcher-Munson.

Is this techique remotely relevant?

It seems very formulaic, or, as I like to say, one-size-fits-none. Rather
than apply this normalization and that EQ, it's far more important to listen
to the results and do what your ears tell you.

What about my overall approach does it make more sense to attack the
mix as a whole?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

As with any audio mixing, monitoring is crucial to good results. You won't
like what your ears tell you if your monitors and room are generating sonic
falacies.

--
================================================== ======================
Michael Kesti | "And like, one and one don't make
| two, one and one make one."
| - The Who, Bargain

All I can say is never, ever, underestimate the importance of a mic
check

(Then check it one more time)
Before the show that is...

speaking from bad experience...

TH

"Quido" wrote in message
m...
I recently started doing a little audio mixing for television and am
really winging it. Any tips suggestions would be appreciated. I have
the Digi Design AE plugins native to the Avid.

This is my procedure;

I first deal with the dialogue. I apply a normalizing filter at -4.5
db and then tweek where necessary.

I then address the bg sound. I don't treat it too much. I just worry
about levels.

Then I work the music. Depending on the situation I try to allow
sufficient volume without fighting the dialogue. I eq the music in 2
ways; a general dip in the voice range depending on the gender of the
voice and I apply a notch dip at 1,200 hz to avoid listener fatigue,
if memory serves, suggested by Fletcher-Munson.

Is this techique remotely relevant?

What about my overall approach does it make more sense to attack the
mix as a whole?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

JC
-----------------------------------
Every so often play your mix back at very loud volume on several systems,
this shows the work in a 'naked' form, helps you hear anything
'objectionable'.

Some eq basics:

12K air

8-10 K Upper Mids, Edge

5-7 K Articulation Zone

1.6-4K Hurtin' Zone

500-1.6 Mids

200-450 Lower Mid, Warmth, Mud Zone, only one lives here, commonly cut a lot

200 Moo Zone

100 Pop Zone, Warmth

50 Thud Zone


-bg-


www.lchb.ca

On 26 Jan 2005 19:42:03 -0800, (Quido) wrote:

I recently started doing a little audio mixing for television and am
really winging it. Any tips suggestions would be appreciated. I have
the Digi Design AE plugins native to the Avid.

This is my procedure;

I first deal with the dialogue. I apply a normalizing filter at -4.5
db and then tweek where necessary.

I then address the bg sound. I don't treat it too much. I just worry
about levels.

Then I work the music. Depending on the situation I try to allow
sufficient volume without fighting the dialogue. I eq the music in 2
ways; a general dip in the voice range depending on the gender of the
voice and I apply a notch dip at 1,200 hz to avoid listener fatigue,
if memory serves, suggested by Fletcher-Munson.

Is this techique remotely relevant?

What about my overall approach does it make more sense to attack the
mix as a whole?

Seems un-necessarily complicated. Why sabotage the music with eq? If
it's to be heard, let it be top quality. If not, turn it down a bit.


CubaseFAQ www.laurencepayne.co.uk/CubaseFAQ.htm
"Possibly the world's least impressive web site": George Perfect

I should have been a little clearer. I'm doing post audio on life-style
sequences. I have a very limited selection of stock music with some
higher end intruments that occasionally fight with the voice track.
The shows are interview dialogue driven, no voice overs. This is why I
use the normalizing filter. The source material is all over the place.

wrote:
I should have been a little clearer. I'm doing post audio on
life-style
sequences. I have a very limited selection of stock music with some
higher end intruments that occasionally fight with the voice track.
The shows are interview dialogue driven, no voice overs. This is why
I
use the normalizing filter. The source material is all over the
place.

The advice to use your ears rather than a set eq formula is good
advice, but a consistent methodology is a good thing to work on
developing.

I mix TV in kind of a "Post Production" style although it's live,
with a lot of animations (Deko, Profile, Viz)married to music or SFX's,
Cart music tracks and announces, packages on Tape, Live remotes with
Natural sound or Guests, and in studio Guests with multiple Anchors.
The 2 buss limiter on my Neve 55 console really helps, which is
similar to the SSL and the Alan Smart 2 buss limiters (and automakeup
gain is your friend.) An Aphex Compellor can be nice on a 2 Buss Mix
sometimes too. Usually I start out preparing to mix by playing the
music theme at it's loudest level hitting 0VU as a reference point for
my maximum volume level, making sure that I am not hitting my 2 buss
limiter very hard at all and setting a release time that lets the music
rhythmically breathe a bit. I may add a bit of eq to taste if the 2
buss limiter is dulling the tracks a bit, and I may cut some in the
140-500Hz region if there is so much content there that the limiter is
being triggered too much by those frequencies. Some Hip Hop and
Classical music, and poorly mixed Rock and Pop is typically frequency
heavy in that region and many compressors and limiters respond to the
low/low middle range first. You have to tame that region on all your
audio sources or you won't be able to get things apparently louder
before everything turns to mush, which can "mask" other audio sources
and make a voice over/person speaking unintelligible.

Anyway after music I set the levels for my Voice Talent (or in
your case the interviews you are tracking) to hit 0VU with a bit of
compression (or a lot depending on the person), and check that the
voice full works with the music "under", adding eq if needed to cut
through the music or cutting if the voice is overly sibilant/harsh or
murky sounding. If I have time I might try to match the "hardness" of
my various audio sources (tapes, remotes, SFX or various kinds) to each
other for evenness sake, by adjusting pre and post compressor levels on
my group busses.

Sometimes though, if your limiters suck and are too squashy to use,
then you have to live with levels that might go over 0VU all the time
and just ride your faders. But being pretty busy with breaking news,
checking in remotes and a lot of on the fly programming changes, I do
like having things set up to where I can just track a fader to zero or
to -20 or -7 and have the levels stay pretty consistent without having
to overly ride things.

YMMV.

Will Miho
NY Music & TV Audio Guy Staff Audio / Fox News / M-AES
"The large print giveth and the small print taketh away..." Tom Waits

"WillStG" wrote in message But being pretty busy with breaking news,
checking in remotes and a lot of on the fly programming changes, I do
like having things set up to where I can just track a fader to zero or
to -20 or -7 and have the levels stay pretty consistent without having

Nothing like real world experienced people to get the record straight. Great
Post.

Nathan

"Nathan West" wrote in message
. com...

"WillStG" wrote in message But being pretty busy with breaking news,
checking in remotes and a lot of on the fly programming changes, I do
like having things set up to where I can just track a fader to zero or
to -20 or -7 and have the levels stay pretty consistent without having

Nothing like real world experienced people to get the record straight.
Great
Post.

Love 'em or hate 'em for their political positions, FNC has great &
consistent sound at almost any time of day you tune in. Here's a "Good on
ya" for Will & his cohorts, I say.

Neil Henderson

Quido wrote:
I recently started doing a little audio mixing for television and am
really winging it. Any tips suggestions would be appreciated. I have
the Digi Design AE plugins native to the Avid.

This is my procedure;

I first deal with the dialogue. I apply a normalizing filter at -4.5
db and then tweek where necessary.

I then address the bg sound. I don't treat it too much. I just worry
about levels.

Then I work the music. Depending on the situation I try to allow
sufficient volume without fighting the dialogue. I eq the music in 2
ways; a general dip in the voice range depending on the gender of the
voice and I apply a notch dip at 1,200 hz to avoid listener fatigue,
if memory serves, suggested by Fletcher-Munson.

Is this techique remotely relevant?

What about my overall approach does it make more sense to attack the
mix as a whole?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

JC

JC,
your methods are interesting and if they are working for you, that is
fine. The most important thing is the clarity of the dialog. Next is
smoothness of the levels. Most television channels have a maximum peak
level of -10dBFS (10dB lower than the absolute maximum digital audio
level). You will need a good pair of digital audio meters for
this.(Sony or Tascam DAT machines are great for metering.) How are you
monitoring your levels visually? Good mixing practice is to mix for 0
VU on a pair of quality VU meters (not LED meters) Coleman meters are
very good, Dorroughs are even better. What kind of speakers are you
mixing on? What kind of Avid are you using? Are you flowing your audio
through a mixer (01v maybe)? What Digi plug-ins do you have?
A major consideration in mixing consistently is speaker monitoring
levels. In the surround section of the Digidesign User Conference (
under the Support tab at http://www.digidesign.com/) there is a very
comprehensive discussion on aligning your audio monitors. Proper setup
of your speakers and working at the same standard levels really makes
it easier to create consistent mixes.

Feel free to write me for details at:
I hope this helps.

P. Dennis Mitchell
Post Mixer
SoundImageNY

On 26 Jan 2005 19:42:03 -0800, (Quido) wrote:

I recently started doing a little audio mixing for television and am
really winging it. Any tips suggestions would be appreciated. I have
the Digi Design AE plugins native to the Avid.



I worked 30 yrs at a network Station. Everyting from local newscasts,
game shows , muisicals, to rock concerts. Film docs, multitrack for
music scores, sports, live and taped.

The best advice I can give is use your ears. Have an small monitor
speakeravailable that is similar to what the general public will hear
at home. I used to use auritones. When in doubt of the mix, turn
it down to almost off. Gradually turn it up and the first thing you
hear should be the voice or dialogue. In a music mic the first thing
should be the instrument carrying the melody part. Once you crank it
you will find you are usually hot in the bass. I used to tend to put
a lot of top end eq in the bass track. ( Bert Kamfert style) it was
all the rage then and worked well on a TV Mix. The ultimate answer
was what I heard at home. After it had been through hell. VTR
audio head allignments, thansmission phasing problems, Cable systems
that care only about the picture Buzz from high video levels. The
NTSC system is frought with flaws.