Audio levels

[mblade]

I'm pulling my hair out trying to sort out my audio levels with the toaster. Is anyone else using a setup similar to this?

I am capturing video and audio from a UVW-1800. The audio is passed through bus 1 & 2 of a 4 bus mixer. This then goes to the toaster (no SX-8). The audio out from the toaster is then passed to bus 3 & 4 of the mixer and out to a set of PPMs.

Initially I calibrate the mixer so that playing tone from the timeline in toaster gives me one block of red on the Ted audio monitors, 0dB on my mixer VU's and 4 on my PPM's (easily done without much adjustment of levels).

Now I try and capture audio and video. I am constantly monitoring the toaster output through the PPM's. For talking heads I adjust the level before it reaches the toaster so that I peak at around 0dB on the VU and 4 on the PPM (remember this is being monitored on the toaster out). All looks good. The levels going in look the same as the levels coming out.

Now I put the clip on the timeline and the levels are considerably lower (peaking at about -7dB on my VU). I ALWAYS end up having to crank up the audio levels for the clip and it very quickly distorts and clips the peaks.

I guess the problem I'm seeing is that the loop through whilst capturing is completely different to the actual captured levels.

Anybody else come across this? Do I need an SX-8? Do I need to chill out before I age prematurely? Anybody got a solution?

[Rich Deustachio]

It seem to be normal on the VT for some reason. I get the same thing, the playback audio is much lower than the level you capture.

[Jim Capillo]

I've actually found somewhat of a solution to this - I routinely feed the VT audio output into an old (but still operable) Sony 3/4" 5850 deck, then on to the final record deck. With the Sony audio auto limiter on, it boosts the VT output back up to acceptable levels with no distortion or clipping. Seems that running the deck around 6 on the volume controls produces the best results - any higher than that and you start to get a bit of hiss during quiet passages; lower and it really doesn't accomplish anything. I don't know why it works so well, but y'all can try it for yourself and see if it'll work for you.

[JReble]

I got a better idea. How bout Newtek fixes this once and for all.

I mean outside of a video distortion problem, this is the biggest problem you could have with an editor and Newtek has consistently let it hang like this for many months. Do they not get the seriousness of this audio level problem with their system? It seems they don't even want to cop to the problem most of the time. I've been trying to be patient but c'mon. This problem is no secret. If they're gonna ignore this issue and forward it to the next paid upgrade then I gotta start wonderin how many former Play employees they are pickin up like they did with Lee.

[videoguy]

well just copy th audio clip and put it and sync it up or for output to master use a stereo compressror / limiter . i never run audio out or into my toaster with out my set of rocktron compressors

[Rich Deustachio]

One way to help get closer levels is to set the mixer master out level all the way up, then adjust your inputs to the proper levels. Seems to help a little bit, but it is still playing back ouot of VTedit much lower.