How to Mix Audio Levels for Films & Movies - Introduction to Cinema Sound for Indie Films Part 01

Hello, this is very useful content. I would like to make CZ subtitles and so on. Where can I upload it?

this explains why when im watching most movies i can barely hear the dialogue but then an intense scene happens and its way too loud

Very interesting, thank you. I also follow Sir Curtis Judd.

Thanks what is the plugin called

New Dune film brought me here.

This guy knows his shit

but you don't have a cinema master of your fav movie only the DVD master, which is probably not the same?

Thanks :D

Just wondering, when calibrating speakers and DAW to 85dB SPL, do we normalise that pink noise file to 100%, 
and with the track it's on, set that track volume at 0.00 db?

Very informative, mixing my movie right now and this information helped me a lot. Thnx.

this is why i mix at very low volume and it will fix all dynamic range problems... ..

Dialog is always king

Very well explained.

What about mixing for documentary?

There's a science to this?? Wow.

Perfect! =)

So I mixed my short film first by keeping dialogue at around -12db, and my music is some times louder depending on the scary movements, However, the sub 40hrz and lower I seem to be struggling with.
I plan on putting this in film festivals but knowing full well that sometimes people will have a sub woofer and other not. So where would the sweet spot be without killing people in a theater with sub info or on the other end, loosing the power of the sub in very specific spots of my video that would loose its impact with out the sub.

This is gold.

Thank you so much for your insightfull and extremely valuable knowledge sharing video. I am facing a trouble in Delhi/India (PAL transmission standard) and totally unable to troubleshoot.
My audio output sounds well on every media except T.V.
Problem is audio is loud enough in the starting but as it proceeds, it gradually gets supressed. if we revind it a few seconds, the same audio sounds loud.
No where I have found any solution as yet.

Brilliant!

sorry, what is the actual reference specs to relate to, and what is the main institution that fixes levels and any other parameters? Dolby? Ebu? I hope my question makes sense,

whats the name of this program he's talking about

Wow awesome

That is Dolby 7 level. If I put an effect at -2 level, then it will come out at 105 - 2=103dB. Right? And according to that, the dialogue should be mixed at -45dB (105 - 45 = 60dB). 😨 Isn't that tooooo low? Even if I have a loud 85dB scream, still I need to mix at -20 dB. Please tell me if what I wrote is right or not.

Great!! Thank You!! :)

Hey,
I am new in film making. I want to have audio similar like we have in Hollywood or Bollywood. The films made here in Pakistan don't have that dynamic sound like we have in Hollywood &Bollywood. Kindly suggest me sound equipments.

Hiya bacon tree. How would you say the levels are just as you see them on the mixer. What level would dialogue, music and effects be. And what range? I heard dialogue is somewhere between -6 to -12 dB. But I'm not sure if I'm correct.

Cool insight! Im starting on the XboxOne GrandTheftAutoV tho. Thanks!

Saying that conversation have to be at 50-63db????... - that's a total nonsense.
This is amateur not a pro audio, very confusing explanation of the subject.

In to words: from -12 up to even -9 must be your very highest level, the limit/peak of loudness. That's your "jump out of your seat" moments. And based on this limits you "build" your overall sound stage, your medium levels, and softest passages. That's your taste and creativity.
Dynamic RANGE is much wider in film than TV.
Small rooms calibrated using the pink noise to 85dB SPL.

thank you so much! I'm just finishing up a clip to be marked on an audio production course, little was touched on regarding levels andmixing though this gave me some direction to go in. Thank you very much!

I always watch this video from time to time, very informative.. I am currently working on a 7.1 mix in a very small room (approx. 3.4 x 4), i calibrated my speakers to have the L R Ls Rs Lc and Rc on 85dB and the C on 82dB.. I did so using pink noise measuring the RMS, individually calibrating each speaker. Sometimes when I'm adding a loud SFX, it appears to be super loud.. Is this normal ? I'm pretty sure the peak level is sometimes way over 85, almost painful.. and I never go up more than - 3db on my digital levels.

Just so you guys know....there is so much more to this. Don't think after watching this video that you know everything. There is so much more complex analysis than you think. You need to do a lot of research. The information, unfortunately, is so scattered and there are no finalized set standards yet.

I'm so fascinated by cinema sound and still new to sound mixing. I have a lot of questions :p You mention comparing our favorite movie sound mix with our own when mixing our projects. Aren't DVD's sound levels completely different than theatrical releases as in the case of TV Ads or Internet content? Lastly, the title says "independent films" so are studio films loudness different than indies?

Thanks a lot! Nice explanation! 👍

Very nice video. I am a beginner (I almost know nothing!). In a 7.1 system, if each of three front speaker can go atmost 85dB (It will clip if we put something louder than 85dB), and each individual array of surround channels can also produce 85 dB max ( I mean 85dB max for each surround CHANNEL). Then the only way to give a quick 2 second loud effect of 95dB is by sending the signal to all three front speakers (or any three depending on the position of sound). Am I right or wrong or is this simply a very dumb question?

thanks man. i loved that last advice of putting my favourite movie on timeline and checking.

Nice video, well explained and super clean, congrats!

As a production sound recordist there has never been much explanation what happens to the audio I record after I hand to over in terms of level.

I had a scene the there day with such whispering that I had pushed the gain very high. to be able to get an average level of between -20 and -12dbfs or PPM 4 to PPM .6 Now when monitoring off the 664 at 0db/line It gives a horrific sounding back ground noise and a very live sound, you can hear the room a almost too much.

However, turn the headphone monitor down to -12db and it suddenly sounds lovely, clear dialogue and a a dry silent background.

So my question is, how is the audio standardised so on TV at home or the cinema you don't hear the noise floor as you do when monitoring production sound or the reflections of the room? Comparatively what level is it set to? how do the levels transcend?

Excellent work there! Oh and a great day to everybody reading this! :)

This is a great lecture.

Very awesome and I just love the way you explain things in a way that is informative but does not feel intimidating either.

What exactly is this cinema simulation? software? Can we find it somewhere? Thank you

very helpful video thanks

Thank you Buck for your video.

I work in my little office (bedroom size) in my basement. I mixed in 5.1 and encoded in Dolby, made a Bluray copy and showed in 3 different theaters and it worked very well the 5.1. However, I need real help because the truth of the matter is that I am never sure if my tracks are too loud for the theater (and perhaps the projectionist had to bring the volume down).
My levels were: dialogue -6, effects up to -9 or even to 0. Ambient and Foley -24. Is this OK or not?

Second question, I am now remastering for DCP which uses raw PCM and no compression at all. Would my levels be too loud for the theaters ?

It will be awesome to know how to do it right. I want it to make it perfect for DCP and I cannot have clear answer. Thank you all.

Is there any other information about the x-curve? Maybe I missed some details somewhere, but I'm very curious as to what that would look like!

Buck, I have this nagging question about the different monitoring/calibration levels quoted for different room sizes. For example, the 'standard' is 85 dBC, but I've also read/seen directions to use 82-83 for mid-size rooms, and even 79 dBC for small home studios. So, I guess my question is, why use lower values for smaller rooms, even with nearfield monitors? Isn't 85 dBC still "85dBC" at the listening position regardless of the room. After all, that IS what you measured from your monitors when calibrating them at the listening position, right? One video said that for small rooms, using 79 will ensure that your mix will fit into main mix at larger studios. Why calibrate to anything other than 85? I don't understand that rationale. Cheers!

This guy knows stuff.