SMPTE EG 15-2005

Many factors can limit the performance of production audio recordings; among them are acoustical noise and reverberation on the set; placement, directionality, and frequency response of microphones; microphone preamplifier performance; and many others. The object of this guideline is to outline only those factors which are controlled by the setting of level controls which result in how much flux is recorded on the tape. A background section enumerates some of the problems resulting from under- and over-recording, with the objective being the best possible level-setting practice. A specification section gives recommendations for the levels to be used for the peaks of dialog as measured by vu meters or by quasi-peak-responding meters. The specifications were developed from accumulated experience with varying recording conditions, tape types, etc. The guideline describes two methods for production recording of dialog: (a) when a production mixer is fed to a 1/4-in recorder, or (b) when audio from microphones is fed directly into a 1/4-in production recorder.