Bars and Tone? How to use

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TheGmiester161

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I'm getting into audio post production and I don't understand how to use bars and tone to set levels. I just don't understand how they work or when I use them and how. Can anyone tell me or point to an article that has this information?
 
Also real helpful for detecting when someone's been F**kin' with the TBC! :mad: :D
 
Rokket said:
Are you getting into music video or something?

Bars and tone: Bars are calibration color panels so that image on video can be calibrated to monitor. Tone is typically 440 Hz (A) at 0dB as a reference to calibrate audio signal.

SOURCE: http://www.unc.edu/~mrobin/view_04/videorecord.html
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actually, most typically use 1kHz at -20dBFS on the digital side and 0VU on the analog side into a 600ohm load. You'll see 400Hz too...I think 400 is just used because it's not as harsh of a pitch to the ears. Really any sine wave will work as long as the gear translates it at the correct amplitude level. I think 1kHz is chosen because it's basically in the middle of the frequency spectrum.


TheGmiester161, bars is something you will not have to worry about if you are only doing video. Like Rokket stated, it helps you calibrate your video monitors. Audio tone however will playback during the same time video bars are playing and you will have to turn up/down the input level on your recording device to either 0VU or -20dBFS. This basically allows you to match the original signal when doing duplication/playback of something. These numbers equate to where the rough average of the signal will be played back at (NOT your peak signal).

When going from digital to digital the tone level should not change at all. If it plays back at -20dBFS and is sent digitally to another piece of gear, it should come in at -20dBFS. It's when you're going into an analog device that you need to make sure it registers at 0VU.

You will need to lay bars/tone (probably just tone unless you are running something like FCP or Media Composer) before any video spot you do. Generally for about a minute or so (we do ours for a minute and a half).

Also real helpful for detecting when someone's been F**kin' with the TBC!
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lol
 
go to gearslutz and ask on the post production forum. Helpful for stuff like this.
 
Actually, bars are where I go to brace myself for having to listen to most of the stuff I have to work on these days :)
 
id give rep for that, but it says I cant! Although I don't think I pos repped you before!

edit: sloppy grammar that was so bad i cringed! :(
 
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