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jsgilbert
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 Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 9:12 am Post subject: Question - Setting sound levels in e-learning. |
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I have an issue with a client at the moment regarding recording levels.
Having recorded e-learning for 12 or more years, I've been working off of published guide sheets for some of the bigger companies I used to do e-learning for.
In general the settings are very light compression (2:1 maxmum) or on some occasions, no compression. And overall levels of -9db average to -6 db average, with peaking to no more than -3db. and with an overall noise floor of less than -58db (Some requesting a full gate be used at -32db or so)
Does this seem about right? Am I missing anything? Are there specs that vary widely from this that are being used in professional e-learning situations?
Thanks in advance
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Jeffrey Kafer
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Bish
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| Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 9:43 am Post subject: |
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One can nit-pick a dB here and there (which is a pointless exercise and more to do with work-flow than the final quality)... but all that seems pretty much right-on (man).
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Bish a.k.a. Bish
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Mandy Nelson
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| Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 9:52 am Post subject: |
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Wow, what is it they think they want? You know that's spot on. Some clients ask for the strangest things.
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jsgilbert
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| Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 10:04 am Post subject: |
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It's become like a "more cow bell" thing. Louder, louder, louder. It would appear that what they want is somewhere around 12:1 compression and an average -3db or so, which I guess wouldn't peak beyond -2.2 or so, owing to the high compression. Apparently they have some folks who are doing this and must be going in and pulling out every little "thing" by hand.
I think it sounds terrible, with every "k" sound approaching the slap of a slateboard, my sibelence makes me sound like Sylvester the cat and even gated requires way too much fiddidling to make it sound good.
On the other hand, the files I originally sent them even cranked up mightily to an 11 on my ampleefyer, sound pretty good.
<sigh> Thanks. I was hoping there was something I might have missed, but apparently not.
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Mandy Nelson
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| Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 10:15 am Post subject: |
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Tell them to turn up their speakers. 
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heyguido
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| Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 10:30 am Post subject: |
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It's been my experience that many of these guys haven't "learned" a thing about audio production. Have they not heard of listener fatigue?
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Don Brookshire
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todd ellis
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| Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 10:37 am Post subject: |
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i have an elearning client that likes files at -3db ... but nowhere NEAR that compression.
maybe the software they are using to put their courses together is configured to normalize the audio to "X" and they don't even know it.
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Lance Blair
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| Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 2:08 pm Post subject: |
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JS that all sounds correct. I even switch down to a lower impedance setting on my preamp to avoid 'listening fatigue'...AND THEN CRANK IT TO 6.7 KOHMS FOR THE HARD SELL!!! 
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Mandy Nelson
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| Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 8:53 pm Post subject: |
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I just giggled way too hard. Thanks, Lance, for the nose clearing.
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Mike Harrison
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| Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2012 10:58 am Post subject: |
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| heyguido wrote: | | Have they not heard of listener fatigue? |
Indeed. My guess is that some eLearning producers are in that business simply because they own the hardware and software necessary to provide eLearning content. So I'm convinced that those "hey, look what I can do" types may not know or even care all that much about instructing and learning.
We can't judge the efficacy of eLearning by how much is thrown at the learner; it's how much of the content is retained by the learner that's important. A person first has to have a motivation to learn (desire or mandate). But if the audio they're made to listen to is less than engaging or, worse, annoying and even difficult to listen to, they're not going to remember anything about the lesson except that having to listen to it sucked big-time.
Local radio stations make the same mistake with their usually horrendously written and produced commercials. If we don't give the listener any reason to want to listen, they just won't.
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Mike
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Bish
3.5 kHz
Joined: 22 Nov 2009
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Location: Lost in the cultural wasteland of Long Island
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| Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2012 11:23 am Post subject: |
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I listen to a lot of podcasts. Unfortunately, most are produced by people who don't have the first idea about this stuff. Some, quite literally, become painful experiences, especially when listening on headphones.
My first experience with audio learning was back in '78 when I worked for IBM. I was sent on a four-month training course where I was trained on various bits of hardware. The vast majority of the course was presented on an IBM Dictaphone machine (the one that used the old 3" bands). The audio quality was terrible and the presentation was an over-enunciated American voice (didactic and messianic). Thirty-four years later... I am still haunted by the phrase... "We will first look at the specific nomenclature used in this sub-section."
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Bish a.k.a. Bish
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heyguido
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| Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2012 12:35 pm Post subject: |
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Dude.... I do not want to see your nomenclature. Put that thing away. 
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Don Brookshire
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Monk
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| Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2012 12:54 pm Post subject: |
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and of course there's the difference between: GNOME-men-clay-tur and no-MEN-clah-tur
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heyguido
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| Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2012 1:19 pm Post subject: |
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And for God's sake, cover your subsection.
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Don Brookshire
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