I would bet that, like most people, you watch TV with the remote in your hand. And not because you’re constantly changing the channel, but because you’re riding the volume like it’s a fader on a console. I feel your pain and I apologize. The typical blast that ensues at the commercial break is nothing short of alarming and as a spot mixer I need to accept at least partial responsibility.
I have been mixing television commercials for nearly 10 years and I can tell you that a LOUD mix is a regular expectation of my job because the client requests it. And to a certain extent, I can sympathize with their position. The last thing they want to hear is their spot come in half as loud as the one right before it. But this may be out of control. Because of the varying loud volume of spots, neighbors are complaining, thumbs are getting tired and, if you have a sleeping two-year-old nearby, late-night TV viewing is completely out of the question.
It used to be that analog recording kept things in check. There was a physical limitation to the medium that for the most part standardized dialogue levels. Digital recording changed things. For one, no longer is there an industry-wide standard for audio-levels. But more importantly digital recording allows greater headroom for “hotter” recordings without distortion. And products like the L2 Ultramaximizer allow for all new degrees of “transparent” limiting that dramatically increase loudness. Using this tool and others like it to extremes creates an effect, for the most part undesirable, known as hyper-limiting. Although hyper-limited mixes are certainly “louder” than those that are not, they are the inevitable result of a lack of regulation–and the cause of the advertiser’s worst enemy, the dreaded mute.
How can we improve the situation? To start, producers might simply tell their mixer to “make sure not to make it too loud,” or “make it a bit more dynamic.” “Can you leave the car crash louder than my whispering announcer” and “can we have the chorus of the song louder than the verse?” You get the drift. Right now, the biggest challenge for the mixer in a typical spot mix is figuring out how to maximize the loudness of every critical element regardless of its overall purpose in the story. In an attempt to assure we have the undivided grasp of our viewers’ attention, we create an uninteresting mix. If capturing viewer interest is our goal, then creating a dynamic mix, one with loud and soft moments, is important. It is how to “break through.”
We might also start adhering to network specific delivery requirements regarding dialogue normalization. Dolby’s LM100 meter allows a programmer to measure the loudness of a program’s dialogue. According to Dolby, “when the dial norm value is properly implemented across multiple programs, the home listener can switch between programs and perceive the dialogue in each program at the same level.” Imagine that.
In conclusion, it’s time to retreat from the front lines of the Loudness War. With your direction as my producer I can bring the levels back down to earth and we can all live together peacefully. No complaining neighbors, no woken-up children and most importantly the remote left where it should be–on the coffee table.
[Nathan Dubin is a staff mixer at Margarita Mix/Santa Monica.]
L.A. Location Lensing Declines In 2024 Despite Uptick In 4th Quarter
FilmLA, partner film office for the City and County of Los Angeles and other local jurisdictions, has issued an update regarding regional filming activity. Overall production in Greater Los Angeles increased 6.2 percent from October through December 2024 to 5,860 Shoot Days (SD) according to FilmLA’s latest report. Most production types tracked by FilmLA achieved gains in the fourth quarter, except for reality TV, which instead logged its ninth consecutive quarter of year-over-year decline.
The lift across all remaining categories came too late to rescue 2024 from the combined effects of runaway production, industry contraction and slower-than-hoped-for post- strike recovery. With just 23,480 SD filmed on-location in L.A. in 2024, overall annual production finished the year 5.6 percent below the prior year. That made 2024 the second least productive year observed by FilmLA; only 2020, disrupted by the global COVID-19 pandemic, saw lower levels of filming in area communities.
The continuing decline of reality TV production in Los Angeles was among the most disappointing developments of 2024. Down 45.7 percent for the fourth quarter (to 774 SD), the category also finished the year down 45.9 percent (to 3,905 SD), which placed
it 43.1 percent below its five-year category average.
The two brightest spots in FilmLA’s latest report appeared in the feature film and television drama categories. Feature film production increased 82.4 percent in the fourth quarter to 589 SD, a gain analysts attribute to independent film activity. The
California Film & Television Tax Credit Program also played a part, driving 19.2 percent of quarterly category activity. Overall, annual Feature production was up 18.8 percent in 2024, though the... Read More