Sony SDDS Print Master manual Notes, Hints and Tips

2 Notes, Hints and T ips

2 Notes, Hints and Tips

2.1Set ting up the studio

T he dubbing theatre monitoring system should be equalised to the industry standard I SO-2969 ªXº curve, as used in cinemas. T he method used to achieve this is beyond the scope of this text, but details can be found in the DFP-3000 Quick Start Guide, available from Sony Cinema Products (SCP) office, details on page Error! Bookmark not defined.. T his is usually carried out before the project is begun.

I t is important to record the master at the correct level. T he audio is transferred digitally into the camera, with no opportunity for level adjustments. A reference ªtest tapeº is available from the SCP office. Correct studio alignment can be achieved by following these steps:

§Play back the 1kHz section of the SDDS test tape. T his is recorded at exactly -20dBfs.

§T his should read house operating level at the console. T his is usually 0VU in the USA and 0dBu in the UK. I t is also known as ªDolby Levelº.

§Play back the pink noise section of the test tape. Monitor each loudspeaker in turn and set the monitoring levels using a SPL meter to the values shown in section 1.4 on page 5.

§Send 1kHz at house operating level to the master machine. T his should read -20dBfs on the record machine meters. I t should also read operating level (unity gain) through the machine at the console.

I f no test tape is available:

§Send 1kHz at house operating level to the master machine, make sure it reads ±20dBfs at the machine meters.

§Check for unity gain through the machine, back at the console.

§Measure the output of this machine with a true RMS voltmeter, and then send pink noise at the same level. For 0VU operating level this is 1.23 Vrms.

§Use this pink noise to set the monitoring levels as in section 1.4.

2.2Striping and syncing

DASH and DT RS tapes should be formatted and pre-striped with timecode before the session. I t is imperative that the timecode and digital audio are locked together. T he simplest way to achieve this is to stripe the tape from the machine’s internal generator. T he optical transfer rooms are set up with a 25fps PAL or a 30fps B&W NT SC video sync. T imecode is only used for positional information. T he speed sync comes from the digital audio itself, which is locked to video, and transferred digitally to the camera.

T he recommended set up for studios is to use a master video sync, to which everything is locked; projector, playback and master machines. T his will give the best results. However some old projectors run from the mains only, without provision for video sync. I n this case, timecode must be generated from the mains-locked projector. T his is usually OK, but it is particularly important to ensure the timecode to digital lock is correct. Here we will have a situation where timecode is used for speed information

SDDS Print Master Guidelines, Page 7 of 26