I was wondering if someone would be able to help me understand how to calibrate the Loudness Track in N10.
I work to different loudness specs than the default Nuendo ones and want to adjust the Loudness Track so it reflects my target values. For example, for OP-59 work I have to hit -24 integrated, -2 TP. Is there a way I can change the Loudness Track so it visually reflects these targets? I read somewhere you can change them by adjusting the Meter Settings in the Right Zone, but no matter what values I type in these fields the Loudness Track is stuck to the default Nuendo values (the ‘red line’ I’m aiming for on the Loudness Track never budges from -23 LUFS).
I know this isn’t an answer to your question (sorry, I don’t know it), but in my view what you’re looking for is of limited value to begin with.
I have iZotope Insight and it provides exactly what you’re asking for, namely a histogram that shows loudness over time relative to a set reference, -24LKFS. The thing is that since for us here in the US at least we have +/-2LU to play with whether it’s set to -23 or -24LKFS makes little difference . For me that’s because just because the line is ‘over’ doesn’t mean I’ll go in and redo automation at that point to get it ‘below’. If I did that all the time I’d be consistently way below -24LKFS as long as I have some dynamic range in my mix. And for troubleshooting a mix that happens to end up above -22LKFS I would probably just look at the line for the loudest parts, regardless of where they end up on the scale - if that’s what I lower to get it back to spec.
I guess another way to word it is that because we have +/-2LU and want to be able to have at least some dynamics (LU range) in our mix there are going to be plenty of places where we deviate from the visual indication of the integrated target loudness, so plenty that the absolute place of it makes less of a difference.
So to recap; I’m not sure I think it makes that much difference in practice whether or not it reads -24LKFS or -23LKFS… for me at least…
Absolutely, I understand it has its limitations under certain circumstances.
I’m in Australia and for broadcast we have to mix to -24 LKFS exactly (there’s no wiggle room at all) so being able to customise this to just give me a quick overview of where I’m at, particularly over multiple arrangements in the one session (different durations of the same spot, for example) would be handy. Another example: I’m working on an ambisonic mix for a client who wants to hit -16, which is I believe is the recommended loudness for the Oculus Rift. Being able to get that red line to move to -16 would make the Loudness Track actually useful in that context.
This is a perfectly legitimate request. As Erik points out you can change the settings in the ‘Meter settings’ dialogue. Change the integrated value and tolerance as appropriate. You can also change the true peak settings here. This affects the real time meters.
As far as I know, there is no way to change the position of the integrated red line on the loudness track. In my opinion, this is a shortcoming. It would be helpful if the integrated line changed according to the settings in the Meter Settings dialogue. However, the true peak setting is reflected successfully on the loudness track.
Thanks. Yep, I was aware of how to change the meter settings, but it is a shame that the Loudness Track only follows some of those customisations. Not sure why the integrated red line wouldn’t follow the integrated target set up in the meter settings. Thanks anyway for the responses.