Broadcast Quality?

[learn]

Friends, I'm new to this and just wondered...is there an industry definition of broadcast quality?Thanks

[billg]

The short answer is no. Technically anything can be broadcast and quality is subjective.

[waltzmastering]

Sept 12, 2009, 5:56am, billg wrote:The short answer is no. Technically anything can be broadcast and quality is subjective.Especially in this ipod/youtube/internet generation.Broadcast and Commercial quality is all subjective. If it stands up, it stands up.

[hurican]

I'm just getting the feel for what "Broadcast Quality" means myself. If you have a DAW (whether outboard or computer based), usually the plugins / processing / dynamics will have a variety of settings that should work and get you most of the way there without too much follow-up tweaking. That is provided you don't have 1/2 dozen non-standard instruments in your mix.My default formula is this:If I have a mix where all the instruments, including vocals are blended just right...For more agressive songs, vocals move to the front 2 notches.Melodic / softer songs, vocals move to the front 1 notch. (yeah I know "notch" is subjective also).Keyboards, because the digital pathway is direct (not using mic or amp pres), will move back in the mix 1 notch behind the guitars.Drums usually get special treatment.The Kick needs to have both the "click" and "thwump" accented to stand out in the mix.I'll use a spectrum analyzer and pull out trashcan sounds and unfriendly ringing from the cymbals, and slightly accent the polish of the "ping" and "shhh" tones.The snare is always a balancing act. Based on the snare itself, and the mic you use a high-mid for the "pop" and a low mid for the fullness.Guitars have always been easy, at least for me, they seem to stand out no matter what process I use. I try to make sure distortion doesn't sound too dirty.For bass guitars, I'll typically find and accent the friendly high-mid, which gives something like a Rickenbacher growly clicky sound, and a low frequency that doesn't get in the way of the kick. I tweak that just enough to provide a clean low without the level that starts the rumble.Then for finalizing, I used a multiband compressor. I'll drop the 200-300Hz to 500-600Hz range about 2db to lose the "project studio" boxy sound. The rest is really picking at it until everything sounds clear and punchy.Note: As was stated before, if you actually engineer a premaster in your studio, make sure to give the producers who took your song some headroom.So that's the very basic of my process. There is much more to it, but hopefully the overview might give you some additional ideas.

[mazz]

Pretty much everything that gets forwarded for Film/TV/Library listings would be considered Broadcast Quality. If you peruse the "Forwards" section of this forum, you'll hear lots of music from fellow forum members that, by virtue of getting forwarded, would be considered Broadcast Quality.By taking a large sampling, you'll start to be able to formulate an overview for yourself of what the term means.IMO Broadcast Quality broadly means a well crafted composition that has enough melodic interest, but not too much, and a production quality that equals or exceeds that of what you hear on TV any time of day or night (mostly referring to instrumentals, which is what I specialize in). The production approach really depends on the style of music. HTH,Mazz

[mojobone]

What Mazz said. Basically, you want to browse the forwards section and listen to anything in your genre(s). Also pays to hook up some decent speakers to your TV and pay attention to that stuff in the background that nobody else (except music supervisors, directors and writers) listens to very closely. You'll soon get a feel for where the bar is set. Now, I'm off, to do a set in a bar....

[BraveNote]

I basically agree with all who responded to this question and would like to add that, BQ is one rib short of a BBQ. All seriousness aside though, I only wonder if all who's ever had their music placed and aired ever considered if their's was broadcast quality. You know. "I'll know it when I hear it." Every stage of advanced technology raises the bar for BQ.See y'all at the BBQ! Open bar!

[t4mh]

You also have to remember that there are other issues besides engineering that will get you a "return" for BQ. If you are submitting to a listing for say: Modern Contemporary Rock and your guitars are not modern sounding, no matter how well you played and engineered, it will not be BQ. Same for all of the instruments you use. This is a tough issue to get past. BQ really means that everything sounds right for the listing. Now if you are submitting for Rock and submit a Blues tune, your off target. Even intonation of vocals and instruments is a BQ issue.I've even seen where someone submitted to an Electronica listing and didn't use the most up to date sound libraries. Returned for not being BQ. You have to get down to the gnat's ass on this stuff.Good Luck!Keith

[mojobone]

That's a good and subtle point, Keith. Autotuned vocals are not gonna cut it for a Delta Blues listing; your engineering/mixing has to be style-correct just as the song and performance does. For a great example, check out Big Blue Barry's Blink-182 sound-alikes.

[BraveNote]

Details, details, details.... Sometimes I'm not even in the mood to listen for the aesthetic I'm supposed to listen for as a music librarian or, music supervisor, or, A&R rep, or, TAXI screener, or whatever...This is a crap shoot. Plain and simple. I have enough to do just to stay inspired long enough to submit my material to TAXI or whoever. All they can ask of me is to do the best I can in accordance with my musical knowledge and what ever little business savvy I might have gained through the years.I put my best foot forward, throw a bunch of'm up at the wall and see which ones stick. I don't care about "BQ". Only BBQ.