[reid]

I'm wondering just how much dynamic range to allow in the music I'm currently writing for a TV series, and would appreciate any advice available.

The score is purely orchestral, and so has the potential for daft swings of dynamic range (nice quiet bits at -24dBfs quickly followed by big stabs at -0.5dBfs - that kind of thing). I'm guessing that if I submit files to the dub with that kind of range to them, and the mix engineer doesn't have time to level ride them all through the mix, then they'll get stuck through a set-and-forget compressor/limiter, and never be heard from again.

So, is there an optimum dynamic range I should be trying to squeeze everything into? Say, nothing quieter than -12dBfs, nothing louder than -3dBfs; that kind of thing? Actually, 9dB of range is ridiculous, but you see what I'm driving at.... Should I be trying to pre-empt any dynamic processing that might occur at the dub, and actually write in gain changes to the stereo master before sending it off to the dub?

A few composer colleagues happily smash their orchestral stereo masters through an L16 and the like, but frankly it sounds like poo once it comes out the other end, so I'd like to steer clear of going down that path - but I still want an end result that can find its place in amongst the dialogue, FX and atmos.

Thanks!