What level should I set the audio to when capturing analog in VirtualDub

[drinklime]

I am capturing video from some VHS tapes in VirtualDub. I have the volume meter up and the tapes are mostly dialogue, I thought I read somewhere I should have the levels around -20db, but after I uploaded them to youtube they are much lower than most other videos. So what is the "right" levels and what are the standards, etc.

I cant seem to find any good web pages that talk about this.

[drinklime]

i guess nobody knows

[tarrickb]

i try to keep things around -12 while capturing/recording. However, I think the best advice would be to normalize if you want your footage to be as loud as possible without distorting.
Good luck,
T.

[RickA]

VDub on my rig for vhs shows -40dB for the low side of the meter. Think I read somewhere that is the range of vhs. I like to see the peaks around -6dB when capturing, -3dB my absolute max. Then I will use AC3Machine with Find Maximum Gain setting for converting to dvd. I have had no problems with clipping and the audio sounds really good. Slightly lower then the original volume which is fine by me. Sounds like you are trying to stay on the conservative side with -20dB for your max. I think you are shorting yourself out of a lot of dynamic range by doing so. Hope that helps.

Cheers,
Rick