What is everyone doing when they need professional voiceover help? I've been recording my own voice for courses and it's never the same quality as the professionals because I don't have a studio and high end audio equip.
When I need a professional voice over artist, I hire a professional voice over artist. You can find professionals at a reasonable rate and dollar for dollar it would cost more for me to do the recording because of all the flubs and retakes then it would to hire a pro.
If it's a budget job or an internal project I've used FIverr before.
Not sure how comfortable I'd be with this option for a high-end project where we might need to go back to the artist months later for updates but the quality I've had has been excellent.
In my experience, you don't need a studio set up or £££££ worth of equipment to get a good quality voice-over. A lot can be achieved using a USB mic, a quality headset (not just in-ear buds) and either Audacity/Adobe Audition/Garageband. It's all about getting it right at the source, even if that means marking out in your script where you will be taking pauses, changing pitch to highlight key points etc,
Audio can help convey the all important message with tone and timing that is spot on and fits well with the other content.
If you need to outsource, perhaps you could look into freelance work outsourcing sites such as https://www.fiverr.com/ - however your results may vary depending on who you opt for, and future minor edits may sound incongruous unless you use the same person for those. Haven't tried outsourcing, but have looked into what options there are to get an idea. Getting the timing in sync may require a bit of editing later, depending on what you're doing (e.g. video or scorm). Best bet would be to get the audio recorded in small chunks to give you more options on placement.
Having access to higher end recording equipment and an environment that sounds good for recordings (e.g. a non-reverberant recording studio) can yield better results, yet even with limited time and gear one can can achieve great results after doing it for some time and improving methods and techniques. For rapid development of elearning we have sometimes used a usb mic in office rooms that have only basic sound dampening treatment on the walls. One can still get great results by: being careful about recording environment and mic position to minimise background noise whilst recording, and using careful post production audio cleanup (such as de-essing, eq and compression/volume automation). For some live recordings (e.g. of video content) one may need to use silencing/volume automation editing to remove unwanted background noise.
My view is that most learners access learning information on YouTube nowadays and many organisations with a need for rapid elearning could do it in-house to higher standards than much of what is on YouTube whilst using in-house equipment and personnel. That said, it can take time to build know how if that is not there yet and there are many pitfalls to avoid such as: - recording in rooms with noticeable background noise (e.g. air conditioning), - bad sounding mics (e.g. omnidirectional lapel mics which capture noise coming from all directions - this being most noticeable when combined with noisy rooms), - voice talent that sounds flat/bored/over the top, or has poor mic technique leading to capturing plosives and excessive sibilance, and - no post production de-essing (excessive sibilance is particularly noticeable when using a condensor mic and could be distracting to the end user).
I am a hobbist audio engineer and find recording the audio myself, or that of others enjoyable and a good way to get the right tone and timing required for the situation. Helps when editing is required later also, as you can open it up where you were up to before and change it as required for a republish.
Riffing on Reuben’s post, i agree and want to share my specifics.
Mic: Blue Yeti, at Amazon.~$110. a good and popular condenser mic. it features different directionality (omni, straight-on, etc).
pop filter: you’ve seen it but never knew the name. it’s that screen filter thingy between the artist and the mic. it disperses sharp sounds, helps reduce spikes. $10 ish. look for pop filter.
Audio booth: buy or build. mine is just a small desktop enclosure around the mic. made of what looks like egg crate packing attached by rubber bands to a foam core structure that encloses the mic. it works. foam core <$10 and egg crate foam free from IT dept.
Digital Audio Workstation: the secret sauce. enables audio editing, enhancement, much, more. gives your audio that professional quality and is what your contractor uses. there are many to choose from. i started with Audacity (free) and moved to Reaper ($60 for educators/trainer folk). Save yourself time and go straight to Reaper. a library of tutorials, active support forums. the quality of the audio you will produce using a simple usb mic, audio booth and DAW will stun you. a new dimension to your training will open itself to you.
the money spent on one contractor session will buy this equipment. when edits are needed, the talent is already in- house. You, it’s you.
I have used fiverr.com for over 5 years. There are a lot of great voice over talents who are reasonable and professional. Just read the reviews, contact them, ask questions and listen to their examples.
Adding Voice Over to your skill set increases your value. Doing VO can be exciting, almost 'Hollywood-ish'.
I especially enjoy the sense of connection i create when doing my own VO work. I have my own speaking style, can inflect for emphasis or add a warm welcoming greeting.
I create atmosphere. Audio can do all of this, create connection, a sense of immediacy, create atmosphere, in a way no other part of your presentation can. When my students listen, it's as if i am sitting next to them, providing 1-1 training.
Good points. Yes, external pop filters are definitely useful when recording. Good quality headphones are important also. With bad quality headphones such as cheap ear buds you could be making edits somewhat uninformed. Like wearing cheap sunglasses then editing in Photoshop, it would colour what you perceive and affect what you do. When editing and mixing, proper studio speakers in a treated non-reflective room are ideal, however with reasonable quality headphones I am familiar with I find I can get perfectly acceptable results. If your mixing environment is far from ideal (e.g. when you're in an office working on a laptop), open back headphones (such as the Sennheiser HD600) can be easier than treating a room for perfect speaker sounds which avoid odd room reflections. Don't record voice with an open back headphone going though or the mic can pick up the headphone sounds. That model is well reviewed as good quality, but is costly and many reasonable quality closed back headphones are good enough for recording and mixing with. Good closed back headphones when recording should avoid recording playback noise back into the mic direct from the headphones - I like Sennheiser HD380 pro headphones myself and mix using those most of the time (including in the office).
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This post was removed by the author
When I need a professional voice over artist, I hire a professional voice over artist. You can find professionals at a reasonable rate and dollar for dollar it would cost more for me to do the recording because of all the flubs and retakes then it would to hire a pro.
People Per Hour have a fair amount of reasonably priced narrators.
If it's a budget job or an internal project I've used FIverr before.
Not sure how comfortable I'd be with this option for a high-end project where we might need to go back to the artist months later for updates but the quality I've had has been excellent.
Hi Jennifer,
I know that this post is a bit dated, but if you're still in the market for professional voice services, please let me know if I can help.
http://www.gmvoices.com/docs/ej/e-learning_rescue/
I have hundreds of voice actors for you to choose from for your eLearning and training modules, with very affordable rates.
E.J. Smith
770-777-5108
In my experience, you don't need a studio set up or £££££ worth of equipment to get a good quality voice-over. A lot can be achieved using a USB mic, a quality headset (not just in-ear buds) and either Audacity/Adobe Audition/Garageband. It's all about getting it right at the source, even if that means marking out in your script where you will be taking pauses, changing pitch to highlight key points etc,
Some light reading
https://www.videomaker.com/article/c4/15804-10-ways-to-build-your-voice-over-skills
Thanks, Darren
This post was removed by the author
Audio can help convey the all important message with tone and timing that is spot on and fits well with the other content.
If you need to outsource, perhaps you could look into freelance work outsourcing sites such as https://www.fiverr.com/ - however your results may vary depending on who you opt for, and future minor edits may sound incongruous unless you use the same person for those. Haven't tried outsourcing, but have looked into what options there are to get an idea. Getting the timing in sync may require a bit of editing later, depending on what you're doing (e.g. video or scorm). Best bet would be to get the audio recorded in small chunks to give you more options on placement.
Having access to higher end recording equipment and an environment that sounds good for recordings (e.g. a non-reverberant recording studio) can yield better results, yet even with limited time and gear one can can achieve great results after doing it for some time and improving methods and techniques. For rapid development of elearning we have sometimes used a usb mic in office rooms that have only basic sound dampening treatment on the walls. One can still get great results by: being careful about recording environment and mic position to minimise background noise whilst recording, and using careful post production audio cleanup (such as de-essing, eq and compression/volume automation). For some live recordings (e.g. of video content) one may need to use silencing/volume automation editing to remove unwanted background noise.
My view is that most learners access learning information on YouTube nowadays and many organisations with a need for rapid elearning could do it in-house to higher standards than much of what is on YouTube whilst using in-house equipment and personnel. That said, it can take time to build know how if that is not there yet and there are many pitfalls to avoid such as:
- recording in rooms with noticeable background noise (e.g. air conditioning),
- bad sounding mics (e.g. omnidirectional lapel mics which capture noise coming from all directions - this being most noticeable when combined with noisy rooms),
- voice talent that sounds flat/bored/over the top, or has poor mic technique leading to capturing plosives and excessive sibilance, and
- no post production de-essing (excessive sibilance is particularly noticeable when using a condensor mic and could be distracting to the end user).
I am a hobbist audio engineer and find recording the audio myself, or that of others enjoyable and a good way to get the right tone and timing required for the situation. Helps when editing is required later also, as you can open it up where you were up to before and change it as required for a republish.
short post b/c it’s 5:00am and using phone :)
Riffing on Reuben’s post, i agree and want to share my specifics.
Mic: Blue Yeti, at Amazon.~$110. a good and popular condenser mic. it features different directionality (omni, straight-on, etc).
pop filter: you’ve seen it but never knew the name. it’s that screen filter thingy between the artist and the mic. it disperses sharp sounds, helps reduce spikes. $10 ish. look for pop filter.
Audio booth: buy or build. mine is just a small desktop enclosure around the mic. made of what looks like egg crate packing attached by rubber bands to a foam core structure that encloses the mic. it works. foam core <$10 and egg crate foam free from IT dept.
Digital Audio Workstation: the secret sauce. enables audio editing, enhancement, much, more. gives your audio that professional quality and is what your contractor uses. there are many to choose from. i started with Audacity (free) and moved to Reaper ($60 for educators/trainer folk). Save yourself time and go straight to Reaper. a library of tutorials, active support forums. the quality of the audio you will produce using a simple usb mic, audio booth and DAW will stun you. a new dimension to your training will open itself to you.
the money spent on one contractor session will buy this equipment. when edits are needed, the talent is already in- house. You, it’s you.
That's a funny introduction video you have on the website!
I have used fiverr.com for over 5 years. There are a lot of great voice over talents who are reasonable and professional. Just read the reviews, contact them, ask questions and listen to their examples.
It is good to have options.
Adding Voice Over to your skill set increases your value. Doing VO can be exciting, almost 'Hollywood-ish'.
I especially enjoy the sense of connection i create when doing my own VO work. I have my own speaking style, can inflect for emphasis or add a warm welcoming greeting.
I create atmosphere. Audio can do all of this, create connection, a sense of immediacy, create atmosphere, in a way no other part of your presentation can. When my students listen, it's as if i am sitting next to them, providing 1-1 training.
Good points. Yes, external pop filters are definitely useful when recording. Good quality headphones are important also. With bad quality headphones such as cheap ear buds you could be making edits somewhat uninformed. Like wearing cheap sunglasses then editing in Photoshop, it would colour what you perceive and affect what you do. When editing and mixing, proper studio speakers in a treated non-reflective room are ideal, however with reasonable quality headphones I am familiar with I find I can get perfectly acceptable results. If your mixing environment is far from ideal (e.g. when you're in an office working on a laptop), open back headphones (such as the Sennheiser HD600) can be easier than treating a room for perfect speaker sounds which avoid odd room reflections. Don't record voice with an open back headphone going though or the mic can pick up the headphone sounds. That model is well reviewed as good quality, but is costly and many reasonable quality closed back headphones are good enough for recording and mixing with. Good closed back headphones when recording should avoid recording playback noise back into the mic direct from the headphones - I like Sennheiser HD380 pro headphones myself and mix using those most of the time (including in the office).
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