How to Calculate a Voice Over Narration Script
Mar 14, 2014
If I'm given an approved, final narration script for voice over audio recording, I like to know the script's total duration in minutes so I can:
- schedule my recording studio time, and
- know how much to bill the client.
I follow EdgeStudio in New York via their email newsletters, and only recently discovered a FREE and fun tool they have on their site for calculating minutes of a VO script. I wrote about it, and calculating scripts in general, on my blog. I used Articulate Replay to create the video.
http://ridgeviewmedia.com/blog/2014/03/how-to-calculate-a-voice-over-narration-script/
Hope this helps, and please share your suggestions and ideas!
(4 October 2016 - I have "retired" from e-learning, and so will no longer respond to this post. I deeply appreciate everyone's comments and suggestions, and I will miss this community very much. All the best to you.)
8 Replies
Hi Jenise,
Nice link, thanks. Another option some folks use is to paste the text into a Text To Speech tool that will also give you a time as part of the audio file. We use TTS as a great way to "test drive" narration for rough timing as well as for creating fast mock ups.
Bob
Hi Bob,
Thanks for stopping by and sharing the TTS tool idea. Do you use Dragon (Naturally Speaking)? Just curious which TTS tool you prefer.
@jenisecook
Thank you, Jenise, for this post and screen recording. Very helpful information. --Daniel
You're welcome, Daniel. That's a very nice compliment coming from a Super Hero!
That calculator is handy. I've used it a few times to rough out estimates.
I like Ivona for TTS. Used this for the longest time for scratch audio until I discovered the easy way to batch process TTS on a Mac. See the attached for the process I use for scratch TTS generation.
I build individual text files for each piece of audio using another process (not manually). This serves double duty in some outputs. I can bring these files in as a screen transcript.
Steve, thanks for sharing your document. I have a MacBook Pro, as well as a Wintel PC, so I'm looking forward to reading about your Mac process.
This community is amazing. I appreciate everyone's contributions very much!
Thanks Jenise,
That was very useful, like the calculation will come in handing in future projects.
Gav
Hi Gavin, sorry for the late reply. Have the tools been helping you in your projects?
~Jenise Cook
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