Voice Over To Become Pro
Discover how to record video voiceovers that grab and retain your audience's attention no pro skills needed!
You make videos primarily how-to and explainer videos you will need to record voiceovers. Depending on how many videos you create, you may have to do a lot of voice overwork.
Some might think that the audio portion of a video takes a backseat to the visual pieces, but that's not true.
Most video spectators note that they are more likely to stop watching a video with bad audio vs. lower-quality video. A recent TechSmith study of video viewing modes showed that more than 25% of video spectators watched a video all the way through because the audio was good — more than those who said professional video trend was most important.
So great audio isn't just important. It's essential to keep an audience interested and engaged.
But how do you record voiceovers that grasp and keep your audience's attention? Relax! It's easier than you think!
What is voice over?
Voice over is a person heard but not seen through a video describing or providing further context to what a viewer sees. For that purpose, it's often confused (or equated) with narration.
While similar to voice over, narration, on the other hand, typically refers to an audio track that describes all of the on-screen action, often telling a story based on what's happening.
Voice overs are more familiar with instructional, informational, and educational videos, while the narration is more commonly used for entertainment.
Regardless of whether you're doing voice over or actual narration, this guide will help you do it better.
On super-professional videos, most voice over work is done by professional talent. However, using this guide's tips, you'll discover that most videos don't need a professional voice over. You can do it yourself!
So, how can you record your voice over a video?
It helps to know what great voice over is.
What makes a good voice over?
When most of us think of excellent video voiceovers, we think of great actors like Morgan Freeman or James Earl Jones. We tend to associate voice over with having a great sound. And, while that can help, it's not required.
Great video voice audio over comprises several elements:
1. Audio clarity and volume
2. Pacing
3. Pronunciation
4. Vocal tone and inflection
Audio clarity and volume
The clarity of your voice and a sufficient volume may be the essential parts of great audio. If your voice over recording is hazy or muddy sounding, it will be hard for people to understand. Audiences likely will be distracted and incapable of absorbing the information or may simply move on. Either way, they miss your message, and you miss an opportunity to share your knowledge.
Similarly, if your audio volume is too low, it may be challenging for people to hear. Too loud, and you risk irritating distortion. Luckily, there's a pretty solid sweet spot for volume. See the section on recording your voice over for more information on audio levels.
Pacing
Ever talk with someone who has a fascinating story to tell, but they're so excited about it that they rush through it, and when they are done, you can't even remember what they were talking about? Or, someone who drones on and on with no end in sight, threatening to sleep?
It is pacing. Too fast, and your audience won't know what hit them. To slow, and they're likely to get bored. The best voice overs have a natural and deliberate pace. Start with a script and practice it before you record to help you speak at a more natural pace.
And remember, pacing also includes things like occasionally pausing for effect or just to give them listeners a break to process relevant information.
Vocal tone and inflection
Like pacing, vocal tone and delivery refer to ensuring you speak naturally and charmingly. You want to be friendly and engaging, but not so much that you sound fake.
No one wants to sound like a game show host. You also want to avoid monotone robot voice, which, like pacing that's too slow, can be annoying and off-putting for listeners.
Pronunciation and enunciation
Part of excellent voiceover work ensures that you pronounce each word correctly and speak clearly enough to be understood. Avoid mumbling, but don't shout or over-enunciate, either.
Don't worry, though. No one expects you to sound like an expert voice actor. The best thing you can do is talk naturally and clearly, and the rest will follow in time.
How can I make my voice sound better on voice overs?
Most people bring up the number-one issue when they discover they have to do voiceover work for their video.
Let's face it. Most of us infrequently have to hear our voices in audio recordings. We're used to the rich, warm sound of our own voices in our own ears.
There's no way encompassing the fact that you sound different on recording that you do to yourself.
So how do you stop hating the sound of your own voice? The answer, regrettably, is that you just have to get used to it.
Think of it this way: Your voice on recordings is how you sound to everyone nearby you. When you speak to others, that's what they hear. So, there's nothing to be embarrassed about, is there?
In all seriousness, though, everyone who does voice work has to overcome this hurdle. Luckily, like most things, it gets easier the more you do it.
Do enough voiceover work, and soon your voice on recordings will sound almost as natural to you like the one you hear in your ears.
If you simply can't get over it, though. You can always enlist the help of another person. You can grab a friend or colleague or even hire a professional to do the work for you.
Preparing to record
Not all videos need a ton of preparation. Quick one-off screencasts or a quick demonstration of a new user interface for a colleague probably can be done mostly on the fly. But, for videos where you want a more polish, a bit of preparation goes a long way.
Find a quiet place to work.
I'm sure you've seen what a typical recording studio looks like. Professional voice over artists typically has a room somewhere with walls covered in sound-absorbing foam, a fancy microphone setup with a pop screen, and a computer workstation that looks like it could be straight out of NASA's Mission Control.
Luckily, you don't go that far to accomplish magnificent results.
Most importantly, you want a space free of distracting noises and where you aren't likely to be interrupted. Most adequate microphones pick up even faint ambient sounds, and those sounds will ultimately make it into your recording.
If your space is at work, avoid areas where you can hear your coworkers conversing, etc.
Be mindful of your heating and cooling system (this goes for a home recording studio, as well). If you can't find a spot where you can't hear air rushing through your ducts, you may want to shut down your furnace or AC for your recording duration.
If your recording space is near a window, listen for sounds of traffic — especially loud trucks. They will show up in your recording.
No place is silent, so find the best place you can — even if that means thinking outside the box. I have a friend who regularly records his podcast in his car. He lives in a small house with dogs and kids, so there isn't anywhere else quite enough.
He takes his laptop and mic out to his driveway, shuts himself in the car and records. The results are surprisingly good!
Choosing a microphone
Next, you need a decent microphone. I won't go too in-depth with this, but my colleague Matt Pierce did a fantastic post on choosing the right mic.
That said, if at all possible, try not to record your voice overusing your laptop microphone. While built-in mics are excellent for Skype meetings and the like, you will get enough better results with even a low-cost external microphone. Even your smart phone's earbuds will give you a better sound than just your computer's built-in mic.
You don't need to spend hundreds of dollars, either. You can get a very lovely USB microphone for between $60-$100. If you will be doing a lot of voiceover work, it's well worth the investment.
If you intend to use an external mic, I also recommend investing in a pop filter. They are cheap, and they help minimize the distracting sounds caused by hard consonants such as "p" and "b."
Choosing audio software
There's no shortage of audio recording software on the market, and most of them do nearly the same things.
Camtasia has an audio recorder built-in that will allow you to record your voice over as you record your screen when appropriate. You can even edit your sound right in the Camtasia editor.
Standalone audio software may offer more functions, though, and might be the right choice depending on what you need.
There are some decent free recording options out there. My favorite is Audacity, open-source software that's easy to use and produces reliable audio.
You can record and edit voiceovers right in Audacity, Camtasia, etc., and seasoned audio editors will have no difficulty with that. Even those who are new to it will get the hang of it pretty quickly.
But there's an even better option for recording voiceovers: TechSmith Audit.
The audiate takes voiceover recording and editing to an entirely different level by transcribing your voice in real-time — as you record. Then, you can select your audio just like you would edit the text in a document.
So, rather than staring at a waveform and figuring out exactly what you said and where you can see it right on your screen.
Audiate even automatically flags all your "ums," "uhs," and other hesitations to find and delete them quickly. You can also remove them all at once.
Already have a voiceover recorded? Import it into Audiate, and it will transcribe it for you.
When you're done, save the audio file and import it into Camtasia. You can even export the edited text as a transcript or as an SRT file for captions.
I've been doing video and audio recording work for years, and I'm quite comfortable using professional audio recording software like Adobe Audition. Still, if I'm doing voice over work, you can bet I'm using Audiate because it's the best and easiest way to record voiceovers.
Start with a script.
Having a script is probably the most critical thing you can do to ensure your voice over sounds professional. Nothing ruins excellent narration quicker than a lot of hemming and hawing or 23 umms in a row as you try to retain what you wanted to say next.
The best scripts will include word-for-word everything you intend to say. Taking the time to write this out before recording helps ensure that you will cover everything you want to without the danger of meandering off into topics that aren't related. Even a bulleted list is better than trying to do it all from memory.
A good script also gives you a chance to practice. Read it aloud several times before you record. As you do, be mindful of words or phrases that may feel awkward or difficult to say. A script often sounds different when read aloud vs. in your head.
Do a test recording.
Now that all the necessary tools are in place, it's time to record your voice over!
Before you get down to the nitty-gritty, though, I recommend doing a test recording to ensure your equipment works properly, and your audio levels are healthy. You don't need to record the whole script, but a few paragraphs will give you enough to guarantee that the audio is clear, at an appropriate level, and doesn't include any stray or ambient noises.
Necessary: Use headphones to check the audio quality of your test recording. Your computer speakers will not be good enough for this. Headphones allow you to listen carefully to ensure precise audio. You want the audio to sound good on even the cheapest speaker, but you will be much happier if you use headphones.
Remember, a good part of your video viewers will listen to this way, so you want to be sure they'll have an optimal experience.
Good audio levels
Finding the precise recording level for your audio assures that it's easily heard and not distorted. While you can modify levels as necessary when you edit your audio, starting with the best possible audio level is always your best bet.
The folks over at Premium Beat have a great post on recommended audio levels setting, but here are a few basics.
Audio levels are measured in decibels (DB). The larger the number, the higher the audio level or volume. It's a bit of an odd system, though, when you first encounter it. In audio editing, 0db is the maximum you want to achieve. Weird, eh?
For the most part, your ideal audio level is between -10db to -20db. Your audio should peak around -6db at the most. Never go above 0db, as your sound may begin to distort or "clip."
Most audio recording software (including Audacity and Audition mentioned above) will have red indicators that let you know when your audio is in the danger zone.
The Adobe Audacity interface is showing the audio level indicator.
The image above shows the Adobe Audition interface with the waveform (your audio recording) and the level indicator. The indicator indicates that the audio peaked at just over -6db and is well within the acceptable levels.
Microphone placement
You also want to take a moment to consider where to place your microphone. Too close to the person speaking, and it will be subject to weird mouth noises. Too far away, and it may sound lost in a large room. Ideally, place the microphone about 6-8 inches from the person's mouth, and slightly below their chin.
Record your audio
Once you're satisfied with your audio test, you're ready to record for real! Seriously! Do it!
Here are a few things to keep in mind:
1. Remember to speak slowly and clearly. Enunciate each word, but don't concentrate on it so much you sound like a robot.
2. Consider your tone: You want to sound pleasant, but not thrilled or overly excited. Pro tip: Recording while smiling can help you look happier.
3. Don't stop if you mess up. You can always fix it when you edit. Just go back a sentence or two in your script and start again.
4. Pro tip: If you clap loudly at a spot where you make a mistake, you'll find it more comfortable in the audio editor when you go back to fix it.
5. If you make many mistakes or it just gets too hard to keep going, pause your recording and take a break. A frustrated or tired voiceover artist rarely makes for excellent audio.
Editing your audio
When you finish recording your audio, it's time to edit. Even if you made no mistakes at all, there are likely a few things to edit out.
Again, I won't go into a ton of detail on how to edit audio. Each audio editing application will be slightly different. However, the basics of editing audio are quite simple and have a very short learning curve. More advanced editing takes more time to learn.
First, I like to listen to the entire voiceover recording from start to finish. I may make notes here and there to remind myself of something I want to go back and edit, but this time through, I really just want to concentrate on the recording's overall pacing and tone. Does it sound like I hoped? Did I rush or speak too slowly? Did I flub any words, mumble, or misspeak? Are there weird silences or unknown sounds?
Next, go back to the beginning and start editing out your mistakes. I also like to edit any abnormally long silences between sentences or statements and any weird sounds that don't belong.
Remember, though, that pauses are ok (and even necessary) to help break up the audio and make it feel more natural and conversational, so don't go hog wild with it.
The Adobe Audition interface showing a section of audio selected to be deleted.
The image above shows the Adobe Audition interface with a part of the audio selected for deletion. The spiky green part of the image is called the waveform, which is just a fancy way of saying what the sound looks like.
You may also use the editing software to create pure silence spaces to remove any strange hissing or other audio anomalies that will be more noticeable when you're not speaking. To learn more about this, check out this neat post on reducing audio noise in your recordings.
Import your audio into your video editor
If you recorded your audio in a standalone audio editor, you'd need to save it and import it into your video editor.
In Camtasia, importing and working with sound is as easy as a couple of clicks. For more news, check out this post on syncing audio and video in Camtasia.
That's it! You've successfully recorded your voice over!
How's it feel to be a pro?
Recording voiceovers like a pro isn't that tough when you know how to do it. You may have noticed that the actual recording part plays a small role when compared to the preparation.
Taking the proper steps before you hit the record button and then taking the time to edit your audio appropriately will ensure your voiceovers sound professional and engaging.
And remember, practice makes perfect! The more you do it, the more natural it will become.
