Voice over FAQs

How do I hire a voiceover artist

You could approach a voice agency and ask if they have anyone suitable on their books. This is generally more expensive but has the advantage of pre-vetted talent, trained actors for character work, and the possibility of celebrity voices, plus the agency will deal with all negotiations about fees and payment. It’s great if you have a major project requiring multiple voices, or if you are looking for something very specific or unusual.

The second way is to search for Voice Artists directly via their websites or LinkedIn – this can take a bit of time but has the advantage of dealing directly with a talent that you’ve hand selected, and allows some room for negotiating the fee without paying an agency. You will have a direct link to the artist in case you wish to use them again in future.

The third way is to request auditions via voice casting sites. There are dozens of sites and quality control is variable, however there is no obligation to buy if you don’t like any of the auditions. Some sites have fixed rates, others allow you to negotiate directly with the voice talent. The disadvantage is that many of these sites are over-subscribed and you could receive hundreds of poor quality samples to listen to, so it can be a real drain on your time. It can also be difficult to get back in touch with the same voice artist if you need additional work from them in future.

What recording equipment do you use?

I run a professional studio which is custom built and acoustically treated and equipped with two RODE condenser mics plus a Focusrite Scarlett audio interface, Sennheiser monitoring headphones and Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro editing headphones (the best in the business!) plus Triton phantom power for an added boost. I have found this equipment to work really well with my voice to give you a clean and clear sound of the best possible quality and with no background noise. I’m professionally trained in audio editing and use a variety of software and plug ins to achieve broadcast quality sound for your voiceover project.

How much does hiring a voiceover cost?

The cost of professional voiceover might not be as expensive as you think – if you are making professional videos or animations the voice generally accounts for a relatively small portion of the overall project budget. This article on budget voiceover explains a bit more about what you are paying for. The price depends on a number of factors including length, technicality of the script, purpose and intended usage.

To get an idea of average rates please check the GFTB rate guide: https://rates.gravyforthebrain.com/ – but bear in mind this is just a guide and Voice Artists set their own rates for different types of job. Since I have access to my own studio, I am able to offer competitive fees in relation to the industry averages – please let me know your budget when you contact me. 

Basic fee: Rates are usually calculated on a per hour basis (BSF or Basic Studio Fee) with a minimum fee of £250 per session. Sometimes longer projects (>2000 words) may be calculated on a per-word basis, usually between 0.15p to 0.35p per word.

Usage: If required, usage is added on top of the basic fee. This is most commonly a broadcast license which allows public broadcast of the material and the cost is proportionate to the amount of exposure

Editing: Basic editing and vocal clean up is included in the price. If you require anything extra, like audio processing, file splitting or time-sync, these are charged as additional services

See my voiceover pricing blog for more detail.

Can you add music and effects?

If you already have a piece of music in mind (i.e. music that you own or have suitable copyright clearance to use) I can add this to your track and blend it to complement the vocal. If you don’t already have a piece of music, or if you want a variety of different music and sound effects, I can arrange full mastering by an audio engineer – I do not take any form of commission or mark up on this and I know some excellent sound engineers. Alternatively, simply order the voiceover ‘dry’ and send it to your choice of producer for the finishing touches.

Why is a human better than an AI voice?

AI voices are becoming more common, and more realistic! But while they may work out cheaper in monetary terms, they can end up costing more in time and even in lost business. Humans relate to other humans. In many scripts you want the listener to trust the person, so if the pacing is too regular and precise, the listener does some of the key benefits of a human:

SAVING TIME: I know the difference between the town of Reading and the word ‘reading’. I know not to emphasise the SHAM in ‘Amersham’ and that there’s a BARK in “Berkshire”. I recognise a lot of acronyms, and you can easily tell me if they need to be spoken as letters or a word. An AI voice will not correct small typos that would be obvious to a real voice artist. Whenever an AI voice gets something a bit off, you have to go in and correct it or try to trick it into saying what you want.

UNDERSTANDING CONTEXT: A real person can understand the context behind a script which helps hugely in knowing where to speak sensitively about a difficult topic, and where to add human touches such as a smile, a wink or a nod of the head – these subtle nuances come through in the voice and these are the things that make the voice sound like a real person with human emotions. Words like Thankyou and Sorry (common in voicemail greetings and eLearning quizzes) can sound very insincere with an AI voice.

SPEAKING v READING: An AI voice will read a script exactly how it is written. Great! Or is it? Did you know that punctuation is only intended for written grammar? Pauses, dashes, commas, paragraph breaks – the AI voice will adhere to all of these perfectly but in fact, this is not how we actually speak to one another in real life. Words sound like they are being read from a page, rather than being spoken with true understanding.

PACING: The human brain naturally adjusts the pace on words, phrases and sentences. Some words are less important while others are more relevant to the overall meaning. We call it ‘leaning into’ key words and ‘throwing away’ less important words – and while it can be incredibly subtle, it brings meaning to the script. If all words are paced evenly (such as with AI) then it is harder to grasp the meaning and listeners tune out very quickly.

An inexperienced voiceover may well not sound that much different to an AI voice – many will simply read from the paper without connecting with the script, and pace the words unnaturally as they concentrate on emphasising key words and breathing in the “right” place. All of this comes naturally to a seasoned voice artist, and they will sound a lot more human. You can read more in my blog about what makes a natural sounding voiceover.

How and when will I get the files?

Files are provided as high quality MP3 or WAV, by email or a file transfer system like WeTransfer. Files can be delivered raw or fully edited, de-breathed, volume adjusted and ready to use. Raw files are often required when a sound engineer is going to process the audio. Edited files are usually required for eLearning or telephone messaging.

Most standard jobs are completed within 24-48 hours but let me know if you are on a tight timescale and I will do my best to accommodate! For longer projects, ask me for a turnaround estimate along with the quote.

What if I don’t like the end result?

Usually you will have listened to a sample or had a bespoke audition so that we agree on the basics of style, tone and pace prior to recording. If you feel the message does not come across as intended then a partial re-record is included in the fee, and I will follow your specific instructions to get it just how you want it.

If after recording is complete you decide you want a different type of voice altogether – a male voice or a different accent / tone I won’t be offended and I can even recommend some suitable voices to you. A 50% fee is payable to cover my time spent recording, editing and producing your files and you will not be allowed to use the finished audio. But if at any time you change your mind, you can simply contact me to pay the remaining 50% and start using the audio as per our original agreement.

Can I make changes to the script after recording?

Minor script amendments can be made free of charge if notified within 7 days of the original recording – so you don’t need to worry if you want to use a different phone number or email address, I will change it for you. In return, I ask that all scripts are read out loud and fully signed off before recording as this saves time and work all round. If larger sections need to be added or rewritten then additional studio fees will apply – I keep these as fair as possible.

Please understand that even changing one word can take a significant amount of time, especially if that word appears multiple times in the script. If I just recorded that individual word and sent it to you to paste in, it would sound disconnected to the rest of the audio, would be distracting to the listener, and frankly, would sound like a cheap job. I spend time splicing corrections carefully into your file and fine-tuning the sound to make an edit point as natural as possible. In some cases, when a few words have been changed around, an entire section may need re-recording, editing and mastering.

How do I pay?

Established production companies will be invoiced on 30 day payment terms, and can pay by direct transfer or PayPal in either GBP, EUR or USD. New clients may be asked for a deposit upfront to cover studio time, with the balance to be paid on receipt of the finished file. Once we have worked together any future jobs are invoiced on 30 day payment terms. As a freelancer, I really appreciate clients who pay on time. Some even pay me early!

If you work for an organisation who cannot meet the 30 day terms for operational reasons, please let me know at the time of booking so that I can make a note of this. Don’t worry – any agreement we have made for corrections and changes still applies after you have paid, as long as these are requested within the agreed timeframe.

** No samples or clips of Michele Wood’s voice on this site or any other site may be downloaded and used for cloning or AI systems without written agreement **

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Music licensed under creative commons courtesy of www.bensound.com
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