Voice Over Tips for Recording High Quality Audio

Whether it’s adding voice over to social media videos, recording an audiobook, starting a podcast, or any other form of content, creators need to ensure they’re recording high-quality audio for optimal performance. Media with poor audio risks being immediately overlooked by viewers and even potentially damaging your reputation as a content creator.

We’re discussing voice over tips for recording high-quality audio and publishing content that captures viewer attention for the right reasons. Check out this guide and elevate your media as you build your brand.

Voice Over Tips You Should Be Following

Creators are always looking for the best voice over tips to add voice over to Instagram Reels, TikTok videos, YouTube content, and more. No matter if you’re creating long form or short form media, capturing high-quality audio for voice over narration is critical to its performance. We’ve put together a list of tips for voice over you should be following which includes:

• Script preparation
• Creating the right voice over setting
• Working with the right voice over equipment
• Recording techniques for adding voice over to video
• Using a video voice over app
• Post production voice over tips

Voice Over Script Preparation

Successful content creators have to stay nimble to create content on the fly and stay on top of the latest trends. They also follow voice over tips for script preparation when they’re planning content ahead of time for production such as:

• Keeping your script short and to the point
• Being clear in your dialogue
• Marking the VO dialogue in the script

Great voice over scripts are short, to the point, and clear. Don’t waste time with superfluous details or you’ve already lost the attention of your viewers and they’ve scrolled on to the next video on their FYP.

For creators, script prep means writing a succinct script that hits all the beats they’re wanting in that video as well as labeling all specific voice over lines, if they’re surrounded by non-VO parts of the video plan. Properly denoting voice over lines in a script is done by using “[NAME] (V.O.)” with the voice actor line following. 

For voice over actors, script prep means marking the script to hit each of those beats and record the perfect audio in as few takes as possible.

Proper script preparation is one of the most important voice over recording tips for creators, voice actors, and editors alike. For many social media content creators, you’re all three, meaning script preparation is even more important to streamline your process and lets you scale production.

Creating the Right Voice Over Setting

Professional voice over tips also include creating the right environment for capturing high-quality audio. Adding reverb to a dried-out vocal take is easier than taking the ambient noise of the recording environment out during post production.

• Keeping the recording area from being “too live”
• Soundproofing recording booths
• Unplugging potential disruptors like air conditioners, refrigerators, etc.

Environmental tips for voice over narration include making sure your recording area isn’t “too live.” If you’ve got a professional setup, this means making sure the voice over recording booth is properly soundproofed. Without proper soundproofing, the walls create an echo that will muddle your audio recording. For content creators working from home studios, consider everything that may be picked up in your audio recording like air conditioning, refrigerators, or other large electronic appliances.

Creating the right setting for recording audio also goes hand-in-hand with voice over tips for using the right equipment.

Working With the Right Voice Over Equipment

All our voice over tips for recording high-quality audio won’t help you if you’re not using the right equipment. Content creators capturing voice over audio live need to ensure they’re using the right external mics, a high quality phone or camera, sound filters and other dampening equipment, pop filters, mic stands, and more. The less you or your talent are having to worry about the equipment, the better and faster your audio recording session will go.

• Choosing the right microphone
• Adding a pop filter
• Having a mic stand
• Using reflection filters or other sound dampening equipment
• Recording video with audio using high-quality phones or cameras 

It all starts with the microphone. Are you using an external mic to record audio directly onto your video? Are you recording audio from your phone? Perhaps you have a proper voice over booth set up. A popular standalone microphone for voice over is the Shure KSM44A large-diaphragm condenser. For content creators looking for a more budget-friendly option that won’t sacrifice audio quality, tips for voice over narration include choosing the RØDE Lavalier II or Shure ​​MV88+ Video Kit with phone clamp.

Having a pop filter for your microphone is one of the best mic tips for voice over, as it reduces or eliminates popping sounds made while speaking and recording audio. A mic stand is also advantageous unless you’re using a clip-on mic, as it keeps talent from having to hold the microphone as they record their audio. It’s a simple voice over tip for recording audio that keeps vocal levels the same instead of varying if the voice over actor’s hands move when they speak.

For content creators recording audio without a professional soundproof booth, using sound dampening equipment pieces like reflection filters are must-follow voice over recording tips. Reflection filters are used to keep audio recordings clean by absorbing sound around the mic that could disrupt your take.

It also goes without saying that content creators should be using high-quality phones or cameras to record audio and video, as well. 

Recording Techniques for Adding Voice Over to Video

Following voice over tips for how to voice over a video should also include recording techniques for you or your voice actor. A few simple tips for voice over narration include:

• Staying hydrated
• Standing while recording, for breath support
• Speak clearly, but hit the beats as outlined in your script
• Do vocal warmups to be ready for recording voice over
• Maintain an even distance from the microphone for audio levels

These sound like small details, but they will have a huge impact on your audio recording when using your own voice or recording a voice actor.

Post Production Voice Over Tips

You’ve captured the perfect voice over take and now it’s time to edit your final product in post production. One of the biggest post production voice over tips content creators should follow is to not over-produce the vocal audio.

• Leaving the EQ alone unless you know how to adjust properly
• Masking removed sounds with room audio
• Reducing breath sounds manually (but don’t remove entirely)
• Adjusting volume levels for consistency
• Using a voice over app to simplify the entire process

If you’re not familiar with using EQ (which stands for equalizer) then don’t use it! EQ is used to change the tonal quality of the audio, meaning it removes unwanted excess noise or adds effects to make vocal quality more crisp. Removing too much, however, will leave you with unnatural-sounding audio and is difficult to reverse.

There are lots of tricks you can use in post production to achieve high-quality audio like masking removed sounds with room audio, manually reducing breaths (don’t remove them altogether or it will sound unnatural and weird), or adjusting volume levels. Many of these voice over tips, however, take trained editors who know what they’re doing when it comes to complicated audio editing.

Using a voice over app takes the guesswork out of voice over tips and delivers the perfect high-quality audio to content creators at any skill level. The MixVoice video voice over app eliminates the need for expensive equipment, recording your own voice, hiring voice actors, capturing the perfect audio take, and paying editors for each version you want created in post production. Its AI Voice Generator tool lets you choose from over 20 languages and 60 accents to perfectly create your voice over the way you want it to sound. Use it to streamline your content creation workflow and scale your productivity.

These voice over tips for recording high-quality audio will help you create better content. Whether you’re recording your own voice, hiring voice actors, or using a voice over app to simplify the process and scale production, audio quality can make or break your media. Elevate your content creation process and maximize media performance by recording high-quality voice over every time.