FAQ and voice over cost

How much will my voice over cost?

Voice over costs vary enormously depending on the size and use of the project, so a simple voicemail message may be £50 (€55/$65).  Corporate work tends to start at around £275 (€300/$340). Big TV commercial jobs can run into many thousands. Bespoke demos for clients are free. Some charity work is free, too (schedule permitting). Contact me HERE with your project details and I will get back to you with a cost estimate asap. Don’t worry, there’s no commitment, and I promise not to bombard you with emails. Payment is easy. You can make a direct bank transfer or use Paypal.

So what do I get?

Not all voice overs are equal. It’s not immediately obvious what you’re paying for with a professional voice, and you may not need a proper pro for your project. Here’s what you get:

  • I read your script several times to get familiar with it, and to work out where to place emphasis….breaths etc. I mark it up accordingly.
  • Then I make sure that I have read any directions you have given, and work out how to apply that to the text.
  • It is then carefully recorded with a professional microphone in my soundproof booth. I re-record anything I wasn’t totally happy with the first time around.
  • Your audio is then carefully edited at my digital audio workstation, taking out excessive breaths (but not all of them, or else the audio doesn’t sound “human”) and mouth clicks.
  • Applying over 30 years experience of digital audio, I then EQ, compress and master it, using a suite of gold standard industry software, so that it is presented in broadcast quality, ready for insertion into your project.

….and I left out all of the early morning hydration and stretching, gargling and singing we all do to keep our vocal chords supple!

We’re similar to professional photographers, in a way. We spend years learning & training, we use super high quality equipment in a rather costly studio, and then spend hours tweaking it in a darkened room staring at a computer screen.

…..and then we do it all over again if you don’t like it. You may not be able to get a photographer to do that.

How do I choose the best voice for my project?

There are a lot of people out there posing as qualified voice overs, and to the untrained ear, they can be hard to separate from the professionals. We can spot them from a mile off!

Things to look for in a voice:

Experience. How long have they been a voice over? It takes years of training and experience to get good at voice over, and there just isn’t any substitute.

Training. Who did they learn from? There is a huge variety of voice over training available, not all of it good. I trained with the world’s number one voice over, Peter Dickson. I even won an award from his company – Gravy for the Brain; seen by most as the very best training available.

Are they members of Equity? The true professionals join Equity, who screen applicants to check that they really are professionals.

Clients. Any experienced professional voice over will be able to rattle off brand names that you will know.

Is a male or female voice better?

It depends entirely on the project. You would probably want to use a female voice if you are promoting products that appeal to women, and a male voice for products that appeal to men, but that’s not the only situation in which you should consider the sex of your voice.

If you would like to use a female voice, I can highly recommend the following. I have worked with them all for more years than any of us will admit, and I can vouch for their professionalism and results. Tell them I sent you. I might get a card at Christmas 😉

Emma Hignett

Helen Quigley

Jude Vause-Walsh

What happens if I don’t like my recording?

You will. I promise. I’m so certain of this that I will re-record it for free if you’re not 100% satisfied (and I’ll send any long projects in small pieces so that you can approve each one individually).

Can I really have a free demo? Where’s the catch?

No catch. Promise! Drop me a line by clicking HERE and let me know as much as you can about the project, and I’ll get back to you asap!

How will my audio be delivered?

Connect to me in high quality via ISDN, ipDTL or Source Connect Standard or I’ll send it to you via WeTransfer as a WAV, MP3, FLAC….anything you need. I’ll even send you a CD in the post if you like.

Can I use my audio anywhere?

Generally we will agree the use of the audio before I record it for you. If you want to use it outside of that initial scope, drop me a line and I’ll tell you if you will owe any more.

How long will it take to get my audio back?

In most cases, turnaround is within 24 hours or quicker. Longer projects will take……erm……longer.

How can I enhance your project today?

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