A smooth process makes for a slick voice-over. Here’s how it works.
1. Getting started
The first step is for us to have a chat (email, phone or DM – whichever you prefer) about what you need, when you need it by and what it’s for. This will allow me to provide you with an accurate quote and ETA.
2. What will it cost?
I work out my pricing based on industry standards which are calculated using two main elements:
- The amount of work involved (length of recording, whether it needs to fit into a pre-made track, and whether you want to direct the session in real-time or not)
- Where it’ll be used (website, internet, television, radio etc) and for how long.
You can choose to either pay for a licence for a pre-determined length of time (and then extend it down the track if need be) or “buy out” the usage meaning you can use the recording indefinitely.
3. Before I hit record
Once I’ve presented you with a quote and my terms of service, you’ll need to agree to it in writing (usually return email). If you would like an NDA signed at this point too, let me know – I’m happy to oblige.
Then you’ll provide the final version of your script (make sure it’s been approved by all decision makers) and if you’ve chosen to direct the session online, we can lock in a time. If I’m recording this without live direction, I’ll ask you to provide some notes on how you’d like the voiceover to sound. Depending on the project we might decide that I’ll record a short sample to run by you to make sure we’re on the same page.
4. The big day
The groundwork’s done so now I’ll hop into my studio and work my magic on your script, recording and editing it so we end up with a clean and polished broadcast-quality track that’s ready to be used in your project. Your editor or sound designer will love it too because it will be in a form* they can work with easily.
This means:
- uncompressed audio
- peaks at -3dB
- breaths removed (as needed to suit your script)
- supplied as a 16-bit/44.1kHz WAV file
- sent to you via Dropbox, Google drive or old-school FTP
*if your sound designer requires a different format or if you want me to do the sound editing, let me know.
5. Then what?
That’s all, folks! Well, most of the time. On the very rare occasion that something isn’t right, I’ll make sure it’s fixed because your happiness is the most important thing here. If it was my mistake, I’ll obviously fix free it of charge and get it back to you quick smart. If it was a mistake with the script on your end (or if words need changing, you change your mind on how you want it performed etc), I will charge a small fee to cover my time for the re-record since that will be time I can’t spend working with anyone else. Sound fair?
Let’s make this happen, contact me today.