How to Voice Over a Video With No Equipment

How does one record a GOOD voice-over with no equipment?

Rumor has it that a blanket cave can give surprising results when recording audio. 

But if you plan on being creative and making the most of your video creation without complications, there are better ways to do voiceovers.

When it comes to pro techniques, we’ve got you covered, and not just with a DIY blanket. 😉

Option #1: Use an AI-powered all-in-one video editing tool

An AI-powered all-in-one video editor like Synthesia STUDIO gives you everything you need to create and edit voiceovers using natural-sounding speech without microphones, voice actors, or custom audio recordings.

If you prefer working with video editing programs, you’ll be able to: 👇

• Generate a professional voiceover by clicking a button.
• Choose from multiple language, style, and tone options.
• Easily add other audio and video effects.

And the steps to do this are pretty simple:

1. Create a video from scratch within the editor.
2. Type in or copy and paste the text you want to turn into a voice-over.
3. Use the built-in features to generate the narration in your chosen language and accent.
4. Listen to the voiceover and use the other text-to-speech functions to adjust the timing and pace of your voiceover.

Unlike a basic text-to-speech tool, this AI-powered all-in-one vide editing tool lets you adjust the pronunciation of any word and insert pauses with different timings within the narration. You’re getting practical tools to tweak the audio until it sounds exactly like you want.

Pros:

• Simultaneous voiceover and video editor lets you adjust the narration easily.
• 120+ languages and 400+ voices and accents to choose from will ease video localization and scaling.
• AI-powered narration delivers consistent voice quality and tone.
• Option to clone your own voice for custom voiceovers

Cons:

• You pay for all the tool's features (such as video editing) and not just TTS, so it’s not the cheapest option if you just want to generate voice-over. 
• The pronunciation of some words might take tweaking to perfect.

Option #2: Use a dedicated text-to-speech tool

Have a limited budget and want to focus exclusively on voice-over creation without needing other video enhancement options? If so, a dedicated text-to-speech tool like Natural Reader, Google Cloud Text-to-Speech, or Balabolka might be a good choice. Here’s what you should consider. 👇

Unlike many video editing programs, text-to-speech tools operate in different ways. Some are only available in the web browser; others are apps you can download and use on your mobile or desktop. Typically, all you have to do is access the tool and generate an audio file with its help.

How to voice over with a dedicated text-to-speech tool

• Introduce your text, either by copying it or by uploading a document.
• Select the language, voice style, or any other option available.
• Generate a narration you can download and save as a voiceover audio file.

Pairing this generated audio file with your video footage is a separate step you’ll have to execute in the video editing software of your choice.

Pros:

• More straightforward and affordable solutions — a basic tool for a basic job.
• Can adjust the narration's speed, pitch, and other parameters.
• Some tools support OCR, recognizing and extracting text from images or scanned docs.

Cons:

• Limited voice options and settings compared to all-in-one video editing tools.
• You might have to pay for commercial use.

Option #3: Hire a voice actor to voice over your video

A professional voice actor delivers unparalleled quality and can help you convey a more casual or humorous tone than AI. The standard rate for 2-5 minutes of voice-over is around $200 - $350 but can range into the thousands for exceptional talent. 

Teaming up with an actor to voice over your video involves several steps, and the terms will vary depending on whom you choose. Once you've got your actor on board, you'll share the script and any specific instructions you have. It's all about good communication and working together to ensure the voiceover matches your video's vibe and goals.

How to voice over with a voice actor for hire

• Find and select a suitable actor based on their vocal qualities, experience, and fit with your video clip project.
• Learn about their terms and what’s included in the contract when working with them.
• Hand the actor your script and a detailed brief if they need extra directions.
• Get your voiceover recording and revise it.
• Ask for adjustments on the recorded voice if needed and as much as the number of revisions in the contract allows.

Pros:

• Satisfaction is almost guaranteed if you find an actor with an excellent rating for their previous video clips.
• You’ll get a recorded voice with a higher emotional impact and more powerful storytelling.
• You’ll get high-quality audio that requires minimal editing and polishing.

Cons:

• The more experienced the actor is, the more expensive the service will turn out.
• You might have to wait longer to book such a professional, especially for narrations in languages other than English.
• There’s no easy way to change a part of the script at a later date — you’ll need to rehire the original voice actor.

Option #4: Do a self-recorded voiceover with your smartphone or headset

If you like how your own voice sounds and audio quality is something you can compromise on a bit, you can get a free, no-frills voiceover by self-recording.👇

Record the voiceover on your mobile device or PC using a recording app or software. Voice Recorder (for Windows) and QuickTime Player (for Mac) come pre-installed on most laptops or desktops. And you can easily find a third-party voice recording app to download for free or for a small fee on your mobile.

How to record your own voice with your smartphone, laptop, or PC

For phone recording, you don’t need anything but your mobile. For PC recording, you can do it with your laptop’s built-in mic or with the headset you typically use on your desktop. While not exactly professional sound quality level, your voice-over will still be usable to a degree. So, just:

• Find a quiet place.
• Launch the app.
• Start recording your voiceover with your mouth approximately 6-12 inches from the microphone.

If your app has some editing options, you could use those to polish the voiceover. But it’s best to either upload the audio into the video editor you work with or into audio editing software like Audacity. The latter is free, open-source, and compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Pros:

• The most straightforward voice-over method for beginners
• Cost-effective, and you can even do it for free.
• Gives you portability and flexibility to record audio and video clips anytime, anywhere.

Cons:

• Comes with limited audio and editing quality within the voice recording app.
• It might require multiple rounds of re-recording (you’d be surprised how many times you can say “um” in a minute!).

Pick from 120+ languages and voice over your video today

With the AI video maker Synthesia, you can generate a professional voiceover video ready without using anything but your internet browser. Choose from 120+ female and male languages, accents, and 400+ speech styles.

Use this free demo to turn a short script into audio backed by professional visuals in the next 2 minutes.

What’s a Rich Text element?

The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.

Static and dynamic content editing

A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!

How to customize formatting for each rich text

Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.