Record Professional VOICEOVER for YouTube Videos in Mobile! - FULL GUIDE

Summary

This informative video script outlines a step-by-step guide for recording professional-quality voiceovers for YouTube without expensive equipment. It emphasizes using a smartphone's microphone or an affordable lapel mic like the Boya BY-M1, and the importance of a quiet, echo-free environment. Tips include standing while recording for better voice control, adjusting volume for energy, and breaking the script into parts to avoid vocal strain. The script also highlights the significance of pronunciation, pacing, stressing, and avoiding monotony for a compelling voiceover. It concludes with basic editing techniques using tools like Adobe Podcast and Lexis Audio Editor to refine the audio, ensuring viewers can achieve professional-sounding voiceovers with minimal equipment and some practice.

Takeaways

• 🎙️ You don't need an expensive microphone to record professional audio; a smartphone's built-in mic can suffice.
• 💰 Investing in an affordable lapel microphone like the Boya BY-M1 can significantly improve voice clarity.
• 📱 For recording apps, you can use your phone's default voice recorder or a specialized app like RecForge II.
• 🚫 To minimize noise, close doors, windows, and fans, and consider recording during quiet times of the day.
• 🔊 To reduce echo, fill the room with objects like curtains, fabrics, cushions, or use a small space like a closet filled with soft items.
• 🧍 Standing up while recording can help you have better control over your voice and improve voiceover quality.
• 📜 Place the script where it's easy to read and position the phone's microphone close to your face for optimal sound capture.
• 📣 Speak slightly louder than normal to ensure your voiceover has enough energy and is clearly audible.
• 📑 Break the script into parts and take breaks in between to rest your voice and prevent strain.
• 🗣️ Focus on improving your speaking style, including pronunciation, pacing, stressing the right words, and avoiding monotony.
• 🛠️ Use editing tools like Adobe Podcast and Lexis Audio Editor for noise reduction, equalization, and amplification to polish your voiceover.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is how to record a professional voiceover for YouTube without needing expensive equipment or advanced editing software.

What is the speaker's opinion on using a microphone for recording voiceovers?

The speaker believes that while a microphone is not strictly necessary, it can enhance the quality of the voiceover. They recommend investing in an affordable collar mic like the Boya BY-M1 for beginners.

What alternative to a microphone does the speaker suggest for beginners?

The speaker suggests that beginners can use their smartphone's built-in microphone to record high-quality audio, as they themselves did until reaching 10,000 subscribers.

What sound recording app does the speaker recommend?

The speaker recommends using RecForge II for recording audio, which is their personal choice of app.

How important is the recording environment according to the video?

The recording environment is crucial for a good voiceover. The speaker advises finding a place with no noise or echo, and suggests closing doors, windows, and fans to minimize noise.

What is the speaker's advice on reducing echo during voiceover recording?

To reduce echo, the speaker recommends filling the room with objects like curtains, fabrics, and cushions. They also suggest recording in a small space, such as a closet filled with soft items.

What is the recommended posture for recording a voiceover according to the video?

The speaker recommends standing up while recording a voiceover, as it helps in having better control over the voice and improves the quality.

How should the volume be managed while recording a voiceover?

The speaker advises keeping the volume slightly higher than normal while recording to ensure the voiceover has at least normal energy.

What is the speaker's approach to recording a long script?

The speaker suggests breaking the script into parts and taking breaks in between each part. This helps to rest the voice and prevent vocal strain.

What are the four key aspects the speaker identifies for improving voiceover quality?

The four key aspects identified by the speaker are Pronunciation, Pacing, Stressing the right words, and avoiding Monotony.

How can one improve their speaking style according to the video?

The speaker suggests watching videos from favorite creators and observing their speaking style to learn and improve one's own speaking style.

What tools does the speaker recommend for noise reduction and audio editing?

The speaker recommends Adobe Podcast for noise reduction and Lexis Audio Editor for audio editing, including equalization, amplification, and normalization.

What is the final step in the audio editing process according to the video?

The final step in the audio editing process, as mentioned in the video, is to normalize the audio to maintain a certain level and then save the edited audio.

How does the speaker conclude the video?

The speaker concludes by congratulating the viewers for learning how to improve their voice and reminding them that video editing is also important for engaging videos, offering a playlist for detailed video editing.

Outlines

00:00

🎙️ Recording Professional Voiceover for YouTube

This paragraph introduces the video's focus on recording professional voiceovers for YouTube without the need for expensive equipment. The narrator emphasizes that high-quality audio can be achieved using a smartphone's built-in microphone, and suggests investing in an affordable collar mic like the Boya BY-M1 for better clarity. The importance of a noise-free environment and the use of sound recording apps are discussed, along with tips for reducing echo and improving voiceover quality. The narrator also shares a personal tip for recording in small spaces to enhance clarity and suggests standing while recording for better voice control.

05:04

🗣️ Enhancing Voiceover Quality and Speaking Style

The second paragraph delves into the importance of pronunciation, pacing, word emphasis, and avoiding monotony to improve the quality of a voiceover. The narrator explains how varying the pace and emphasizing certain words can enhance storytelling and keep viewers engaged. They also highlight the need to avoid a monotone voice by adjusting pitch, tone, volume, and pauses. The paragraph concludes with advice on observing other creators' speaking styles to learn and improve, and touches on audio editing tools like Adobe Podcast and Lexis Audio Editor to refine the voiceover further. The narrator provides a step-by-step guide on using these tools for noise reduction, equalization, amplification, and audio normalization.

Keywords

💡voiceover

A voiceover refers to a production technique where a voice, usually the narrator's or the creator's, is recorded and added to a video separately from the visuals. In the context of the video, the voiceover is the primary means of delivering information and engaging with the audience. The creator emphasizes that high-quality audio can be achieved without expensive equipment, using a smartphone's built-in microphone or an affordable collar mic.

💡microphone

A microphone is a device used to convert sound waves into electrical signals for recording or amplification. The script mentions that while a microphone is not strictly necessary for recording audio, it can significantly improve the quality. The creator recommends an affordable collar mic, the Boya BY-M1, for beginners to achieve better voice clarity.

💡editing software

Editing software refers to applications used to manipulate and refine audio or video recordings. The video suggests that professional audio does not necessarily require advanced editing software, but it will be discussed as part of the process. Adobe Podcast and Lexis Audio Editor are mentioned as tools for noise reduction and audio enhancement.

💡noise cancellation

Noise cancellation is the process of reducing or eliminating unwanted background noise from a recording. The script explains that while a collar mic can improve voice clarity, additional steps are needed for effective noise cancellation, such as recording in a quiet environment and using sound-absorbing materials to reduce echo.

💡environment

In the context of recording, environment refers to the physical space where the audio is captured. The creator advises finding a location with minimal noise and echo for a better voiceover. Suggestions include closing doors and windows, recording during quiet hours, and using objects like curtains and cushions to dampen sound.

💡echo

Echo refers to the reflection of sound that arrives at the listener with a delay after the direct sound. The video script discusses techniques to minimize echo, such as filling the room with objects that absorb sound and recording in small spaces like a closet filled with clothes and cushions.

💡pronunciation

Pronunciation is the way words are articulated when speaking a language. The script highlights the importance of clear pronunciation for a professional voiceover, as it ensures that the content is easily understood by the audience. Correct pronunciation is one of the four aspects mentioned for improving speaking style.

💡pacing

Pacing refers to the speed and rhythm at which a script is read during a voiceover. The video emphasizes the need for a moderate pace to ensure that the audience can follow along without feeling rushed or bored. Adjusting pacing according to the content is also discussed.

💡emphasis

Emphasis is the act of stressing certain words or phrases in speech to convey importance or meaning. The script provides an example of how emphasizing different words in a sentence can significantly improve the clarity and impact of the message.

💡monotonous

Monotonous refers to a voice that lacks variation in pitch, tone, volume, and pauses, making it sound dull and uninteresting. The video advises against a monotonous voice, suggesting that varying these elements can make the voiceover more engaging and professional.

💡equalizer

An equalizer is a tool in audio editing software that allows for the adjustment of different frequency bands to alter the tonal balance of a recording. The script mentions using an equalizer to increase bass and treble, which can help in making the voice sound clearer and more defined.

💡amplifier

An amplifier in the context of audio editing is used to increase the volume of a recording. The video script describes using an amplifier to boost the loudness of the voiceover by a few decibels, cautioning against over-amplification to prevent voice cracking.

💡normalization

Normalization is the process of adjusting an audio track to a standard loudness level. The script explains that normalizing the audio helps maintain a consistent volume throughout the voiceover, which is important for a professional sound.

Highlights

You don't need an expensive microphone or advanced editing software to record professional audio.

A smartphone's built-in microphone can be used to record high-quality audio.

Investing in an affordable collar mic like Boya BY-M1 can improve voice clarity.

RecForge II is recommended as a sound recording app for recording voiceover.

A quiet environment with no noise or echo is essential for good voiceover recording.

Minimizing noise by closing doors, windows, and fans can improve recording quality.

Recording late at night or early in the morning can reduce environmental noise.

Filling a room with objects like curtains and cushions can reduce echo.

Recording in a small space like a closet filled with soft materials can improve clarity.

Standing up while recording can help control your voice and improve voiceover quality.

Keeping the phone's microphone close to your face (2-3 inches away) is recommended.

Recording at a slightly higher volume than normal can give the voiceover more energy.

Breaking the script into parts and taking breaks can prevent vocal strain.

Improving pronunciation, pacing, stressing, and avoiding monotone are key to a professional voiceover.

Adobe Podcast can be used to remove noise from audio recordings.

Lexis Audio Editor is a popular tool for noise reduction and audio enhancement.

Using an equalizer and amplifier can adjust bass and treble to improve voice quality.

Pre-amplifier can increase loudness, but be careful not to cause voice cracking.

Normalizing audio maintains a consistent level before saving the edited voiceover.

Learning from favorite creators by observing their speaking style can help improve voiceover skills.

Transcripts

How to record a professional voiceover for YouTube.

This is literally our audience's most requested video.

Most people think that they need an expensive microphone and advanced editing software to

record professional audio.

Which is not true at all.

In this video, I will walk you through my step-by-step process and share some secrets

for recording a professional voice.

The output will be so good that trust me, you won't even need extensive editing.

Although don't worry, I'll also discuss that!

But first, let's talk about the things you'll need to record good audio.

Many people, especially new creators, believe they can't record good audio without a microphone.

Which is not true at all.

You can even record high-quality audio using your smartphone's built-in microphone.

In fact, I started this channel with just my phone's built-in mic until I reached 10,000

subscribers...

So, I can easily say that your phone alone is enough for a good voiceover.

But if possible, I strongly recommend investing in an affordable collar mic.

Currently, I'm using the Boya BY-M1, which is a very cheap mic.

If you're a beginner, I strongly recommend that you use this.

I have a voice sample, listen to it.

(PLAYING SAMPLES) You must have observed that the voice clarity

with the mic is comparatively better than without.

That's why I think you should get it.

This mic isn't very helpful for noise cancellation, so for that, you'll need to do something else,

which we'll discuss later.

Talking about sound recording apps, you can use your phone's default voice recorder.

I personally use RecForge II; the link is in the description.

After mic and app, now we need to set up a perfect environment for recording the audio.

For a good voiceover, you need a place with no noise or echo.

While noise can be removed with editing, I prefer not to rely on editing for this purpose.

Before recording, I close the doors, windows, and fans in the room to minimize noise...

If there's still noise, try recording very late at night or early in the morning when

the environment is quiet.

That's how you remove noise.

After this, you need to remove echo.

We don't want the voice to reverberate...

The more objects in the room, the less echo there will be, and the emptier the room, the

more echo!

So, it's recommended to fill your room with curtains, fabrics, cushions, etc.

If you already have them, even better.

Additionally, if you wish, you can buy Acoustic sound panels that YouTubers use in their videos,

but it's not essential.

If you want a pro tip to reduce echo: Record in a small space.

For example, you can stuff a closet with clothes, cushions, books, and place your phone inside

to record.

You'll notice that the echo decreases, and clarity improves.

After doing all this, you're now ready to finally record the voiceover.

When recording, try standing up and recording instead of sitting.

Standing up helps you have better control over your voice and improves the quality of

the voiceover.

Then bring the script in front of you and place it where it's easy to read.

Next, if you're using your phone's microphone, bring the phone's mic close to your face,

around 2-3 inches away.

Although this distance may vary, find what works for you.

Now, many ask how loud their volume should be while recording a voiceover.

One thing I've observed is that if you record at the same volume as you talk in daily life,

your voice will sound low-energy...

So, if you want your voiceover to have at least normal energy, then while recording,

keep the volume slightly higher than normal, and it will work fine!

Just like how teachers increase their volume slightly while reading in class, keep it a

bit higher.

Now, when you start recording, remember not to record the entire script at once, but break

it into parts, taking breaks in between.

For instance, if I have to explain 4 points in the script, I can take a break after each

point's recording for a few minutes, and during the break, I'll have some water as well.

This is especially important if the script is long, to rest your voice and prevent vocal

strain.

And that's how you get a crystal-clear audio!

Alright!

Now the question is, will we achieve a professional voice by doing all this?

The answer is yes, but only 50%.

Everything I've mentioned so far, if you follow, your audio quality for the voiceover will

be excellent (which means no noise, echo, inconsistency issues).

But, will these improvements make your voice sound better?

Not entirely!

For the remaining 50%, you'll need to improve the way you speak, i.e., your speaking style.

And this is crucial because without it, even with the best microphone and advanced editing,

you won't achieve much.

So, one day, I was watching some videos on YouTube under the hashtag #decodingyt that

people had made about me...

And I observed that although the information was mostly the same in most videos, the thumbnail

and editing were similar, but some videos got more views while others got fewer...

But Why?

When I started watching these videos, I realized that the key factor was the voiceover.

Those videos with fewer views were not focusing on these 4 aspects, and hence, their voiceovers

weren't good.

In fact, if you improve on these 4 aspects, your voiceovers will instantly sound professional.

And yes, everyone has a good voice; it's just about how you speak that makes a difference,

so stop complaining!

Point no.1 is Pronunciation.

It's a basic thing, but if it's not correct, people won't understand you well, and even

if they do, they won't value your content.

So, if you want to sound professional, you need to clearly pronounce each word without

any errors.

Point no.2 is Pacing, which means the speed and tempo at which you read the script.

Speaking at the wrong pace can ruin the viewer's experience.

If you speak too fast, people might have trouble understanding you, and if you speak too slowly,

they might get bored.

It's important to strike a moderate pace for proper storytelling.

Of course, this can also depend on what's happening in the video at a particular moment;

adjust your pacing accordingly.

Point No.3: Stressing the right words.

When reading sentences from the script, you can't say all the words in the same way.

Some words need more emphasis, which will highlight them and effectively convey the

message of the entire sentence.

For example, take a sentence.

If I read every word the same way, it would sound bad: "what if I tell you ki YouTube

pe grow krne k liye subscribers ki zarurat nhi h."

Now, if I emphasize some words while reading the same sentence: "what if I tell you ki

YouTube pe grow krne k liye subscribers ki zarurat nhi h."

As you heard, it sounded better due to the right emphasis.

Also, I changed the tone a bit, which brings me to

Point no.

4: Don't be Monotonous.

If your voice sounds boring, chances are you're speaking in a monotone.

In fact, when I check videos from new creators, I see

that many of them make this mistake.

A monotone voice is where the pitch, tone, volume, and pauses remain at the same level

throughout the speech.

For example, if there's a sentence, you can't read it like: "How to Record a Professional

Voiceover using Only mobile in few steps."

This is a monotonous voice without any tone.

So avoid this, and you'll have a great voice.

And that's it!

I haven't discussed rocket science...

These four points are very basic, but many creators still make mistakes in these areas.

If you find it hard to improve each point one by one, I recommend watching videos from

your favorite creators and observing their speaking style.

You'll learn a lot.

After all this, let's also talk about Editing.

First, if there's noise in your audio even after closing all doors and windows, you can

use Adobe's tool called Adobe Podcast.

Simply import your audio file, click upload, and you'll get noise-free high-quality audio.

Additionally, there's an app called Lexis Audio Editor, which is popular among creators

for audio editing.

Import your voiceover, click the three dots on top, and then click on noise reduction.

Here, you'll see the threshold option; increasing it removes more noise, but don't increase

it too much, or your audio will be cut along with the noise.

After noise reduction, move to the Equalizer/Amplifier section.

Here, you can increase the bass using the left bars and increase the treble using the

right bars.

Raising the right bars makes your voice crispy, while lowering the left bars reduces the crispness.

So, I need to balance both; I'll raise the first three bars and the last three bars like

this.

You can try these settings, but everyone's voice is different, so you might need to experiment

to find what works best for you.

Below that, you'll see the pre-amplifier option.

With this, you can increase the loudness of your audio by 2-3 decibels, but don't increase

it too much, or your voice might crack.

So, I suggest speaking slightly louder naturally while recording.

Finally, you can normalize the audio to maintain a certain level, and then save your audio.

And there you have it, your voiceover editing is done, and you can use it in your videos.

So, up to this point, I want to congratulate you because by watching this video, you've

learned something very important: how to improve your voice.

But remember, video editing matters too for engaging videos.

If you want to learn step-by-step detailed video editing like mine, click on the playlist

on the screen.

I've explained everything in detail.

See you there!

Goodbye!