Voiceover Tips for YouTube — Step-by-Step Guide & Transcript

[00:01] voiceovers for viral videos on YouTube just like this with whatever equipment high-end studio microphone, a cheaper USB microphone, or even just your iPhone. I've used these tips alongside my business partner, Meritio, to

[00:15] generate over 40 million views across my channels and our clients channels all in the past 3 years. So, if you want to improve your voiceovers or get faster at for you. But first, here are some equipment recommendations from my friend

[00:28] Kims, who's a professional voiceover artist and content creator on TikTok. Yeah, my name is Cams. I've been a content creator since about 2014, and I in the past. What's your favorite high budget

[00:40] Well, I mean, the market's kind of shifting away from the Sure SM7B. I'd say probably the top option I would recommend an Elgato Wave 3. They have an XLR input option and then is uh probably the one that's recommended just so

[00:53] Okay. What about mid tier? Like probably under 200 bucks or so. Like yeah, there could be a medium budget microphone like a HyperX QuadCast S, but that's a USB microphone. Um, if you're looking to go full force into

[01:07] are struggling with retention, just keeping an audience. They struggle with having bad audio. That's the reason why they're not able to get the views and for. Because I personally would never watch a video that doesn't have like

[01:21] decent audio coming from it. And what's your favorite low tier mic? Like medium budget microphones are like the way to go or honestly just use Apple earbuds if you can. You just record on your voice memo on your phone. And the

[01:34] digital iPhones, they have like they honestly have a really decent sound compete with a lot of the lower budget microphones like for example like a Blue Snowball or a Road NT USB. Interesting. So you actually like iPhone

[01:47] Yeah. what I do for TikTok and whatnot. You see videos convert better with a uh earbuds. I wouldn't recommend AirPods because they don't really produce the mic. It doesn't go straight into the the microphone. There's a couple different

[02:03] options. You could do a a road wireless go mic, which is a lavalier mic, but because they produce such high quality. Yeah. And then or you could do the DJI uh mic, which is what I personally use, and that runs you I think like close to

[02:17] Great. So, for those that it applies to, feel free to click this timestamp to go learn how to record with an iPhone mic if you can't really afford to get anything more expensive. Personally, in regards to high budget microphones, I

[02:29] use the Sure SM7B, which Cam also uses. This will set you back around $400 plus the price of an XLR soundboard. My XLR soundboard is just like behind me. It's the Sweetwater SSL2 and it'll set you back probably like 180, 190 bucks. and

[02:46] it's expensive, but it also sounds really good straight out of the box. So, afford both. For mid-budget microphones, USB microphone, so it plugs straight

[02:58] And I used to use this a lot. Hillier Smith also uses this. Sounds good out of the box. It'll set you back probably 160 bucks or so. Low budget. I'm a big fan of the Rode NT USB Mini. It's a USB microphone for under 100 bucks,

[03:12] retailing at about How much you get this for? I got it for about 90 bucks. Robit. I actually recommended him this mic and he seems to like it so far. Well, if you're broke like me, then trust me, you'll love this mic for sure.

[03:25] remember that this is my personal opinion. Doesn't necessarily mean it's some different opinions than me, so take it with a grain of salt. Maybe you like have no idea. You're first going to want to buy a boom arm and a pop filter if

[03:39] your microphone didn't come with both of those already. A pop filter is just a little piece of foam, usually that goes over or in front of your microphone to prevent harsh letters like P and B, from sounding like when you speak. The

[03:51] possives. Here's what they sound like without a pop filter on my Yeti X. This is a quick test with the Blue Yeti X without a pop filter. Notice how the pllosives make really bad sounds and it really just doesn't sound good. Now

[04:06] listen to the same audio with a pop filter this time. Now compare this to if we have a pop filter on the Blue Yeti X. Notice how the possives are a lot easier on the ears because the air is being filtered out. Some microphones like the

[04:18] SM7B have this included and others have it built directly inside of the mic. The other big accessory on this list, a boom arm, just gives you a lot more flexibility when recording. I can stand, I can sit, and honestly just be in any

[04:31] position I want to be as comfortable as possible while I record. A boom arm also makes it really easy to do things on camera like video calls and live streams as I can easily just adjust the mic to wherever I want and is comfortable and

[04:45] to do is clamp it right onto your desk. And if you've got something weird like can always improvise to make it stay. This is the pop filter and boom arm that I use if you're interested. Now, if you've got an XLR mic, all you have to

[04:59] do to set it up is plug in your audio interface into your computer and then plug your XLR cable into the microphone and audio interface. After that, attach your mic to your boom arm, throw on your pop filter if necessary, and you're

[05:11] to do to set that up is plug in your microphone with a USB cable and add your filter to get it working. Once you've got everything set up, you're probably your mic before you start recording. Some microphones like the Blue Yeti X

[05:26] might give you a ton of stuff to change, whereas others won't. But to be honest, other than your gain and maybe your polar pattern if your mic has the about this when we actually edit our audio. But super processed audio is

[05:40] really hard on a viewer's ears if they're hearing it for realistically lesson I've learned from my old videos where I used to process my audio like crazy. It's possible to make YouTube videos without spending any money in

[05:54] 2023. Yeah, this is the same reason most podcasters use soft microphones like the SM7B with very little extra processing. Viewers are exposed to audio on podcast for upwards of an hour in many cases.

[06:07] it's difficult for people to stay and listen to much of it just due to how harsh it can sound. Ideally, you want your audio to sound mostly like your gain so that you're able to be clearly heard without too much background noise.

[06:21] Most USB microphones have a knob you can adjust somewhere or software that allows you to increase or decrease gain. Or if you have an XLR interface, it'll be a knob on there usually. To figure out a good level for my gain, I like to use a

[06:33] screen recording app like OBS or Streamlabs that can monitor audio. audio input source to a new scene so that you're able to see your microphone input being monitored. Then adjust your gain on your mic or XLR soundboard so

[06:46] that when you speak, your mic output is mostly in the green and maybe just a bit into the yellow. If your levels hit the red, your audio is going to peak and it'll sound like So, avoid that. As for polar patterns, some mics allow

[06:58] you to adjust this and others don't. A microphone's polar pattern is just the sound from. For example, the Shur SM7B cardioid, which means that it picks up sound from the front. Compare that to

[07:11] you to actually adjust the polar pattern. The Yeti X in particular has four you can pick from omniirectional, birectional, stereo, and cardioid. something, I would always stick to cardioid if possible so that you're not

[07:24] picking up background noise from the back or sides of your mic. And now that we've got that all sorted, it's time to start recording. If you own the Adobe Creative Suite, I've got a really, really efficient voiceover workflow for

[07:36] you if you're on Windows. If you don't have Audition and don't want to get it, the best free alternative in my opinion is a tool called Audacity. My main you're not on Windows or if you're not using Adobe Audition. Otherwise, here's

[07:49] the fastest way to record a voice over with Audition if you're on Windows. First, download and install a program called Autoh Hotkey at autohotkey.com as it allow us to make custom keyboard shortcuts for Adobe Audition. Then head

[08:02] to the second link in the description and type in your email to get a custom script for Audition and auto hotkey that binds the F1, F2, and F3 keys to make recording voiceovers really fast and easy. After you get the script in your

[08:15] email, download it and doubleclick the file in File Explorer to run it. It should be called productivity.hk. And when it starts running, it'll appear in your system tray like this. So make sure you see this. Then open Audition.

[08:28] Create a new multi-track session and press the record button at the bottom to connected properly, you should see it working if you speak into it. And if not, go to your audio hardware settings in Audition to troubleshoot. Keep in

[08:41] mind, if you're using an XLR mic with a mixer, it might only record into one later. Now, here comes the fun part. Have your script out on either a monitor of you on your phone and then read a sentence or two at a time like this. If

[08:57] you mess up, don't stop the recording. Instead, hit F1 and say the line again. The auto hotkey script will delete the bad take and start a new take in this place. Then, once you've got a take you're happy with, press F3 and Audition

[09:09] will start a new take after the good one. Finally, when you're done, press F2 to stop the recording. Simple as that. Skip to this timestamp next for tips on Recording voiceovers on your iPhone is also a viable solution if you can afford

[09:24] a microphone. So, I'm joined here with YouTuber Global Things. He's done very, his entire YouTube career, all he's used is his iPhone, which is crazy. In fact, this is that iPhone. That is that iPhone. And Mr. Global

[09:38] Things, I just want to ask you, how does one record voiceover successfully on an iPhone? Oh, Mr. Wealth. What we do, we hold it like so. You can use voice memos have or you can just record it into an editor on your phone if you edit on your

[09:52] phone like I do. Record it, finish it up, you're done. It's It's really easy It's not exactly like a professional mic you might buy for $200 $300. I don't know how much an SM7B is, but it's a lot. So, if you don't want to do that,

[10:06] ever will like in I don't know this foreseeable future, you can just do it sounds pretty good. And I actually, another thing you can do if you don't have this attachment. I don't know the model name, but it is from the company

[10:20] Sure. You can plug it in, you can record into it just the same way, and it sounds even better. So really, there's a lot of alternatives to buying your traditional your, you know, your desk and you spit into it like that. I don't know. This is

[10:33] Apparently gets the job done. I mean, you can hear the audio on his channel. Sounds good enough, I'd say. So, it's definitely a viable option. But before actually start recording, I want to walk you through exactly how to sound

[10:47] doesn't really matter how good your equipment is or how efficiently you record voiceovers if you don't speak well in the first place. Tip one is to stand up while you record. This opens up your diaphragm and adds clarity to your

[11:00] voice. And if you've got a boom arm, this is really easy to do. Tip two is to slow down, but do more than just talk slower. Add little pauses when you speak like this to project confidence onto your viewers. If you go too fast, you'll

[11:12] trip over words and sound rushed. Whereas, if you go a little slower, you clearly articulate whatever you're saying. Obviously, don't go too slow, though, as people will get annoyed and or bored with you if you're really

[11:25] dragging out your sentences. Tip three is to drink water while you record your and wetens your dry throat so that you're always speaking your best. So, definitely always have a bottle on hand. Anyway, once you've got your voice over

[11:38] done, we're going to do a little bit of post-processing. And notice how I said a bit and not a lot. As we've talked about, something soft and as close to your natural voice as possible is ideal for YouTube voiceovers. And speaking of

[11:51] show you how to post-process your audio, let's talk about the perfect complement to your voice over when it's finished. Good background music. And for that, let me introduce Epidemic Sound, the best copyright free music provider for

[12:04] creators to soundtrack their videos without the fear of having their work taken down. Epidemic actually owns 100% of their music, so there's no need to worry about future copyright claims or takedowns. Personally, Epidemic Sound

[12:17] has always been my go-to for royalty-free music. With access to a library of over 40,000 tracks and 90,000 sound effects with new tracks added your video becomes a no-brainer. Epidemic Sound offers up a personal

[12:31] plan, which is perfect for if you're just creating content on your own, and platform out there. There's also a commercial plan, which I personally use, freelancers, agencies, and brands with professionally composed music to use in

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[12:57] post-processing our audio, if you're using Audition, you're going to have to merge all of your clips in your multitrack session. You can do this by clip tab, and then hitting merge. Then double click to go into the file. For

[13:10] other software, I imagine it's pretty similar to post-process my voiceovers. I usually just slap a negative -3 decel limiter on it to make the quiet parts as loud as everything else and just call it a day. Also, if you're using an XLR mic

[13:23] channel, you're going to fix this two different ways depending on the software Adobe Audition, like for example, if you're using Audacity, then just change mono, which means that you're going to get the same sound in both ears, and

[13:38] then you should just be able to export it and edit it. On the flip side, if you're using Audition, right click on your file in Audition and export each channel into its own monot track and then find the one with your audio. And

[13:50] because you're using Adobe Audition, you can take advantage of my streamlined workflow to automatically delete silence in your voice over, saving you hours of like you have to do with other software.

[14:02] I'm going to give it all to you for free. I haven't tested this with other works with Premiere Pro. And chances are, if you already have Adobe Audition, you probably are also using Premiere anyway. First, open up the diagnostics

[14:16] window in Audition and select the mark audio effect. I personally use these Audition how to figure out whether I'm talking or not in the voice over. Next, hit scan and then mark all. And based on the settings that you inputed, Audition

[14:30] will mark the silence on your voice over automatically. Now, open the markers window and change all of the marker types to sub clip. Export everything. And this is important. Don't just drag it in to Premiere Pro or it's not going

[14:42] to work. In Premiere Pro, go to file, import, and then select your wave file to import it in all sliced up for you. Simple as that. Sub to my email list if you want free articles about growing and monetizing your YouTube