5 STEPS to Improve Your VOICEOVER in Audacity

[@RobertDawson100]

Thanks for the great tips. Here they are specific settings you used for future fans: 1. Noise Reduction 2. Compress Threshold -12dB Noise Floor -40dB Ratio 2:1 for most jobs Attack 0.20 secs Release 1.0 Leave the bottom two boxes unchecked 3. Limiter Hard Limit for voice overs Gain 3-4dB Limit -3dB (single track) to -4.5dB (multitrack) Hold 2.0 4. EQ-very subjective Bass Boost preset-OK Treble Boost preset-OK 5. Normalize last Check Remove DC Check Normalize at -1.0dB

[@beast_gam3r866]

I Don't Know You, But I love you Bro, Thanks A lot

[@Liz-ic6jb]

Thanks Robert!! I did a print screen. Now I don't have to take notes.

[@wpryan02358]

Thanks for the summary. Great video.

[@samuelcaetane6283]

To enn top frer! It means you're a great guy, thanks man!

[@We_Speak]

Thank you so much

[@geemacm]

In Audacity 2.4.2 there is a Macro function whereby you can add a new macro and save multiple steps together. I successfully created a new macro to do all your steps at once, apart from the initial "get noise profile". Do that step first, then select the entire track and call up the Macro command. Very useful if you use the same commands and settings all the time on your audio files.

[@pogra2467]

Thanks a lot for this advice bro

[@jerbear7952]

Thank you

[@scumpuppies]

Super helpful, thanks for the tip. To confirm, you got the noise profile, started the macro recording, went through all the steps listed in the video and stopped the macro?

[@BooksAndProverbs]

Talking about quality and simplicity. 3.5 years old video still has huge value. 👌

[@jameshall8455]

Great job. I was Trained by Don LaFontaine. RIP. He was a wonderful guy. Great teacher. I think he did 10,000 Commercials and 5,000 Movie Trailers? Amazing. We did Voice Overs and Read Script in his studio but, we never went through all of this. I personally had an engineer named Jon Mattox my neighbor and he was a drummer (one of the best in the world. Won several awards, contests) but, he also was a Composer of music, trailers, commercials and tv shows. He didn't have TIME any longer to assist me so here I am learning from you. This is not easy for many of us but, if we wish to work it is necessary for auditions and work sent to CLIENTS. I use to get work easily and worked for a Radio Show, Glass Talk Radio and recently things have changed. I must learn more....and keep up with the changes. Thank you Sir. James, Malibu, California

[@wtgphoto]

Excellent tutorial. Straight to the point without needless banter. You explained each step and why they were done and provided helpful tips along the way. Best Audacity tutorial I've seen to date. Thank you.

[@Bumfris]

This is awesome man! I didn't realise what I was missing out on before I saw this video.

[@aaronvienot]

Thanks for the suggestions on using compressor and limiter! I had played with the compressor briefly but had not worked out the most ideal settings. One counterpoint: I would NOT recommend the default Noise Reduction setting of -12dB, except as a last resort. It seems to introduce high frequency artifacts similar to those heard in a low-bit rate source. If I'm not mistaken, I'm hearing them in your voiceover on this video. After experimenting with the noise reduction a fair bit, I've cut back to 6dB max, or even 3dB if I had the luxury of a quiet room during the recording.

[@michaelmouse1]

Finally a concise, helpful and understandable tutorial vid. You are amazing at getting the info out there without the twaddle so many you-tubers go on with. Certainly the best lesson I ever watched on tech stuff that I normally have to wade through on KZbin ! Thank you so much Serge! You’re a legend!

[@To-dikaio-apla]

Exactly! Short, concise, to the point! Thank you!

[@BleuInMotion]

Thank you so much for a straightforward tutorial that a non-technical person can understand! I can’t wait to try it!

[@Serge1913]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@sophialindsay1235]

totally agree! Me too

[@1dcondave]

Very concise and useful info! Since I do audiobooks, I tend to use RMS Normalize instead of Compression and Normalize, although it means running Noise Reduction twice. Finish with the ACX Analyze to make sure it all is within spec, or adjust if necessary.

[@MohsenAYN]

In Audacity 2.3.3, the Equalization effect has been replaced by two new effects: Filter Curve: An FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) filter, similar to "Draw" mode in the old Equalization effect. Graphic EQ: A graphic equalizer, similar to the "Graphic" mode in the old Equalization effect. The old Equalization effect is no longer available. Note that in the new effects, the preset curves are now accessed via the "Manage" button, in "Factory Presets".

[@ElHadadelasPlantas]

Hi Serge! I wonder if you could re-do this same video using the latest techniques and plug-ins? It's been 5 years and now Audacity is 3.2.4. I would also know if you could make one for recovering older tape audio (that in my case have irreplaceable lectures from scholars) that, of course, have a hissing sound, some clicks and odd noises here and there. Thank you so much for your work.

[@tylerdamelondragon]

Best Tutorial video I've seen so far! finally someone who just gets to the point with out wasting my time. Great work dude

[@captainawsomeface]

There are so many vids out there on this and this is by far the best! Straightforward and gives the best results

[@l1tlelady1]

THANK YOU! I'm completely new at this, but really want to make it work. Your video is the first one that is full of helpful information, but also have it be clear and concise (making it easy to understand and execute). Thanks you so much

[@KaReEdCa]

Wow man, this is the best short tutorial I've seen on Audacity! Iv'e been recording VO for my kid, but never happy with the output...these simple 5 steps were game-changing! Thanks for this!

[@SmrtPhonRtistCF]

I always had trouble with audacity for years, especially now when I finally got on par recording setup on my chromebook, I can finally see how I can use this for my work and many more future work.

[@steelguitartim]

Thank you for your concise advice, which corresponds to what a few years of tweaking have taught me. The "compressor" section is most valuable - Tim.

[@amybrookeah]

As someone who is new to this tech I really appreciate your suggestions and that you tell us and show us how to do all of it! It is so helpful!

[@stevegundam2512]

Wow I was pretty suprised. I normally use my mixer to add bass to make my mic sound better but it just made it more sensitive to low sound witch made it clip easily but now with audacity and thanks to your help, my audio recordings sound a lot more better (and I mean A LOT, like from cheap to studio). Thanks a lot

[@FrugalCreator]

Just WOW !!! Can't get better than this. Straight to the point, simple to understand and 100% results ! Thanks a ton.

[@SausageFingersGaming]

You won me over at the 2 second intro !! Very informative with no messing around. Straight to the point and by God it worked !! This should be a tutorial on how to do a tutorial. Thankyou very much indeed kind sir !! You taught an old dog new tricks. Now I sound as sexy as I feel for a 42 year old man xD well I will in future videos at least

[@ridingdriving]

wow, the effects is like you just bought a 10,000 dollar mic and plugged it in...thanks a million serge..definitely deserve two thumbs up

[@shandybrandy5407]

My brilliant FCPX teacher! This tutorial on Audacity was straight to the point and short. Thank you Serge!

[@OneManCast]

You know what happens? Do you know what happens when you make a really good and helpful video? Huh? YOU JUST MADE THE PLAYLIST!

[@maravillas]

OneManCast cringe

[@flexologyofficial]

Y2J

[@OneManCast]

@@maravillas No u.

[@Sobchak2]

Do see what happens Larry?

[@ImYoursTruley]

I don't usually leave comments on videos, but your short tutorial here literally solved a headache of finding answers regarding these EXACT function's purposes. You've earned a subscriber in me! If Serge or anyone can answer, when is it subjectively advised to apply the bass and/or treble boost to voice over recordings?

[@SocoJ]

This is a Brilliant breakdown! Nice,simple definitions/descriptions for everything. Clear and everything worked really smoothly! I'm working on being a Audiobook Producer and now that I have the equipment, my homemade whisper room and this great editing breakdown, I feel so much more confident! TYSM! I'm very grateful and wish you all the creative vibes! Be Well!

[@Serge1913]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ScottHebert604]

eh bro I've saved this vid and have used it many times over the last year. I bookmarked it and use it when I have to edit audio for a podcast or a voiceover for a vid. super appreciate this vid, i know my audio quality isn't perfect but this gets me like 90% of the way there with no fuss. Thanks a lot

[@martcolc5830]

Thank you for putting that up. I'm an Audacity/Recording newbie and found it really helpful.

[@jumbuckgames212]

Mate, thank you so much. I'm a brand new youtuber and audio is the hardest part for me to fix at this point in time. You have expedited the process by at least 3 months from this video. Liked and subscribed and a big fat thank you.

[@michalglikson6566]

Huge thanks for your clear and concise guidance with this program. For non-english speakers your attention to detail, use of windows, and above slow and clear speaking voice are particularly appreciated.

[@ProConcepts]

Very nice explanation. I tried all the settings you suggested and audio quality increased significantly.

[@foxcrow1765]

I keep coming back to this video as a guide for mixing my voice-overs. It's a great guide. Thanks!

[@Michael-Alexander-1982]

Ace video! With the Blue Yeti: 1) what do you have the gain set to? 2) do you use a pop filter 3) how far from the pop filter (or microphone if you don't use a pop filter) do you speak 4) do you just record straight into Audacity or do you send the audio through a Voicemeeter profile or similar?

[@Hernandezvideofilmaudio]

Fantastic video and well put together and very easy to follow. I'm finally getting back into voice over (had a 2 year hiatus because life happens). I was looking at my saved chain to automate the process and I had all the settings you indicated on your video. Some of the settings were a little different from yours but I changed it all to your settings. The only one I had that you didn't is Noise Gate. Do I even need it?

[@B-Hathaway]

Great information. Explaining what each step actually does to your audio in layman's terms is the most valuable information that can be provided. I personally do my Equalizer right after Noise Reduction, but to each their own, so long as Normalize is the last step.

[@Serge1913]

Agreed about the normalize step. I'd love to hear about your Audacity workflow. Always open to learnign and trying different things

[@marylizabetha]

Thanks for the tutorial! Would you have tips for what EQ to use for a female soprano voice?

[@stevenfranklin1124]

I love that you added the before and after at the end so that we could see the difference! I was so hoping you would and you did!

[@juicechickatl7701]

Hello, I love this video. I've been using Audacity for a week and found some great videos, but I am able to follow your steps while working on the audio. You speak so clearly and at the right pace and get right to the point. Thank you for your thorough tutorial. Could you answer whether or not the Levelator app would be needed after I follow your steps. I like the results I receive with following your video, yet I want to know if there are more steps involved in editing/mastering audio in Audacity. Perhaps, you have additional videos on Audacity? Thank you, again.

[@ABHISHEKKUMAR9aug]

Awesome, watched the video, done the editing and it was superb. All this took me just 30 minutes for the first time. You saved a lot of my time :)

[@aparimitus11]

I used to do Noise Reduction and Compressor effects for my voiceovers...Limiter,EQ,Normalise etc I used for my music recordings,...but after watching your video, i will try using those for voiceovers too...thanks!

[@JusticeHall]

Thank you. I found this very helpful. I recently took over recording the voice over for a popular KZbin channel and I constantly get comments about my microphone. This will definitely help me eliminate those negative comments.

[@Serge1913]

What channel?

[@JusticeHall]

@@Serge1913 Chris Cross. KZbin memes

[@nuabyss]

Totally improved the vocals I had to edit for learning content. such an amazing and quick way to improve the overall quality of the sound. thank you for the very specific direction in your video.

[@lawandbeyond_at]

Thank you so much. Had a humming voice from my soft box lights that was bothering me. Much better now. Will come back to this tutorial in the future.

[@Betta-ah]

This is amazing, out of all how to's you outweigh everyone! Thank you so much for this, its exactly what im looking for my voiceovers

[@fredr.]

Serge THANK YOU! I don't know how I missed this one. Just applied the settings on a project, excepted the equalizer 9 a bit too much IMO), and this is awesome.

[@SundayRockersOfficial]

@Serge M , Ton of thanks for this amazing tips. Can you make separate videos for each topic discussion ? also please show the steps for a beginner to record vocal and guitar & its mixing. That would really be helpful.. Love from Kolkata (India)

[@MrBEFjeld]

thank you, i did some of this before on other youtube videos, but his one made me 100% ready start posting my reviews!

[@daemeonation3018]

I think I just learned about this this morning, but you can look at the spectrum analysis of the clip in the analyze menu and use that to help you with what you need to do with the filter eq curve.

[@Fastfoodtools]

these settings are absolutely awesome. I don't have the best microphones & this made it 10x better!

[@HomericOrigins]

Thank you for this video. I just applied this setting as you thought here and my audio sounds better than my usual settings. Thank you.

[@pal2tech]

Serge, this is incredibly helpful. Thank you so much. You have such a great talent in making training videos.

[@Serge1913]

Thank you! Would you be interested in seeing more audacity tutorials?

[@pal2tech]

@@Serge1913 Absolutely, yes sir! I recently switched over from using tascam DR-40 to connecting to small pre-amp and connecting directly into macbook -- and recording with Audacity. I then bring .wav into FCPX and add Logic limiter and Fat EQ -- but not totally happy with the quality or workflow. I'd love to be able to use more of the Audacity best practices, especially when recording external sound outside on location (not perfect studio setup) and bringing that into Audacity for example. I used Audacity for my studio setup in this video here and am not completely happy with the sound: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y2rJdomMgcaelZo. Anyhow, thanks for the response and keep making great videos, you ROCK!

[@parikshithmo]

Thanks a lot man...there are lots of bad videos related to this topic...i followed urs and my voice is 100 times better now

[@NonaPrince]

Such a good video, most tutorials just show the steps but you also explained the why and that is what i look for in tutorials. Great job!

[@Serge1913]

I find it helps a lot when people know why they are doing what they’re doing

[@AncientInsights1]

Thank you. I use a plug in called YOU WA SHOCK in place of Compressor. I don't if it is appropriate to ignore Compressor but the plug in is great

[@eri7-11]

Serge, great video, as a girl is it ok boost bass and treble in EQ? So no need for noise gate for general pc hiss, noise reduction is enough? Anything to do for cars that sporadically rumble through. My mom has all closets filled, even in my bedroom (filled to the brim). Parents hearing going and they talk so noisy and loud tv and dog barking on and off all day. I'm imagining real a lovely new place just for me.

[@alasdairbaker9914]

Thanks, I've been using Audacity for a year or two but this was like an open sesame to all the ways i could have been using it properly!

[@joecruz6237]

Great video, thanks. I'm having a problem with latency issue while listening with headsets while I am speaking into the mic. Would you know how I can fix that?. This is while I am checking my mic, before recording.

[@TheMarkSasuke64]

Thank, mate. Have a deadline on Sunday and this saved me a lot of headache. Too many social media producers are expecting video editors to fix their horrible audio and it's insane.

[@pullmfinger6149]

Thanks for the video Serge!! I spent too many hours doing research before finding this gem!!

[@MatthewLingren]

Just got into voiceover work recently, so this is a Godsend. Thank you so much for posting such a clear explanation.

[@thestompartist9733]

Wow such a great video All five steps were vivid and easy to understand. Your underrated channel just got a new sub👌🏾

[@Serge1913]

Awesome, thank you!

[@CyberHak]

Good video. It's best to put the EQ at the start of the effects chain. Before the compressor.

[@93142]

A you do a video with the recent update (3.6.1) of Audacity?? Would be very helpful, it’s a little different now for compressor and limiter filter. Thank you!

[@yys8585]

Thank you, this tutorial has been very useful. You have demystified what was once dark murky waters for me. I find that in my recording scenario, doing an additional round of noise reduction at the end was useful. But this may introduce artifacts so experimentation is necessary.

[@Nobody-eg4bi]

Your video is excellent while your speech was a little fast but your description under video is just invaluable for people non native english speakers like me, you are so smart man, thank you so much and god bless you.

[@FJProenza]

I am always amazed at how much I learn from you. Whenever I need to find out how to do something, you have the answer. Many thanks, Serge.

[@Serge1913]

Happy to help!

[@christinecliu]

Thanks for the concise and great instructions! Understandable. Question: Does Audacity have any feature to control the voice vibrato? Any suggestions?

[@FACETRECORDS]

move to fl studio

[@ms-so6jy]

Thaaank you! The only tutorial that didn't waste anybody's time...

[@monkeechicken]

worked a treat for me, thankyou so much. I was worried my planned podcast was going to sound amateurish but it's much better now.

[@Serge1913]

Happy to help!

[@BillBird2111]

Interesting. I apply some of these steps, but not all. I also choose the Normalization function first, before applying any type of Compressor (I'm using the Amplitude effect to do this, not the Compressor). My last step is the Limiter. My audiobooks always pass ACX checks, but I know my sound can use improvement. There's something I'm not doing right and it shows up in the final production. As I mentioned, it passes the ACX Check as well as 2nd Opinion. BUT, I am not totally satisfied with it. SOOO, perhaps it's time to try something new. I appreciate this video and I'm going to play around with some completed files here to see what I come up with.

[@emijta]

Great video, easy to follow, explains everything, short, concise... have I praised you enough?

[@MikeMacful]

Just to say thanks for a really helpful video - I've just applied it to a previous 'best effort' clip in Shotcut, transferring the settings used in Audacity as far as possible, and it's a huge improvement!

[@JBColourisation]

It's so nice to find an Audacity tutorial with good quality audio!

[@IrfanMujawar]

Great video. How to import video file into audacity? And after changes how to merge new audio to the video? Please help me in this regards. Thank you in advance.

[@W4YN3R_]

This video was crazygud! I took that exact 6 minutes and the result is REALLY great! Huge thanks!

[@empressthechildlike]

Very nice video! I want to add echo, when do I do that? Before or after compressing and equalizing?

[@SilverHunterN]

I've used Audacity for more than 5 years, so I have a good amount of experience using it. I don't use it everyday, so I am no expert in it, so I'd put myself at intermediate level. I did know about Noise reduction and this helps so, so much. I did test what happens if you use noise reduction twice and it muffles my voice overs, so DO NOT apply this twice, only once. I have used Amplify before, and I use this for somewhat quiet voiceovers/sound effects. Because sometimes putting the gain on my microphone picks up background noise or saliva clicks way more easily. I did know and tried out equalizer in the past, and I do not like this effect, since it muffles my audio. I have not found a good use for this even after 5 years of using audacity. One effect I've used is Reverb. Most people probably don't use this, but I use it for thought voice overs. Oh, I forgot about normalize. I should try that sometime.

[@BW-zd6nc]

Thank you for this GREAT tutorial Serge! I got my first offer to narrate an audiobook and this has been very helpful!!!!

[@gardenpanicmusic]

How I do it: 1. Go to Generate and select Noise (white noise) and get the Noise Profile of that Clip 2. Use Noise Reduction on the voice over 3. Compressor 4. EQ (Increase Treble by 3 decibels at Max) (It's ok if the buzzing sound is loud just use Noise Gate) Then it's all down to Normalizing and Limiting, you first Normalize and then Limit (-10db) depending on how flat you want your levels to be, by doing this. You bring down the louder parts of your audio and bring up the quiet parts, so you can end up having a very controlled audio file, You may repeat the Normalizing and Limiting depending on how unbalanced your audio is, this is just my preference though.

[@jadegrow6724]

I've looked at a lot of video on this, and yours was the only one that got me to pass. thank you!

[@travienkelly3274]

EXCELLENT!!!!! Thank you so much for making this VERY immportant step easy to understand!!

[@rororin_mochikoko1533]

So helpful! If you guys can't find the equalization in the drop-down menu, it's the filter curve :)

[@HBGibson]

Great simple instructions!! But I'm not sure if u mentioned it in the video (only went through it a few times more to see your settings), but will these settings make voiceover recordings ACX standard (audio books for Audible)?

[@shad3ious]

A good time I learned a long time ago, is to always wait a least 6 seconds after you press record and before you start speaking. This will help you get a better noise profile, so that you can more easily remove it later. :D

[@tiyowprasetyo]

Thanks a lot man. My voice quality improves after applying those effects. Great video!

[@jmaku23]

This is the best tutorial so far ,, simple and to the point,

[@spiritwardiaries]

Thanks for taking the time to post this video about Audacity for us narrators :) out there.

[@bloodshotk]

Hi Serge - Great Video! Is there a way of creating a shortcut so I can just hit a command and it does all of those things in order?

[@Serge1913]

Yes! You can make effect chains. Here’s how kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZ2mh2tjoKeYfKM

[@bloodshotk]

@@Serge1913 Perfect! Thank you so much

[@voiceofben7338]

This will help me in my VO journey! Thanks, my man!!

[@gopinathd6885]

You are a life saver! What's interesting about your video is you explain why we change each values. :)

[@Serge1913]

When people know why they’re applying a certain effect, it makes way more sense

[@moneyconceptsmcallen]

Thank you Serge, this is my go to video for voice overs

[@gammaechofoundationproductions]

Hey Serge, thanks for this! This is very helpful! You were brief and straight to the point! I look forward to seeing more of your videos! You just earned a new subscriber! :)

[@BlueCJ]

Such an easy-to-understand video, great job! Other tutorials are just too long for me and hard to understand

[@DJTLaRoss]

I'm not sure if this was mentioned in the comments, but with your limiter setting, you are only increasing the gain on the left channel. I wasn't sure why this was happening when following your instructions until I realized both the left and right channels have separate controls when adjusting the limiter. Otherwise very helpful video. Thank you.

[@OfficialRedTeamReview]

I noticed this too. Did you change both to be the same or leave it the way he had it where right channel has no gain?

[@FJProenza]

One question, please, Serge. You start with noise reduction. In step 3 you apply a Limiter effect which essentially raises the loudness of the softer parts of your audio. Aren't you increasing noise this way? Would it be better to apply noise reduction after the limiter effect?

[@lauriekibblewhite]

The noise has been removed ...

[@jeffreeman6987]

Where have you been Serge?? now i need to see what other topics you've sensibly condensed...(.enough of those time consuming fluff and ego filled tutorials ) SERGE .....you the MAN!

[@thinkpositive3d]

THANK YOU serge for valuable information, this helps me lot in my audio editing :)

[@murderhill1947]

Hey Serge, at about ten seconds into this tutorial you say "Most of the stuff can be done in Final cut Pro....". How about a tutorial on how to use some of the audio effects for voiceover. In particular, I use a couple of items for my voiceovers that I create within the program and 95% of what I do gives me exactly what I want to hear. My voice is clear and understandable...with one exception: The sharp tones...Ps, Gs, Ts...you know, the hard consonants. Every bit of my voiceover is right up tight to the 0 on the audio meter except those hard sounds that jump up as loud as +9. I try to use the Limiter effect, there are two: One in the Final Cut menu and one in the Logic menu (I don't use that one). When I use the effect, it lowers the overall volume setting on the clip but that is not what I thought it was supposed to do. Have you played with this effect at all?

[@ckyro121]

This was quick and right to the point with very specific instructions which I love. I don't even know if they work yet lol but I'm about to re=watch the video and this time take notes so thank you!