Skip to content
how to do a voice over on youtube
April 30, 2023 Mixcord, Inc.

How to Do a Voice Over on YouTube

Adding voice over to YouTube videos enhances your ability to connect and engage your viewers from the first clip. Viewers also consider voice over content more accessible and narrative in nature, which is a strong format for educational or blog-style content. 

YouTube continues to improve YouTube shorts and related products to remain competitive with TikTok. This offers individuals and brands an opportunity to establish themselves quickly and sustainably, in a way that fosters more potential for viral content with editing tools and YouTube voice overs. 

Below, we’re exploring the benefits voice over can bring to YouTube videos, as well as the steps to create a voice over. 

Why Add Voice Over for YouTube Videos?

There are many different benefits you can gain when you learn how to do voice over on YouTube. We’ve summarized a few below: 

    • You’ll engage viewers immediately. Viewers easily connect to a human voice speaking to them. YouTube voice over is especially powerful here, breaking the model of music-backed content in favor of a more personalized element. 
    • You may have a longer watch time. As a result of the connection, viewers might stay on your video for longer periods of time than they otherwise would, giving you additional opportunities for monetization and brand awareness. 
  • Your content will have a voice. Personified content gives your customers a “peer” voice to connect and establish trust with. It’s best if that voice is as consistent and brand aligned as possible, which is where learning how to do voice over on YouTube is helpful. You’ll sound the same, delivering high-quality content without compromising your message. 
  • You can leverage voice over localization. Voice over localization is a marketing strategy where you align your style of communication and delivery with the preferences of a specific region. Learning how to do a voice over on YouTube Shorts is a way to start, giving you the foundational info you need to localize and optimize. 
  • You can tell your story clearly and accurately: Voice over is a powerful tool that gives you the power of narration. It guides your viewers through the flow of the script, giving them a more impactful understanding of your content. 


    • How to Record a YouTube Voice Over

    Learning how to do a voice over on YouTube provides you with a near-endless stream of customization options and optimization avenues for your content. 

    Here’s a quick summary detailing how to voice over a video for YouTube Content:

    Pre-Production for a YouTube Voice Over

    Pre-production steps streamline your overall process and result in higher-quality content at a faster rate. Some of the most common steps in pre-production include: 

  • Preparing Your Voice Over Script: Your voice over script acts as your map to keep you engaging and on-track, helping your video to be as impactful and successful as possible. These aren’t just helpful for short form content, either. Creators use these successfully in long form content to make it as versatile as possible for different consumption formats.
  • Choosing the Right Equipment for Recording a YouTube Voice Over: Higher-quality equipment generally results in higher quality content, even if nothing in your production process changes. Investing in and optimizing professional equipment such as microphones, prompters, editing software and sound filters are all essential for a studio-quality voice over.  

    • If you’re looking for more ideas to enhance your pre-production process, we recommend reviewing our ‘Voice Over Tips for Recording High Quality Audio’ guide, which helps you get the most out of every shoot. 

    Step-By-Step to Record a Voice Over on YouTube

    Many creators choose to record voice over natively on the YouTube app. We’ve compiled a short list of steps to make your experience a successful one: 

    1. Stay hydrated and standing. These two steps are critical for proper breath support, which will impact the quality of your voice over. Practicing good posture and focusing on your core muscles also gives you extra projection and voice support.
    2. Record your content. As you record, you’ll want to consider the overall quality of the output you’re hearing before attempting your voice over. Ongoing assessment reduces editing time later. 
    3. Enter the voice over editor. You’ll do this by tapping the check located in the bottom-right area of the camera screen, and tapping on the voice over button. 
    4. Choose your point. You’ll then see a video filmstrip appear at the bottom of your display. Use it to scrub to the “starting point” of your voice over content. 
    5. Record and evaluate. Begin recording, following the on-screen prompt. Feel free to take as many “takes” as you need to get the highest quality content possible. 

    Post Production Tips

    Post production allows you to polish your media in a way that appeals to your content audience. You can make it crisper, more accentuated and perfectly timed, keeping your content as engaging as possible. Editing styles in this step may vary. We’ve put together a few top tips for your post production process to give you a great place to start: 

      • Use video editing software to add voice over audio: Video editing software is an alternative option to native voice over creation. These tools allow you to time your content perfectly, offer more tailored editing options and generally provide a cleaner experience. There are many different types of software available to suit each budget, including: 
        • MixVoice: One of the most widely used software options available, MixVoice voice over app offers studio-quality production and AI support in a range that suits both pro creators and enthusiasts. 
        • GarageBand: GarageBand is a readily available media voice over on Apple devices, offering a limited range of editing and effects that more suit hobbyists. 
        • Premiere Pro: Premiere Pro generally lies between MixVoice and GarageBand, providing a more advanced experience at a more expensive cost than MixVoice. 
      • Optimize sound quality for voice over on YouTube:  While this step looks different for everyone, some places to start include masking any removed sounds with room audio, and ensuring that volume is consistent throughout the entire video. 
  • Choose your foley elements: If your content is more lighthearted or youthful, you might choose to add foley for effect. This makes the content more relatable and less serious, which is a good choice for more casual brands. You’ll add this manually through your editor of choice. 
  • Finish your mixing: This step helps creators go through every minute of content, ensuring that the vocals are spread evenly and not too harsh at any given point in the video. This is especially useful for interview-style voice overs, or longer pieces of media where the voice over may become uneven. 


    • How to Do a Voice Over on YouTube Shorts

    There are many ways to do a voice over on YouTube Shorts. The YouTube editing suite offers a convenient way for creators to add voice over to media assets, and third-party apps such as MixVoice further simplify the process of narration and insertion. 

    We’ve outlined both methods below.

    Method 1: Using YouTube to Add Voice Over Natively

    We’ve summarized the steps of adding voice over to YouTube content using the native editing tool below: 

    1. Navigate to the tool. Tap the checkmark button in the bottom right area of your camera screen. Then, tap the voice over button. 
    2. Choose your starting point. You’ll see a film strip populate in the editing tool. Use the vertical line to scrub and find the starting point for your voice over. 
    3. Begin your recording process. Hit the red record button to start recording, evaluating the quality of your voice over and video content as you go. Then, tap it again to stop recording.

    Voice over scripts are invaluable resources to enhance your content and boost your viewer engagement. We put together a comprehensive resource that details the process of learning how to write a voice over script for simple practice and implementation. 

    Method 2: Using MixVoice to Add Voice Over on YouTube Content

    Adding voice over on YouTube content is simple with the MixVoice app. First, you’ll download the app via the iOS/Mac app store/Google Play store. After you first open your app, you’ll start your project by selecting your file of choice. 

    After the selection, you will trim your video to its start and end. You’ll then scrub using the video timeline tool, picking the point where you’ll want AI text to speech to begin. You’ll then type in your script of choice, selecting the language and voice presentation you want in your final media asset. 

    Then, you’ll export the video in your video ratio of choice. You’ll be able to remove the watermark with MixVoice Premium, if your media requires it. 

     

    Download MixVoice Today!

    iOS app store download


    Mac App Store


    google play download



    Filed in: 9:16, ai, ai voice, Facebook, instagram, instagram reels, instagram tts, iphone, reels, text to speech, TikTok, tiktok tts, video app editor, video editing, Video Editor, videomaker, voiceover, YouTube
    Previous article How to Make a Sound on TikTok
    Next article How to Prepare a Script for a Teleprompter app