How to create a voice over for e-learning—The ultimate guide

For anyone who has never made a voice over, recording one might seem like a straightforward task. When you think about it, how hard can it be to voice something that you’re an expert in? Unfortunately, recording voice overs isn’t the same as a run-of-the-mill PowerPoint presentation for a webinar. Voice overs are a part of the ever-growing field of instructional design.

Your first time recording can be a pretty time-consuming effort, full of challenges on the way when it comes to audio recording equipment, audio editing software, voice over talent, sound quality, and more. This is all regardless of how much you know about the subject at hand. Luckily, you’ve come to the right place. Here, we’ll let you in on our tutorial for how to use voice overs for improving the learning experience of your audience—whether that be e-learning content for the classroom or corporate training videos.

What is a voice over, and why do you need one for e-learning courses?

A good voice over is the main ingredient to delivering e-learning content to your target audience. You can imagine it as a tool that provides knowledge retention of the subject matter. Nevertheless, they aren’t mere narrations. Voice overs are, in fact, ways to keep listeners both engaged and involved in an online course.

Most voice over work is done by professional voice actors. Unlike podcast hosts, they have proper diction, pronunciation, and at least entry-level knowledge of the subject at hand. Without any of these, the voice acting quality won’t be good enough to keep listeners engaged and will eventually fail to meet their desires. So, let’s see how they are made.

How to create a voice over script

Before you can tap the record button, you’ll need to develop a script. To begin with, you should map out a storyboard of what you’re going to talk about in your e-learning module. The map template should include goals, objectives, key ideas, and an overall tone of the script.

When it comes time to write a voice over script, it’s key to keep in mind that it should be conversational. Sure enough, it should sound professional. However, you shouldn’t distance yourself too much from learners. Make them feel that they can relate to you while still being informative and true to yourself.

The last thing you’ll want to check about your script is its length. Even if something might appear short on paper, it can take way more time to narrate. For instance, 100 words usually take up a minute to speak. Therefore, estimate how long your script will be during recording and beef it up or cut it down to meet the desired length before recording.

How to choose the right voice over talent for your course

Making your indie e-learning voice overs means you might not be able to afford or even contact professional voice over artists. However, you can always do it yourself or use an AI voice over. The first one is, of course, only an option for those who are confident in how their voice sounds when recorded.

If you do decide to use AI narrators, your best bet is to get your hands on a text to speech app like Speechify. This is a high-quality software that turns any writing—digital or physical—into fully audible speech. It offers you a range of natural-sounding voices in over 15 different languages, and you can also customize the voices to adjust their reading speed.

When picking AI narrators, you should keep in mind three things:

• The first one is to pick the right language for your material. For example, if your audience is located in a Spanish-speaking country like, you should go for Spanish.

• Next up, decide between male or female-sounding voice over narration. You should do this depending on which of these better suits the material or your audience’s preferences.

• Third, decide between several voices of the same gender. Some will sound more professional while others are casual, both of which suit different subjects.

Tips for recording your voice over

Here are a few tips In case you want to record an actual human voice for your e-learning voice over. Of course, if any of these prove to be too hard on your budget, you can always turn back to Speechify and its text to speech features.

• Microphone—For audio recording, you’ll need a mic. Still, you can’t just use a basic laptop microphone that you talk through when using Skype, Teams, or Zoom. Professional voice overs require higher-quality microphones. Hence, browse some XLR microphones over on Amazon.

• Pop filter—Most microphones don’t come with a pop filter. This is a netted shield that prevents pop sounds when singing or speaking. It’s an essential add-on to your mic if you want to record a professional-sounding voice over with smooth audio.

• Recording and editing software—Having a mic and pop filter without adequate software won’t work. Luckily, you don’t need ones used in professional recording studios. Freeware programs like Audacity can do the job you need them for, and there are many online tutorials to help you learn how to use them.

Editing, finalizing, and publishing your voice over

Once the recording is done, you’ll need to polish and publish it. Here’s what to look out for during the editing and finalizing stage:

• Eliminating background noise—It’s key to remember that any ambient noise isn’t welcome when creating a voice over. The sound of air conditioners, for example, can distract your listeners, making your recording sound ineffective and unprofessional. As such, eliminate them with audio editing software.

• Silence—Despite how it might sound, silence is a friend of any voice over. This is especially true for e-learning tracks. Make sure that you utilize brief moments of silence between paragraphs and headings so that your listeners can have the time to process what they’ve just heard.

• Publishing—The best way to publish your first voice over is by self-publishing. You can also do it through several publishing platforms. The fees won’t be negotiable, but they won’t significantly cut your profit. These apps include iSpring, Camtasia, and Articulate Storyline 360, among many others.

Editing might be a bit tricky for new voice over creators. If it turns out as such, we’d again recommend that you use a text to speech app like Speechify, as you won’t have to deal with white noise, the recording quality of the audio file, and many of the other editing steps.

As a customizable text to speech platform with natural-sounding voices, Speechify is your best friend when it comes to quickly and efficiently creating voice overs for e-learning content. Try it for free, or check out Speechify Premium to get even more great features. Speechify is available for all devices and platforms, including Android, Apple, and Windows products.

FAQ

What is the best voice over software?

Speechify is the number-one rated text to speech app out there and can be used to create lifelike voice overs. It provides its users an option to create a voice over for any script, with the use of over 30 natural-sounding AI narrators in over 15 languages.

What are the steps to create a voice over for e-learning?

1. Map out the script for your voice over.
2. Write an informational script without being too casual or formal.
3. Decide on the voice that you’ll use to narrate your script.
4. Use a text to speech app like Speechify—or acquire a mic, pop filter, and recording software if you’ll be using an actual human voice to narrate your e-learning course.