So, what’s the number?

When managing a project and working on your budget, you might just want to hear a number… and we get that.

We understand the urgency of a fast, accurate answer on this one, as it can be very time-consuming to sit and look through several price lists and crunch numbers. Not to mention the frustration that comes with it! Who knows, maybe this has already caused you trouble in the past. Why? Because the price you see might not always be the final cost.

This guide will help you gather all the factors influencing voice-over pricing, so you can budget your next project fast and easily without long calls or email threads.

The Stages

If you want to calculate costs at the speed of light, then it’s important to have an idea of the production stages and whether you need assistance in all of them. Why? Because each production stage contributes to audio quality and is characterized by different features that can influence the final cost.

Pre-Production

Ask yourself the right questions – or let us ask them for you

The first thing to discern is whether you have all the particularities and requirements on the project down. During this preparation phase, the most important thing is to ask yourself the right questions. When completed accurately and in advance, this will save you around 50% of completion time and unnecessary, costly retakes!

What things should you consider?

The first thing for you to decide is whether you need your script in additional languages, which will mean translations. It is natural that the more languages you put in the trolley, the higher the cost would be, regardless of whether you need additional voice-overs or a script translation + voice-over combo. Luckily for you, we can handle both scenarios fairly quickly.

As a one-stop-shop for everything audio-production-related, we can ensure translations, localisations, and multilingual recordings on tight deadlines, simplifying the process for you via a unique point of contact, with us.

The next to consider is usage and broadcasting. Is your content aimed for paid or actively boosted media usage? Is it aimed at radio or TV? Differences in usage create different needs, which can also impact the price.

Production

Welcome to the heart of the process! Once we have your script voice-over ready, in whatever number of languages required, you’ll start thinking about a variety of production features. It’s important to mention that not every agency or marketplace will offer all these features. To give you an accurate overview of the best service you can get, we have included all the price-influencing features we think can ensure high-quality results. Here is a list of both the basic and exclusive services offered by VoiceArchive:

Post-Production

Mastering

This refers to the process of enhancing your audio’s sound quality according to your requests. For instance, during the post-production stage, we can fix mixed balance issues or even enhance sonic characteristics. This usually requires the use of EQ (equalization) or/and compression so that each track’s audio remains consistent. Make it sound crisp!

File editing

Do you need the audio cut and sent into smaller parts? What about the naming of each file? A voice-over agency can provide you with custom-made file editing of the final product.

Final mix and SFX

There is an extra cost if you want sound effect features to be added to the voice-over. Make sure you include timing/timecoding information in your script description.

The Gist:

When working on budgeting the voiceover costs consider:

Purpose
Number of languages
Number of talents
Re-takes
Script help
Post-production services
Free or exclusive services provided by your voice over agency

Your needs and choices and – as a result – the cost, are affected by both. Keep in mind that the more complex the project, the more experienced and expensive your voice talent will be.

Voice-over projects can be characterized by complicity and a variety of features – but we’re here to make it easy. When it comes to calculating costs, we highly advise you to consider all features mentioned in this blog post. Try to communicate them simply but clearly in your briefing when talking to voice actors, so you can save precious time and back-and-forth rounds of messages!

Or here’s another tip: put your calculator down for a sec, contact one of our voice-over professionals now, and get fast, easy, and 100% personalized answers and advice to all of your questions.