There are three ways to record narration for an explainer or corporate video: in a studio with an engineer, remotely with the talent recording at home or in a booth near them, or on set with a field recorder. Studio gives the most control, remote gives the most choice of voices at the lowest logistics cost, and on set works only when the room is quiet and the line is short. The right route depends on the script, the budget and how many revisions you expect.
The three recording routes
Studio
A booked studio with an engineer gives you a treated room, a good microphone chain, someone listening critically to every take, and live direction. You can stop and redo a line immediately, hear problems such as mouth noise, plosives or room tone as they happen, and leave with clean files.
Trade-offs: the room and engineer are billed by the hour or the session, travel adds time, and everyone who needs to approve the read must be there or on a live link. This is the strongest route for hero videos, brand films, and any script where tone and nuance matter.
Remote
Remote recording means the voice actor records in their own booth or home studio while you listen and direct over a call or a session link. Professional voice actors often have treated spaces and decent gear, and many can deliver files the same day. It also widens casting: you are not limited to people near your editor.
Trade-offs: quality depends on the talent’s room and equipment, internet delays can disturb live direction, and you rely on the actor’s ear for self-monitoring. Ask for a short test file before booking, listen on headphones for room echo and background noise, and agree on how takes are labeled and delivered.
On set
On-set recording captures a narrator or presenter during the shoot with the same sound equipment as the dialogue. It suits a founder or employee speaking to camera, or a narrated line that needs the natural ambience of the location. It does not suit polished narration for animation, because the room will rarely be as controlled as a studio and shoot-day time is expensive.
If you do record narration on set, capture a separate clean take in a quiet room at the end of the day, and record a minute of room tone, the empty sound of the location, so the editor can match it later.
Which to choose
| Route | Suits | Main risk | Who needs to be present |
| Studio | Hero explainer, brand film, nuanced reads | Cost and scheduling | Director, engineer, approver |
| Remote | Corporate video, e-learning, multiple voices | Variable room quality | Director or producer on a call |
| On set | Founder-led or presenter-led film | Background noise, shoot-day time pressure | Sound recordist on the shoot |
Write the script for the ear
Narration is heard once, in real time, so it must be easier on the ear than on the page.
Count the words against the picture. A typical conversational narration pace is about two to three words per second, depending on the voice and the tone. A sixty-second explainer therefore carries roughly 130 to 160 words. Read the script aloud with a timer, as a human would read it, before you commit to a picture lock. Scripts that read fine on the page run long once spoken.
Write short sentences. One idea per sentence, subject first. If a sentence needs a breath in the middle, split it. Avoid parenthetical asides, stacked clauses, and numbers with many digits.
Avoid tongue twisters. Repeated sounds, such as “specific Pacific statistics” or strings of sibilants, trip up professional voices as well as amateurs. Read the script aloud to find these before the session instead of paying for retakes.
Use a pronunciation sheet. List every brand name, product name, acronym, surname and place name, with a plain-language spelling and a decision on how to say it. For acronyms, decide whether they are spoken as letters or as a word. Add the product name’s stress pattern if it is unusual. Send the sheet with the script, not on the day of the session.
Spell out numbers and symbols. Write what is meant to be said: “twelve thousand dollars”, not “$12,000”, and write dates the way they should be spoken.
Mark the pauses. A line break in the script can signal a pause. Where the picture changes, give the voice a beat.
Casting a voice
Start from the audience, not from the voice you personally like. Decide the tone in plain words, such as warm and direct, calm and expert, or brisk and energetic, and share two or three reference clips of reads you like. Listen to demos, then ask the shortlist to read the same paragraph of your actual script. A short paid audition of a few lines tells you more than any demo reel.
Check the usage terms before booking: where the video will run, for how long, and whether paid advertising is included. Voice work is commonly licensed by use, so a corporate video that later becomes a paid ad may need different terms. Put the terms in writing.
Direction notes that get results
Good direction is specific and short.
- Describe the listener, not the emotion: “You are talking to one busy operations manager who has not heard of us.”
- Give a pace reference: slower on the key claim, faster on setup lines.
- Mark the stressed word in a sentence when the meaning depends on it.
- Ask for two takes per line, one safe and one slightly different, and decide in the edit.
- Avoid line readings that the actor must imitate. Describe the intent and let them find it.
Keep one approver in the room or on the call. When five people give notes during a session, the actor receives conflicting instructions, and the session runs over time.
Delivery specs and file handling
Specs vary by editor and by delivery platform, so ask your editor for the sample rate, bit depth and file format they want before the session. Uncompressed files are the usual choice for masters because they leave room to process the audio later, but let the editor confirm. Ask for clean takes with no processing or noise reduction applied by the talent, labeled by script line, so the editor can cut and match them.
Request alternate reads of any line the script treats as a headline or call to action. Also ask for a short slate at the start of each file stating the take and the project name. These small habits save hours of searching later.
Revisions and pickups
Plan for changes. Scripts change after legal review, product teams rename features, and numbers get updated. A pickup is a short follow-up recording of only the changed lines, ideally recorded by the same actor in a similar room with similar settings so that it matches the original session. Agree in the booking how many pickups are included and what extra ones cost.
To limit pickups, lock the script before recording, and get legal and product approval on every name and claim in the narration. Record a few extra lines of safe filler, such as alternate endings or a generic call to action, so the edit has options.
Where this fits in a production budget
A clear quote tells you whether sound is included. LV Productions, for example, states that color, sound and subtitles are in its standard quote and that studio rental is quoted separately, and it lists explainer videos among its service lines. It also states a first cut within one week of wrap. The practical point for voiceover is to ask any producer the same questions: is narration recording included, is a booth or studio session extra, how many revisions of the read are covered, and when does the voice need to be locked so the first cut is on time.
FAQ
How long should an explainer voiceover script be?
Time it by reading aloud. At roughly two to three words per second, sixty seconds holds about 130 to 160 words, and a two-minute video about 260 to 320. Leave room for pauses and for the picture to carry some points without words.
Can I record voiceover with a phone?
For a draft or scratch track, yes. For the final, a phone in a quiet, soft room can pass for internal use, but a dedicated microphone in a treated space gives cleaner files for editing, which makes mixing easier and produces a more polished result.
Who should read the narration, an employee or a professional?
A professional reads faster, makes fewer errors, and delivers consistent takes. An employee brings credibility to a message from a specific person. If the video is a founder message, use the founder, and record in a quiet room with a good microphone.
Next step
Before you book anyone, read your script aloud against a timer, circle every name and number, and write the pronunciation sheet. Then ask your editor for the delivery specs. With those three things in hand, any of the three routes will go faster and cost less.