Voice over: definitions

Voice over: the essential definition

Let's start with the basics: a voice over is a voice you hear without seeing the person speaking on screen or in the medium concerned. It is recorded in advance to be added to an audio or video project.

But that simple definition misses something essential. Behind the voice is an actor. Yes, an actor! Our work is first and foremost about interpreting a script, giving it an intention, an emotion and a particular energy so that it connects with the listener.

Listen to voice over demos →

A few distinctions for your next conversation or client brief

To clear up some common confusion, here are the main distinctions:

• Voice over: a voice heard off screen, with no visible speaker. Think documentary narration, radio commercials or voicemail messages.
• On-screen voice: the voice of someone visible on screen, such as a journalist or an actor being interviewed. You can see who is speaking.
• Voice-over translation: a specific technique in which a voice, often a translation, is layered over the original voice, which remains faintly audible underneath. Common in foreign-language reports and interviews.
• Dubbing: a different discipline again! The actor completely replaces the original voice of an actor on screen and must match their lip movements precisely, known as lip sync. It is a specialist craft in its own right.

Why a human voice still makes the difference

As artificial intelligence advances rapidly and synthetic voices become increasingly convincing, the question arises: does human voice over still have a future?

My firm belief is YES, a thousand times yes! Why? Because however sophisticated AI may be, it cannot, at least for now, reproduce the full richness of human emotion, the subtlety of an intention, the warmth of a presence or the unique spark of a performance.

A human voice creates a direct, authentic connection. It brings that extra something that makes a message more than just heard: it is felt. AI is a remarkable tool for some applications, but to reach hearts and minds, nothing replaces the distinctive resonance of a voice brought to life by a person.

Voice cloning and voice theft

Voice cloning uses artificial intelligence to reproduce a voice from a few samples. When it is done without the person's consent, it is voice theft: the actor is stripped of their own working tool. That is exactly what happened to me, and I describe the steps I took in my account of voice theft.

The different worlds of voice over: a complete overview

Voice over is everywhere, but each field has its own characteristics, conventions and, above all, performance intentions. Here is a tour of these vocal worlds, where every word, breath and silence matters.

Advertising: catching attention in a few seconds

Advertising is the art of persuading quickly and immediately evoking an emotion or a desire. On radio, television or online, a commercial voice over needs to be:

• Impactful: a dynamic, energetic tone that sparks interest.
• Clear: well-articulated words that convey a message quickly.
• Appropriate: warm and friendly for a family product, calm and reassuring for a financial service, or sensual and elegant for a luxury fragrance.

E-learning: guiding with clarity and a teaching mindset

In e-learning, the voice over is an invisible trainer. It guides, explains and teaches. The vocal intention is quite different here:

• Instructive and measured: clear diction and a controlled pace.
• Empathetic and motivating: to hold attention and support learning.
• Suited to the audience: adjusting the tone for professionals, students, medical staff or other learners, so learning feels natural.

Corporate and institutional films: building trust

In this field, the voice over embodies the values of a company or institution:

• Understated and professional: serious without becoming monotonous.
• Inspiring and reassuring: a voice that encourages trust and engagement.
• Narrative: telling a story that conveys the organisation's values authentically.

Documentaries: drawing the listener into a story

Documentary voice over is storytelling at its heart:

• Emotional and captivating: interpreting the story and conveying subtle emotions.
• Committed narration: carrying the story with conviction while letting the images take centre stage.
• Nuanced: varying the energy to suit each moment in the documentary.

Motion graphics and explainer videos: matching voice and visuals

Voice over for motion graphics calls for precise synchronisation with the animation:

• Enthusiastic and dynamic: supporting the illustrations and adding rhythm.
• Clear and structured: organising information effectively to make it easy to understand.
• Friendly and accessible: a welcoming tone that feels close to the listener and keeps them engaged.

Audio guides: accompanying an immersive discovery

An audio guide voice is a travelling companion. It needs to be unobtrusive yet captivating:

• Gentle, soothing narration: guiding the visitor with a light touch.
• Precise and flowing: making the information easy to absorb.
• Measured enthusiasm: bringing a story or place to life without taking up too much space.

Audiobooks: bringing a text to life

An audiobook narrator is an actor in every sense:

• Versatile and expressive: embodying different characters and varying emotions and intonation.
• Immersive and engaging: sustaining the listener's interest over a long period.
• Natural and flowing: a well-paced reading that is comfortable and absorbing to listen to.

Video games and animation: creating living worlds

Here, the voice becomes a powerful and often playful creative tool:

• Creative and expressive: creating characters with distinct, lively voices.
• Energetic and varied: able to express a broad range of emotions and reactions.
• Imaginative: adding a narrative dimension that enriches the gaming experience.

Telephone systems (IVR): providing clear information

A voicemail voice needs to be welcoming, reassuring and professional:

• Clear and smiling: the smile should be audible.
• Patient and measured: making waiting more pleasant.
• Informative: articulating clearly to avoid confusion.

Voice over terminology

Like any profession, voice over has its own language. To help explain what happens behind the scenes and make our conversations easier, here is a glossary of terms you may hear:

Acoustic treatment: the art and science of preparing a space so that it sounds good, without unwanted echo or reverberation. Essential for professional-quality recordings, including in a home studio.

Agent: a valuable partner who represents a voice actor, negotiates contracts and finds casting opportunities. Not essential, but often an asset.

Soundscape: the sound environment accompanying the voice, including music and effects. The voice over needs to sit naturally within it.

Apéro Voice : a friendly gathering for voice actors and people curious about the profession. The idea is to talk over a drink about the work, projects and life behind the studio door. Created by voice actor Estelle Hubert and open to everyone, it builds connections beyond the microphone.

Articulation: how clearly syllables and words are pronounced. Good articulation is fundamental to being understood, whatever the pace.

Audio description: a specialist technique in which a voice describes the visual elements of a film or performance, making it accessible to blind and partially sighted people. It calls for a careful balance of precision and emotion.

Trailer: a short, energetic edit designed to make people want to watch a film, series or show. The voice is often punchy and rhythmic.

Rhythmo band: an essential tool in French dubbing. A strip scrolls beneath the picture, showing the actor the dialogue and precise timing needed to match the original actor's lips.

TV sponsorship ident: a short on-air message of a few seconds announcing a programme's sponsor, such as “This programme is brought to you by…”

Blockchain for audio: a distributed ledger that can store fingerprints or declared events. It does not automatically follow every copy or use, and does not by itself prove permission to distribute a recording.

Brief: the initial document or conversation with the client setting out the project, intention, desired tone, audience and distribution context. The clearer the brief, the closer the performance will be to what is needed.

Noise floor: the low-level hiss or residual noise present in a recording even when nobody is speaking. A good studio or home studio aims for the lowest possible noise floor.

Recording booth: an acoustically isolated space in a studio or home studio where the actor records, keeping out external noise and unwanted reverberation.

Cachet: a form of per-engagement payment used in the French performing arts, particularly for workers in the intermittent employment system. It covers a particular performance or engagement.

Timing: making the recorded voice fit precisely within a specified duration, such as the length of an animation or a video shot.

Voice casting: selecting the right voice for a project, using demos or asking actors to record a specific extract from the script as an audition.

Usage rights agreement: the contract defining exactly how, where and for how long the client may use the recorded voice. An essential point that should never be overlooked.

Direct client: the end client, such as a brand, company or institution, as opposed to an agency or production company acting as an intermediary.

Voice over coaching: individual support that helps a voice actor work on a specific need, such as performance, a home studio, demos, positioning or professional development. It starts with their situation and recordings, rather than a shared programme.

Discover my individual voice over coaching (in French).

Voice actor: the right term! Voice over is first and foremost a matter of interpretation and acting, even on the most serious projects.

Audio compressor: a post-production tool that reduces the difference between the loudest and quietest sounds in a recording, giving a more even and controlled result.

Contract: the document that formalises the agreement between a voice actor and client, covering the service, rates, usage rights, deadlines and more. Essential for a smooth working relationship.

DAW (Digital Audio Workstation): computer software for recording and editing audio, such as Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Reaper or Audacity. The home studio's control centre.

Pace: the speed of speech. It needs to suit the message, medium and intention: faster for a lively commercial, slower for an audio guide, for example.

Voice over demo: your audio calling card. A compilation of short extracts, often no more than a minute per style, showing your vocal range and acting abilities. Listen to mine here.

De-esser: a post-production tool that reduces sibilance, such as overly prominent “s” and “sh” sounds, for a more comfortable listen.

Diction: the art of clear delivery, encompassing articulation, pronunciation and intonation. Essential for professional voice over.

Voice direction: guidance given to the actor during recording by a director or the client, to make sure the performance matches the project's vision.

Dubbing: a related but distinct discipline. The actor replaces the original voice of an actor on screen, precisely matching their lip movements.

Neighbouring rights: rights generating remuneration for performers, including voice actors, for certain broadcasts of their recordings on television, radio and other media. In France, organisations such as Adami administer them.

Echo and reverberation: sound persisting in a space after the source has stopped. Good acoustic treatment aims to eliminate unwanted reflections.

Equaliser (EQ): a post-production tool that changes the level of different frequencies, including bass, midrange and treble, to shape the voice's sound.

Audio fingerprint: the result of a method for comparing or identifying an audio recording. Its reliability depends on the technique and on changes made to the file; it is not a universal biometric identifier for a voice.

Vocal energy: the intensity and dynamism in a voice. It needs to suit each project: a children's commercial will not have the same energy as a guided meditation.

Recording without picture: recording from a script without accompanying images. Common for radio advertising and some podcasts.

Invoicing: the essential administrative work of preparing clear quotes, issuing compliant invoices and tracking payments.

Pop filter: a screen, often round and made of fabric or metal, placed in front of the microphone to soften plosives: “p” and “b” sounds that can produce an unpleasant pop.

Audio format: the type of audio file delivered to the client, such as WAV, MP3 or AIFF. WAV is generally preferred for its uncompressed quality.

Vocal pitch: how high or low a voice sounds. Every voice has its own natural range.

Audio imaging: the sound elements, including jingles, musical stings and effects, that accompany the voice to create the identity of a programme, station or brand.

Harmonics: the component frequencies that give a sound its richness and distinctive timbre.

Home studio: the workspace a voice actor sets up at home to make professional-quality recordings. Increasingly essential.

Broadcast-ready home studio: a home studio whose acoustic and equipment quality is considered suitable for demanding productions, such as national television and radio.

Impedance: a technical property of audio equipment such as microphones and preamps. Impedances need to be compatible for the equipment to perform well.

In-store audio: sound broadcast in shops and other retail spaces.

Vocal intention: the emotional or informational purpose behind the words. Finding the right intention, whether reassuring, dynamic, serious or friendly, is at the heart of the work.

Intermittent du spectacle: a specific French social protection framework for performers and technicians working on short contracts. It provides access to unemployment benefits subject to conditions.

Audio file integrity: the aim of detecting changes and preserving a file's integrity. A signature, fingerprint or comparison may help identify certain alterations; no file is guaranteed impossible to copy or reuse. See audio file traceability.

ISDN / Source-Connect / SessionLinkPRO / IPDTL…: technologies for high-quality, real-time remote directed recording. The client can listen and guide the actor as if they were in the studio.

IVR (Interactive Voice Response), or SVI in French: the voice you hear when you call a company, saying “Press 1, press 2…” It needs to be clear, measured and pleasant.

Sight-reading: reading and performing a script fluently and accurately on the first pass. A much-valued studio skill.

LUFS: a unit used to measure loudness. EBU Recommendation R 128 specifies a target of -23 LUFS for normalising the programmes it covers. Delivery follows the broadcaster's and medium's specifications; one target is not applied to every file.

Audio mastering: the final stage of audio post-production, optimising the overall sound for distribution, including level, dynamics and frequency balance.

Enriched metadata: information associated with a file, particularly about the production and declared rights. It can be removed or lost during export and does not guarantee end-to-end traceability.

Microphone: the essential tool that captures the voice. Different types, including condenser and dynamic microphones, have their own characteristics.

Audio mixing: blending the different tracks, including voice, music and effects, into a coherent, balanced whole.

Vocal modulation: varying pitch, intensity and rhythm to make a voice expressive and avoid monotony.

Monitoring: listening to check the sound. In a studio, this involves monitor speakers. For a voice actor, it also means hearing their own voice through headphones during recording to help control the performance.

MP3: a compressed audio format useful for sending smaller files, such as demos or approval copies, but less suitable for high-quality final delivery, where WAV is preferred.

Narration: the voice over style used to tell a story in documentaries, audiobooks, explainer videos and other formats. Often measured, but always engaging.

Audio level: the recording's volume. It needs to be high enough without clipping or hitting the red on the meters.

NO FAKES Act: the title of a US legislative initiative addressing unauthorised digital replicas of voices and likenesses. The S. 1367 bill introduced in 2025 provides the proposal's text. Its progress and status should be checked with Congress.

Audio normalisation: a post-production process that adjusts a recording's overall level to a defined target, such as -3 dBFS.

Voice placement: how resonance is used in the chest, head and other resonating spaces to produce sound. Good placement gives the voice power and a richer timbre.

Podcast: digital audio content, often in the form of programmes or series, in which voices, whether narrators, hosts or contributors, play a central role.

Portfolio: a collection of a voice actor's work, often presented on their website to show their experience and the variety of their projects.

Audio post-production: everything that follows the raw recording, including removing unwanted noise, editing mistakes and pauses, mixing and mastering.

Post-synchronisation: a technique used particularly in film and animation, in which the voice is recorded after filming or the creation of the images, and matched to them.

Microphone preamp: the device that amplifies the microphone's weak electrical signal to a level the audio interface or mixing desk can use. An important part of sound quality.

Take: one attempt at recording a sentence or section of a script.

Directed session: a recording session in which the client or a director listens in real time, in the studio or remotely, and guides the actor's performance.

Audio production: the full process of creating audio content, from recording to final delivery.

Prosody: the musicality of speech: rhythm, intonation and stress. It supports the text and conveys emotion.

Advertising (radio, television and web): a major field of voice over, often requiring energy, conviction and the ability to catch attention very quickly.

Raw audio: an audio file without editing or processing. It reflects exactly what was recorded through the microphone, before mixing or mastering. Studios often request it so they can control the sound processing themselves.

Pickup: re-recording a small part of a script, such as a word or sentence, after the main session to correct an error or adjust the performance.

Vocal register: the range of tones and styles a voice actor can use, such as conversational, corporate, promotional or childlike.

Breath control: a fundamental voice over technique. Knowing where and how to breathe discreetly supports the voice, maintains a flowing pace and gives the script energy.

Audio retouching: small corrections made in post-production, such as removing a mouth noise or adjusting a pause.

Vocal signature: the distinctive timbre and recognisable style that give a voice actor their identity.

Use of silence: pauses matter as much as words. Knowing where to place them and how to give them weight is an integral part of the performance.

Sound design: creating a project's overall sound world, including effects, atmospheres and textures, to enrich and support the voice over.

Custom audition: a short recording made specifically for a casting, using an extract from the final script so the client can judge whether the voice fits their needs.

Spot: a short audio or video advertising or promotional message.

Catch-up TV commercial: a commercial shown on television catch-up platforms, alongside or instead of a conventional broadcast.

Storytelling: the art of telling a story to convey a message or emotion. Voice over plays a key role.

Professional studio: a space dedicated to audio recording, equipped with high-end equipment and professionally treated acoustics.

Lip sync: the central dubbing technique of matching the recorded voice precisely to the on-screen actor's lip movements.

Vocal range: the span of notes, from lowest to highest, that a voice can comfortably produce.

Vocal timbre: the distinctive colour that makes a voice recognisable, such as warm, clear, deep or metallic.

Tone of voice: the overall attitude or dominant emotion conveyed by the voice, such as warm, dynamic, serious, ironic or reassuring. It is the audible result of the intention.

Audio traceability: bringing together available information about the versions and uses of a production. Its coverage depends on the data and tools available; it does not automatically reveal every broadcast or use. See the possibilities and limits of traceability.

Underscore: unobtrusive background music accompanying the voice to support an emotion or create an atmosphere.

Station voice: the signature voice of a radio or television station, used for jingles, programme announcements and similar material.

Singing voice: some voice actors are also singers and can perform jingles or sung passages.

Corporate voice: the often measured, serious and professional tone used for company communications such as presentations, annual reports and internal training.

Character voice: creating distinctive voices for characters in animation, video games, audiobooks and other formats. It requires considerable vocal versatility.

On-screen voice: the voice of someone visible speaking on screen, such as a presenter or interviewee, as opposed to an off-screen voice.

Guide track: a quick, simple recording of the script made before the final session, to guide the video editor or obtain the client's approval.

Voice-over translation: a technique in which a voice, often a translation, is recorded over the original voice, which usually remains audible underneath. Common in documentaries and interviews.

Vocal warm-up: exercises before a session to prepare the vocal cords, breathing and articulation. Essential for looking after the voice and performing well.

Audio watermark: a mark added to audio, either audible or designed to be unobtrusive, depending on the technique. Detection and resistance to file transformations depend on the method; it does not prevent all unauthorised uses.

WAV: an uncompressed audio file format that preserves high sound quality. It is the standard format for final voice over delivery.

Workflow: the sequence of steps involved in a voice over project, from receiving the brief to delivering the final files.

Beyond the words: the heart of the profession

Voice over is a rich, technical and deeply human world. It calls for a careful ear, adaptability and a passion for finding the right performance.

Every project is a new adventure, a new story to tell and a new connection to make. That variety and those demands are precisely what make the work so rewarding every day.

Do you have a project in mind and wonder which voice would bring it to life? Let's talk! I would be delighted to discuss it and put my experience to work for you.