If you’re looking to record professional-quality voice overs, your vocal talent is just one piece of the puzzle.
A typical voice recording setup includes several elements:
These applications streamline the voice over process by enabling high-quality recordings and providing integrated editing tools.
Nearly every digital audio workspace (DAW) comes with robust editing and processing features, so the best software is typically the one you’re most comfortable with.
But still….How do you choose what’s right for you?
In this article, we’ll look at the most important elements of a DAW and review some of the top options.
First, confirm that the voice over software you’re considering has everything you need for a successful project.
Will you be performing post-production work after recording and editing your voice over?
Will you need to sync your voice over to a video file?
Do you need to fully edit and process audio, or do you mostly send raw files to your clients?
Start by identifying your goals, then look for a DAW that can help you accomplish them through a simple and intuitive workflow.
Clients use different DAWs to accomplish their tasks.
You obviously don’t need to buy every DAW on the market, but it might be worthwhile to identify what your main clients use.
Most clients will ask for a raw or processed audio file.
If you perform post-production work, however, it may also be helpful to share your DAW’s session files with the client.
Before spending money, make sure that the software you’re buying will work well on your computer.
Digital audio workspaces can be extremely resource-intensive.
You may experience slowdowns or other issues if you’re using an older device or operating system.
Don’t forget that some applications are designed for a specific operating system such as Windows or macOS.
If possible, start by downloading a trial or demo to see how the software works in practice.
Next, focus on which DAW feels best to you.
Every provider posts flattering screenshots and videos on their website, but these won’t tell you much about the actual user experience.
There’s no replacement for a hands-on demo.
Ideally, you should be able to pick up new software and get to work in just a few minutes.
You want to spend your time working, not reading the fine print.
If you’re having trouble getting started, consider trying more alternatives until you find one that feels more natural to you.
You’re not the first person to look for voice over software.
In most cases, existing users will have plenty to say about a particular platform — both positive and negative.
Facebook groups, forums, and other online communities make it easy to connect with other people who do voice over work.
Read user impressions of the platforms on your shortlist to see what users like and dislike.
Reviews are particularly valuable when they come from users who have used multiple platforms and can recognize the pros and cons of each one.
OK, this might be the least important parameter when deciding on recording software.
However, it’s worth mentioning that each DAW supports different plugin formats.
If there are plugins you simply MUST have, make sure to use a DAW that supports them.
We’ve listed the plugin standards each DAW supports for your reference.
And with that, let’s take a look at the best voice over applications you can find in 2024.
Audacity is one of the most commonly used audio platforms, and it’s easy to see why.
It’s free and open-source, so you can download and use it at no charge.
Even better, it’s available on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and there’s an active community in the Audacity forums.
While the interface isn’t quite as sleek as competitors like Garageband, Logic, or Adobe Audition, it’s still easy to find the function you’re looking for.
Audacity also comes with basic editing tools including live audio recording, keyboard shortcuts, volume adjustments, and equalization.
It was involved in a major controversy when new owner Muse Group changed the privacy policy to allow for expanded data sharing.
However, Muse Group ended up revising their privacy policy in response to user complaints.
Overall, Audacity is a great place to start, supports all major operating systems, and is one of the best free voice over applications in 2024.
The tutorial below will walk you through the main functions and give you an idea of how Audacity works.
Audacity supports LADSPA, LV2, Nyquist, Vamp Analysis, VST effect (Windows and Mac only), and Audio Unit (Mac only).
Audition is Adobe’s flagship audio recording and editing software, and it’s also part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite.
It’s arguably the most popular DAW among professional voice actors.
Audition subscriptions are currently available for $21.99 per month when prepaid annually, or $34.49 per month paid monthly.
You can also get Audition through a subscription to all Creative Cloud apps.
These plans run $54.99 per month paid annually or $89.99 per month paid monthly.
Team plans are available for businesses and organizations, student subscriptions cost just $19.99 per month for the first year (prepaid).
If you’ve used other Adobe applications, you’ll be right at home with Audition’s familiar design.
You’ll also be able to leverage a long list of editing capabilities such as multitrack, waveform, and spectral displays.
Furthermore, Adobe Audition includes a powerful noise reduction feature to minimize breaths and other intrusive background noises.
While Audition can be overwhelming at first, Adobe provides detailed support resources to help users take full advantage of its features.
Adobe Audition supports third-party 64-bit audio plugins in VST 2.4, VST 3.0 formats for macOS and Windows, and Audio Units (AU) for macOS.
One advantage of Mac computers is that they come with high-quality voice over software built-in.
Garageband doesn’t have all the advanced features of more professional applications, but it’s incredibly easy to use and viable for most small-scale projects.
It also comes with an impressive collection of sound effects and instruments, plus loops from a variety of genres and styles.
Users can quickly adjust the volume and equalization for individual tracks — Garageband supports up to 255 tracks in a single file.
There’s even a relatively robust Garageband app for iPhones and iPads, helping you manage voice over projects on different devices.
Adobe Audition supports audio plugins in Audio Units (AU) for macOS.
Logic Pro is Apple’s premium counterpart to the base Garageband software.
It’s primarily intended for professionals and serious enthusiasts.
The full license is a little steep at $199.99 on the Mac App Store.
Fortunately, new users can start with a generous 90-day free trial before deciding whether to purchase the software.
Logic Pro’s design is somewhat similar to Garageband, but it can be more difficult to learn since it’s significantly more complex.
Licenses come with a deep library of samples, loops, and instruments beyond what’s available with Garageband.
While it might be overkill for simple voice over projects, it’s a great option for users who need more than what Garageband offers.
You can even transfer existing Garageband projects directly into Logic Pro, making it easy to upgrade at any time without losing progress.
Like Garageband, Logic Pro uses the Mac-only format Audio Units (AU) to host 3rd party plugins.
Avid Pro Tools is one of the most popular applications among musicians, voice over artists, and other audio professionals.
It’s considered the industry standard for music and post-production.
Like Adobe Audition, it’s available through a monthly subscription rather than a one-time license fee.
While you can use a limited set of features for free, most users will prefer one of the three paid plans.
Pro Tools Artist ($9.99 per month) comes with the basics, but it’s missing support for video tracks and post-production workflows.
At $29.99 per month, Pro Tools Studio adds these features plus more audio tracks, extra plugins, and a higher sample rate.
Ultimate ($79.99 per month) adds even more tools such as surround and Dolby Atmos mixing, support for 64 video tracks, and in-the-box dubbing.
Pro Tools offers deep discounts for students and teachers as well as group rates for schools and other institutions.
Avid offers various hardware options to complement the Pro Tools software, and mobile apps are also available for both iOS and Android.
Avid Pro Tools supports plugins in 64-bit AAX format.
Studio One by PreSonus is a digital audio workspace that helps creators through the entire recording and mixing process.
Its classic drag-and-drop interface is easy for anyone to pick up, yet it’s still powerful enough for projects at virtually any scale.
While some features are designed for composers and musicians, it also has plenty to offer voice over professionals.
Studio One’s scratch pads, for example, make it easy to experiment with an existing track, then revert to the original version as needed.
Best of all, Studio One integrates seamlessly with the entire PreSonus library.
The PreSonus Sphere subscription includes other helpful resources like cloud collaboration with 30 GB of storage.
The Studio One Artist license is currently available for a one-time fee of $99.95.
Artist comes with most basic features, but it’s missing some advanced plugins and extra features such as score editing and project pages.
These tools are available with the Professional plan ($399.95).
However, you might also be interested in upgrading to the Sphere plan, which costs $14.95 per month.
Alternatively, you can get Sphere for $164.95 per month paid annually, which works out to one free month per year.
As mentioned above, Sphere users get cloud capabilities with a full 30 GB of storage.
They can also access the entire Studio One Professional platform plus more tools like masterclasses, audio batch conversion, and one-on-one chat support.
PreSonus even offers a 30-day free trial of the Professional tier to give new users a taste of the application.
Studio One supports audio plugins in VST2, VST3, ReWire and Audio Unit (AU) formats.
Reaper doesn’t look quite as sleek as Studio One, Logic Pro, Adobe Audition, or some of the other premium tools we’ve mentioned.
Still, it offers most of the same features at a lower cost.
Its strong performance for the price has made it one of the most popular DAWs among audio professionals.
Reaper licenses are currently available for a one-time fee of $225, but that drops all the way to $60 for a discounted license.
Discounted licenses are intended for personal use, or for businesses that generate less than $20,000 in annual revenue.
You can also get the discount if you work for an educational or nonprofit organization.
Reaper comes with the features you would expect from any contemporary digital audio workspace.
Users can create an unlimited number of simultaneous recordings with a familiar drag-and-drop design.
There is also a strong collection of plugins covering every function from multiband EQ and compression to multivoice pitch shifting, synthesizers, and drum tracks.
With robust features, helpful plugins, and an active user community, Reaper is a great choice for voice over artists who are interested in a new digital audio workspace.
Reaper supports audio plugins in VST2, VST3 and Audio Unit (AU) formats.
WavePad is another voice over application that’s available for both Mac and Windows.
Unlike most alternatives, WavePad is actually free for non-commercial users.
However, the website only says that the free version comes with “many of the features of the master’s version,” so the difference between the two tiers is relatively unclear.
Base prices for premium licenses are $50 for Standard and $80 for Master, but WavePad regularly offers significant discounts.
We’ve seen them available for as little as $34.99 and $59.95.
Need access for a short-term project?
You can get the Master’s edition on a quarterly basis for $16.50 per quarter, which works out to $66 per year.
Of course, you should spring for the permanent license if you think you’ll continue using the platform.
WavePad supports most basic audio editing functions like pitch shifting, amplification, normalization, equalization, echo, and reverse.
It also supports batch processing, making it easy to apply changes to an entire set of files.
Furthermore, all WavePad tiers come with a thorough library of sound effects to supplement your recordings.
While WavePad is primarily designed for Mac and Windows, it also offers surprisingly functional mobile apps on both iOS and Android.
While the iOS application has a respectable 4.6 average score over more than 3,000 reviews, its Android counterpart has a much lower rating of 3.6 covering over 36,000 users.
WavePad supports DirectX and VST plugin formats.
Cubase is a digital audio workspace that’s primarily marketed toward musicians.
Still, it could be an ideal option for those who work in the voice over industry.
Its deep collection of features may be overwhelming to new users, especially those who don’t have much experience with other voice over tools.
However, it offers much more robust functionality than Garageband and other basic platforms for home users.
The main downside to Cubase is that voice over artists may be paying for features they don’t need.
For example, it comes with music-oriented tools like fine-grained pitch editing, chord editing, and score editing.
You can start with a 30-day free trial if you want to test out the platform without spending any money or incurring any risk.
From there, pricing for Cubase will depend on what you need.
At $99.99 for a lifetime license, Elements is the most affordable way to access Cubase, but also the most limited.
The core audio editing features are the same, but Elements lacks key features like unlimited audio and MIDI tracks, comping, in-place rendering, or access to effects and virtual instruments.
The Artist tier removes these limitations for a one-time payment of $337.98, but it’s still not as complete as the flagship Pro subscription.
Pro currently costs $587.98 for a lifetime license and comes with the entire Cubase toolkit, including AAF and OMF support.
Cubase supports audio plugins in VST2 and VST3 formats.
Last but not least, Sound Forge is an audio editing company that provides various applications for different tasks.
Their offerings are a little confusing, as Sound Forge is currently advertising a number of different programs.
If you scroll through their website, you’ll see Sound Forge Audio Studio 17, Sound Forge Audio Cleaning Lab 4, Sound Forge Pro 18, and Sound Forge Pro 18 Suite.
The Audio Cleaning Lab is mostly focused on sound optimization, particularly when digitizing audio content for the first time.
It comes with an automatic cleaning function plus a spectral display that makes it easy to identify and adjust individual sounds.
On the other hand, it’s missing the deeper editing tools you would expect from a traditional digital audio workspace.
At $99.99 for a lifetime license, it’s a cost-effective choice for users with narrowly defined needs related to audio cleaning.
The Audio Studio is a basic audio editing solution that’s generally directed at home users, and it’s even more affordable at $49.99.
While it comes with the same features as most entry-level competitors, you’ll need to upgrade to Pro for the full toolkit.
Pro users can take advantage of crash recovery, ACID loop creation tools, spectrum analysis, and more.
Lifetime licenses are currently available at $279 for Pro, or $399 for the Pro Suite.
The Pro Suite includes ARA2 audio effects and support for additional plugins like Vandal, wizardFX Modern Reverb, and Steinberg SpectraLayers Pro 8.
However, it’s virtually identical to the base Pro license aside from those extra capabilities.
Sound Forge supports audio plugins in VST2 and VST3 formats.
With more voice over software available than ever before, voice professionals should look for a platform that’s easy to use and offers the features they need at a reasonable price.
While there are many other options out there, you can’t go wrong with any of the ten providers on this list.
Want to know more about what it takes to succeed in the voice acting industry?
Check out our guide on how to become a voice actor.
Did you like this article? Do you have questions or other DAW recommendations? Leave a comment below.
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