Martin Warnas – Dutch/English voice-over

There are several free text to speech services out there today. All claim that you can now get a voice-over recorded for a fraction of the price of a real human, such as myself. Sure you can! If you don’t mind wrong intonations, mispronounced words and the grating feeling that something is wrong with that voice…

Let me give you 10 solid reasons why a human voice (like, say, mine?) can make all the difference for your corporate video, explainer animation, dubbing or voice response system:

1. A voice over artist can add depth and character to a piece of content, making it more engaging and memorable.
2. A voice over can add credibility to a message, especially when used in a commercial or educational setting.
3. A voice over artist can help to create a desired tone or mood for a piece of content, such as friendly and approachable or professional and authoritative.
4. A voice over can make a piece of content more accessible to a wider audience, such as by adding subtitles or providing a translation.
5. A voice over artist can add a personal touch to a message, making it more relatable and engaging for the audience.
6. A voice over can add excitement and interest to a piece of content, such as by using different voices for different characters in an animation or video game.
7. A voice over artist can help to create a consistent brand image, by using the same voice for all of a company’s marketing materials.
8. A voice over can make a piece of content more versatile, by allowing it to be used in different formats or languages.
9. A voice over artist can add a sense of professionalism and polish to a piece of content, making it stand out from competitors.
10. A voice over can add a human element to a piece of content, making it more relatable and relatable and engaging for the audience.

So why not use my rates calculator and find out if I’m REALLY all that expensive? (Link goes to one of my other websites, but it’s still me!)

This gorgeous animation in shown to all visitors in the welcome centre. I am very proud to have been asked to voice this one, which I also recorded in Dutch.

I usually record from home, but in this case I was asked to come to a studio, so that the animator, writer and director could all be present. I’m happy to do this, but I do charge a higher rate if I have to come to a studio: typically around €300-400 per session (4 hours, which yields about 3 hours of audio), but it also depends on the project: a video that will only be seen once by a small audience won’t cost as much as something that might run for years.

In general I’d recommend letting me record at home. I’ve been doing this for more than two decades and I know what customers like. But on the other hand: if I come to a studio I don’t have to edit the result and people fetch cups of tea for me. That’s nice, too!

I voice a lot of these types of video. My voice is well-suited for serious, information heavy videos for professional audiences. Even though I am a native Dutch speaker, I am often overlooked for the Dutch voice-over, as producers who find my voice in one of the voice-casting agency databases have trouble believing I also speak Dutch.

As I am usually the last one to see the script, I make sure to double-check every line. Sometimes I find lines that I think could be improved and record both the scripted version and my own suggestion. It is then up to the editor or producer to decide which one to pick.

A video like this, 4.5 minutes with an average of 140 words per minute, will cost around € 225 excl. sales tax (21% for Dutch customers) and it will be an all-in price: as many retakes and fixes as are required and a complete buy-out: play it as often as you like for the original purpose. Turn-around is typically less than 24 hours.

To calculate the rate of your script, please use my webbased calculator.

Avery Graphics are a very big graphics design and production company. They also design, print and apply those wonderful and colorful advertising stickers you see on so many corporate vehicles these days. That’s actually a pretty complicated job! (I myself can’t even get a stamp on an envelope properly aligned…)

They provide in-house training to their staff, for which I’ve voiced a number of videos. Below is an instruction video for car wrapping.

Recording this one was easy: I recorded a draft version, so the editor could time the video. Then I recorded it properly (which meant replacing only a few segments, though I’d have been happy to do it again from scratch if needed) and it timed perfectly.

Production was handled by Wouter Goudswaard of B-Creative.

For Mastervolt I recorded this video, to explain their remote control systems for onboard electronics. We didn’t shoot it on board my own yacht, because… well, I don’t have one. Yet. But I do have the right accent to go with such high-class, quality services, don’t I? 😉

I recorded the audio at home, music was added by the editor. No retakes were needed, but I’d have been happy to do them.

(Note: voice-over starts at 66 seconds.)

The video was produced by Kristel van der Velde, whom I can recommend to anyone who needs to have a video produced. We’ve also worked together for many Kverneland videos.