You can record a voiceover and background track directly into your project using a microphone, or upload mp3 recordings from your machine.
Top tips: Check out our blog post about recording the ultimate voiceover. You can also view our free webinar "Enhancing your storytelling through voiceovers."
Recording a voiceover
- Select the project audio button from the top toolbar - this will open the project audio menu on the right of the screen.
- Tick the 'Play back my project as I record' box if you want to see your animation as you record, and then click the record audio button to start recording.
- If prompted to give permission to access your microphone, click on 'allow'.
- To stop recording, click the save recording button. If you've made a mistake in your recording, press the delete button to discard it and re-record it once again.
- Preview your scribe to make sure you’re happy with the voiceover.
VideoScribe will record your voiceover using whichever recording device you have set as your default in your internet browser.
Uploading an mp3 voiceover
- Select the project audio button from the top toolbar - this will open the project audio menu on the right of the screen.
- Click the upload audio icon to open an explorer window (Windows) or a finder window (Mac).
- Browse the folders on your computer and select the mp3 file you wish to use.
- Preview your scribe to make sure you’re happy with the voiceover. If you wish to discard it, click the delete button.
Adjusting your voiceover
- Use the play button to listen to your voiceover without your animation playing.
- Use the volume slider to adjust how loud or quiet your voiceover is.
- Use the fade out control to adjust how long it will take for your voiceover to fade to silence when it ends (maximum is 1.8 seconds from full volume to silence).
Adding and adjusting a background audio track
You can add and adjust a background track to your project in the exact same way as a voiceover, using the background track controls beneath the voiceover track controls. If you choose to upload a background track, it must also be in mp3 format.
Top tip: Check out our blog post about the best royalty-free music sites to find the right music track for your scribe!
Hints and tips for voiceovers and background tracks
- We recommend recording your voiceover first and designing your scribe after. You can then talk at a natural pace to give your project a nice flow. The animate and pause times on your visual elements and the scene transition times mean you can then fit your images to your voiceover.
- The voiceover in VideoScribe is recorded in one take. You cannot pause mid-recording or edit it after you have finished. If you are struggling with this, record it externally using audio-editing software that will allow you to save in mp3 format.
- The voiceover will start from the first frame of your video. If you need it to start partway through or have gaps in the middle to perfect the timing you will need to add silences. This again can be done easily if you record your voiceover in an external audio-editing tool.
- You can only record one voiceover directly into VideoScribe. If you need more then you will need to combine these into one mp3 file in audio-editing software.
- Your audio tracks don't strictly need to be voiceovers and music! Remember that any audio file can be uploaded to either track, allowing for combinations of voiceover, music and even sound effects tracks.
Pro tips:
- Audacity is a popular free audio-editing program to use.
- If you are recording your voiceover externally, make sure the sample rate for the recording is set to 44.1kHz (44100Hz).