Best Voice-Over Software

Audacity has a lot to like. It is free, open-source software that can be downloaded for Mac or Windows computers. In spite of not costing anything, it supports high sample rates and multiple audio formats, as well as recording in high bitrates for clear audio. The software can be set up with a USB mic or an audio interface so you can use a variety of microphones. There are even some basic effects that you can use to add reverb or alter the qualities of the sound you’ve recorded, plus you can edit any errors.

Windows Voice Recorder is something of a basic piece of software for a PC, but if you already have the capacity to add audio into a piece of video editing software, then you can make use of this simple recorder to make an audio recording. It’s especially useful if you are just making rough or basic recordings using the inbuilt mic on your device. Adding an audio interface can be difficult.

The software makes it easy to share recordings with other Windows apps and the best thing is that this works with PC, tablet, and Windows smartphones.

The option to record within your browser using your device’s inbuilt microphone is very handy. It means that you don’t have to download and install any demanding software on your device, but you can still enjoy some basic editing functionality.

This piece of software lets you connect your microphone to your browser (you need to give permission) and then you simply hit record and it’s ready to go. You even have some very basic editing capabilities, so you can cut out the start and the end of the audio if you need to. There’s an automatic filter for background noise which also helps with the quality.

This voice recorder only records in MP3 format, and isn’t the most professional, but it is fine for a simple home video or YouTube clip.

If you’ve bought an Apple device in recent years, such as an iPad or iPhone, you might have noticed that GarageBand is already installed on it by default. It’s a powerful DAW, free for Apple users.

This allows multi-track recordings and you can change the input, so you can easily set up an external mic such as a USB microphone. GarageBand also allows you to do a lot of editing, such as adding effects, cutting out sections of audio, and multi-tracking.

If you aren’t familiar with audio editing, then it can be a little daunting, but this software allows high-quality recordings. It gives you full control over the audio quality and file formats. For Mac users, this is one of the very best options you can get without paying.

If you use Adobe^® Suite already, and have a subscription, you may find that Audition^® is incredibly easy to pick up. The layout and interface are similar. This is good software for editing the audio you have recorded in a granular way. There are some advanced effects and tools, such as a reverb reduction, which can take some of the nasty echo off if you don’t get a perfect recording. You can also add reverbs if you want to add more of an effect.

You can multi-track and use lots of presets on audio processors and vocal processing units. This means you can enjoy some complex editing without having to know too much about audio technology.

Presonus is a relative newcomer in the world of audio tech, and Studio One is their answer to a lot of the existing DAWs on the market.

This is more of a tool for composers, with MIDI support for writing music and using virtual instruments. It does fully support audio recording in a variety of formats, so it is also suitable for people who want to record voice-overs or podcast audio, for instance. You can connect an audio interface or USB microphone.

The software is good for those who want to write music and record songs too, but it may be overkill for simple audio editing. The excellent compression and “mastering” features set this apart.

If you want some incredibly powerful audio software for a Mac computer, this is a good option. Logic Pro gives you professional voice-over software for Mac but it also provides a great option for musicians. It’s used a lot for recording music as well as podcasts and voice-overs.

The software takes a while to get used to, it is very powerful, and it isn’t cheap, but it does come with a suite of excellent plugins. It also supports recording in a variety of formats and at high fidelity, plus it is simple to add an audio interface or USB microphone. It’s Mac-specific and very much an upgrade to GarageBand, also made by Apple.

Pro Tools is a popular industry tool for recording audio such as podcasts or even for use in a recording studio with bands and artists. If you are looking for voice-over recording software that allows for complex editing and layering, then Pro Tools could be a great solution.

Some people find the software clunky. There is a steep learning curve for those who aren’t used to audio editing. Though it feels a bit dated compared to some of the other programs, it allows you to record in full resolution and get excellent results. It supports video, so you can import a video file and synchronize the audio to within milliseconds.

Sound Forge is excellent software for restoring audio recordings that have been made and aren’t quite up to scratch or have a lot of “noise” on them. You can remove some distortion and unwanted reverb, and while it is better to get a great voice-over the first time, this is an option for fixing errors.

Sound Forge also allows you to record in high fidelity from an interface or USB mic and perform basic edits such as cutting and duplicating audio.