Why a voice should feel like a warm coat
When it is grey and rainy outside, a thick woollen coat is a comfort. It is exactly the same with voices. A cold, rushed voice pushes people away, while a calm, warm voice invites them to keep listening. Especially in a multilingual country like Belgium, this is a delicate balance. A French-speaking listener in Brussels or Liège responds differently to a tone of voice than a Flemish listener in Hasselt or Ghent. By choosing a voice that fits the local culture, the listener feels understood right away. For instance, our French voice actress Estelle, who has over twenty years of experience, knows exactly how to add those subtle nuances that make a French-language message sound natural and credible.
The director at the controls: the power of the smile
As a voice director, I can tell instantly in the studio when a recording is going to work. My top directing tip is as simple as it is effective: have the voice actor physically smile while speaking. Even if the listener cannot see them, you can hear that smile in the audio. The shape of the mouth changes, the tone becomes lighter, and the whole message gets a friendly, open sound. This works brilliantly for voice-overs in tutorial videos or phone systems, where you want to put the listener at ease.
From script to finished audio file: our process
To achieve a professional result that fits your brand perfectly, we follow a set process. This ensures the recording sounds exactly as you imagined:
- Refining the text: we check if the sentences flow naturally when spoken aloud.
- Selecting the right voice: we choose the perfect match from our 92 professional voices, like Laura (Flemish) or Sven (Dutch).
- The recording session: the voice actor records the script under a director's guidance to get the emphasis right.
- Post-production: we clean up the audio, remove breaths or distracting clicks, and deliver the clean files.
How are voice actor fees calculated?
We are often asked how the price of a recording is calculated. It depends on the type of project and where the recording will be used. For a commercial voice-over, such as a radio ad or an online advert, we work with a fixed basic fee for the recording session, plus a buy-out. That buy-out covers the usage rights for the voice, depending on the medium and the campaign's duration. For non-commercial projects, like an internal corporate video or an e-learning course, we charge per word or per project. This means you always know exactly what to expect. We are happy to create a custom quote for an exact price.
