My Voiceover Demo Workflow

People occasionally ask how I produce voiceover demos, so here’s a simplified look at my workflow: Once I have all the recordings back from the talent, I gather all of my production materials—music beds, sound effects, and any special vocal effects I plan to use. Having everything organized upfront makes the entire process smoother and more creative.

Next, I clean up the voice track. That means removing mouth clicks, unwanted noises, and taming any excessive low-end buildup. A high-pass filter is often my best friend during this stage. Once the track is clean, I start polishing the voice with EQ, compression, and de-essing. I’m a big believer in subtle processing. It’s easy to overdo things, so I prefer conservative settings and let the performance do most of the work.

Then I begin building the production around the voice by adding music and sound effects where they support the story. Great production should enhance the read, not compete with it. Occasionally, I’ll widen a music track slightly to create a little more space around the vocal.

When everything is balanced and sounding cohesive, I move to the mix bus. My mix bus chain is fairly simple—typically an EQ and an SSL-style bus compressor to help glue everything together. Once the mix feels right, I render it out and prepare it for mastering. Leaving plenty of headroom at this stage is important because mastering works best when it has room to breathe.

Mastering is the chef’s kiss. A little final EQ, a touch of compression, perhaps some gentle saturation, and a limiter to bring everything together. For video game demos, I’ll sometimes use a clipper before the limiter to help achieve a little extra impact and energy.

One final tip: ear fatigue is real. Whenever possible, I like to wait until the next day before mastering. Fresh ears almost always reveal something I missed the day before, and those small adjustments often make a surprisingly big difference.

The lesson? Great demos aren’t usually built with massive plugin chains. They’re built through good performances, thoughtful production choices, and taking the time to listen carefully. If you're interested in working on a professional demo with me, email me today at terry@uvtcoaching.com