How are usage rights (buy-out) calculated?

The buy-out depends on the medium (such as social media, radio or television) and the period for which the recording is used. This ensures that a small, local independent business does not pay the same rate as a multinational advertising nationally.

Can I get an exact price for my project upfront?

Yes. For every project, you receive a clear, tailored quote in advance. This way, you will never face surprises later on, and you know exactly where you stand. [FAQ_BLOCK]

How do I order a phone message?

Pick a voice you like for your phone system. Enter your texts. You can also use our simple text generator. Add hold music if you want. Within 3 days at most, you receive the finished audio files.

How does ordering work?

Here is how it works: 1. Listen to the demos and pick a voice for your phone system. 2. Enter your texts. You can also use our simple text generator. 3. Add hold music if you want. 4. Pay securely with Bancontact, iDEAL or credit card. Within 3 days at most, you receive the finished audio files by email.

What does a professional phone message cost?

The price depends on how long your text is and which message you need (welcome, menu or hold). As soon as you pick a voice, you see what it costs. Hold music is optional.

What does a professional telephone message cost?

A welcome message or phone menu from a professional voice is surprisingly affordable. The price depends on the length of your text and the type of message (welcome message, phone menu, on-hold message). At Voices, you can see the price instantly for your chosen voice. On-hold music from our library can be added separately. Most clients receive their audio within 1 to 2 working days.

Can I provide my own music?

Yes, you can! You can add your own audio file using the upload button. Please ensure you have the correct broadcasting rights for any music you provide.

How much does it cost to add music on hold?

Adding a track from our library costs a one-off fee of €59. This gives you unlimited usage rights for your project.

Are the tracks optimised for telephony?

Absolutely. All our on-hold music is specially mixed and optimised for the frequency range of telephone systems (300Hz - 3400Hz), so it always sounds clear.

Do you also record voice prompts for IVR and phone systems?

Yes, we can record complete phone menus (IVR) for your telephone system. You provide the options you need, and we will ensure that everything is recorded clearly and professionally. This is ideal for businesses with multiple departments.

What Do Voice-overs Really Cost? 5 Persistent Myths Debunked

What Do Voice-overs Really Cost? 5 Persistent Myths Debunked | Voices

Myth: You only pay for the minutes the microphone is on.

What's true

A finished thirty-second recording isn't the result of thirty seconds of work. The process is like a cabinetmaker: you don't just pay for the wood, but for the hours of planing and polishing until it fits perfectly. A lot happens behind the scenes:

Preparation and text analysis to determine the right emphases.
The actual recording session in an acoustically isolated studio with professional equipment.
Post-production, where breaths, clicks, and disruptive background noises are manually filtered out.
Delivery of clean, immediately usable audio files in the correct format.

On our platform with 93 publicly available voices, this professional finish is always included.

Myth: Every voice actor can voice any type of text equally well.

What's true

Voice actors are specialists, each with their own unique qualities. A voice perfect for a calm instructional video might lack the necessary conviction for a dynamic commercial.

For example, our French-speaking Belgian voice, Veronique, is a popular choice known for her very warm, dynamic, or soft vocal sound. Thomas, who lives in France, has a youthful tone that sounds very natural for commercials and TV work. It pays to listen to specific demo genres beforehand to see if the voice suits your project's goal.

Myth: International voice rates are unaffordable.

What's true

Using international voices absolutely doesn't have to cost a fortune. We work directly with native voices from different countries, without expensive foreign intermediaries involved.

Whether you need Sebastian for an English or German production, or Barbara for an Italian commercial, the rates remain clear and transparent. You get the best quality from the target country, at a fair and pre-agreed price.

Director's Tip: Give the voice breathing room.As a voice director, I often see this happen: a client tries to cram too many words into too few seconds to cut costs. The voice actor then has to rush to meet the timing, which makes the message lose its impact.

My tip: give the voice room to breathe. The silences between sentences are just as important as the words themselves. They give the listener time to process the information. It's better to cut ten percent of your text than to reduce natural pauses.

Frequently asked questions

Short and to the point. Click to see the answer.

How do I order a phone message?: Pick a voice you like for your phone system. Enter your texts. You can also use our simple text generator. Add hold music if you want. Within 3 days at most, you receive the finished audio files.
How does ordering work?: Here is how it works: 1. Listen to the demos and pick a voice for your phone system. 2. Enter your texts. You can also use our simple text generator. 3. Add hold music if you want. 4. Pay securely with Bancontact, iDEAL or credit card. Within 3 days at most, you receive the finished audio files by email.
What does a professional phone message cost?: The price depends on how long your text is and which message you need (welcome, menu or hold). As soon as you pick a voice, you see what it costs. Hold music is optional.
What does a professional telephone message cost?: A welcome message or phone menu from a professional voice is surprisingly affordable. The price depends on the length of your text and the type of message (welcome message, phone menu, on-hold message).
At Voices, you can see the price instantly for your chosen voice. On-hold music from our library can be added separately. Most clients receive their audio within 1 to 2 working days.
Can I provide my own music?: Yes, you can! You can add your own audio file using the upload button. Please ensure you have the correct broadcasting rights for any music you provide.
How much does it cost to add music on hold?: Adding a track from our library costs a one-off fee of €59. This gives you unlimited usage rights for your project.
Are the tracks optimised for telephony?: Absolutely. All our on-hold music is specially mixed and optimised for the frequency range of telephone systems (300Hz - 3400Hz), so it always sounds clear.
Do you also record voice prompts for IVR and phone systems?: Yes, we can record complete phone menus (IVR) for your telephone system. You provide the options you need, and we will ensure that everything is recorded clearly and professionally. This is ideal for businesses with multiple departments.
How long should my telephone message be?: Keep it short and concise. A welcome message is ideally between 10 and 15 seconds. A phone menu should guide the caller to the correct department within 30 seconds. Think from the caller's perspective: they want to be helped as quickly as possible.