Calculating a rate for VO and production is very important but full of pitfalls. Especially since COVID has made us all suddenly have to run our own studios from home. Say you’re bidding for a job and the client wants you to deliver finished broadcast quality audio. How do you charge for that? I’ll let you know what to consider before you quote a rate.
The New Normal
calculating a rate for VO and production is part of the New Normal . We are all suddenly audio engineers, editors, and sometimes mixers. Don’t forget computer trouble-shooter, acoustician, and the list goes on. I’m talking about putting together and managing a broadcast-ready home studio. We are all expected to have them now, and sometimes deliver edited, broadcast-ready audio. I don’t see this going away even when we have a COVID cure. That’s why you need to figure this infrastructure into your rate.
Broadcast-Ready Home Studio
The broadcast-ready home studio is now a must-have for voice actors. I’ve had my own set up for years, so I was prepared for this. I’ve even mixed full length Tv shows, commercials, promos, and even a full-length movie. My rate structure is already in place for audio jobs. That makes this New Normal a lot easier for me. I know how to calculate how much I will charge based on the complexity of the project and how much time it will take me. Some of my colleagues are not so fortunate, so they are scrambling.
The Audio Book Model
Using the audio book model is a good place to start. Check out Global Voice Acting Academy’s Rate Guide. For audio books, they use a “per-finished hour”, or pfh pricing model. That means you’re giving the client audio files with breaths and mouth noise, retakes, etc., all cleaned up. In other words, Broadcast-ready. Lets say you’re charging $200 pfh, and one hour of script takes you two hours to record. Now you have an hour or more of editing to do. A colleague and friend of mine who is new to the home studio game recently bid for an audio book job. The good news is he got the gig. The bad news is, he priced the job too low to make it worth his time. Don’t let this happen to you.
The Learning Curve
The learning curve is not that steep if you have a plan. Take a look at the audio editing software that’s out there and decide what you can easily learn, then go with that. The industry standard for professionals is Pro tools, but Audacity and Adobe Audition are easier to master and have compression and EQ plugins already included. Audacity is even FREE! GVAA also have webinars that will show you how to use Audacity and other programs. Good luck, and don’t undercut yourself.