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My boss doesn't really want my, or any coworkers, voice on our videos. Instead of waiting to have his wife record the audio I'm looking for more practical solutions.

Is there any free software out there that I could use to achieve a decent altered voice? Basically I'll record myself reading the script then run it through this program for use as voice over --- if this program exists.

Any other ideas are welcomed too. The last time I did anything with voice was back in Elementary School playing around with Lucent's Text to Speech thing... no clue what exists that doesn't sound like a robot.

Edit

I should mention I have the entire Adobe Creative Cloud so I've got Audition. Will this work? I barely know how to use it yet (I spend most of my time in Photoshop, Edge and InDesign)

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    It's a little tricky to answer this well without knowing exactly why your boss doesn't want your voices present and what kinds of alteration would be acceptable.
    – Joseph Harvey
    Apr 16, 2014 at 2:01
  • He just doesn't want our faces or voices on it so its not recognizable as any particular employee
    – Ryan
    Apr 16, 2014 at 2:17

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unless they are very talented, i think it's a very good idea to not use employees on videos. so your boss is right, but he should also bare the consequence of it and hire an (amateur) actor. you'll get a professional sounding result unlike with any of the options you've already mentioned. just make sure it's recorded and 'directed' properly.

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You could probably use Melodyne to alter the pitch slightly, and preferably the formants the most. This could make your voice so different that your boss won't recognize it for beeing you, and still don't make your voice into an artificial sounding one.... There's a free 30 day trial version at their website.

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  • Thanks, checking this out now. I just edited the question to mention I have Adobe CC including Audition. Would Audition be able to do the same if you think adjusting the pitch and formants will do the job? If not then do you know if I'd need the full Melodyne or the Basic? I see Basic says Pitch but nothing about formants and I've got no clue what formants are (about to look it up).
    – Ryan
    Apr 21, 2014 at 12:37
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Not exactly sure what you're asking for. You don't really explain what the videos are - tutorials, adverts?? The intended audience and expected quality are obviously key factors here.

There are text-voice synthesisers out there, but all of them are recognisable for what they are. You also pay for the better of them. There is no effect which will make you sound like a different person in a good way...

If it is promotional material I think your boss needs to appreciate the talent behind good VO work and realise the value of it on your product (whatever it is).

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