Voice-over & ADR · North York, Toronto
Voice-Over Recording & ADR in Toronto
A treated room, a mic chosen to suit your voice, and an engineer punching you in line by line. Commercial reads, narration, e-learning and dialogue replaced against your own picture.
- Commercial, narration, e-learning, character
- ADR recorded against your video
- Tube condenser or broadcast dynamic
- Engineer included, punch-ins as you go
- Hourly — short scripts fit the one-hour minimum
- Open 12 PM to 2 AM, closed Wednesdays
The session
How a voice-over or ADR session runs
- 1
Send the script and the picture
Attach the script, and the video if you are replacing dialogue, to your booking — the form takes audio, video, text and PDF up to 25 MB per file and 250 MB in total. Email works too: dvlce@thebasement416.com. Tell us the read you want and who it is for.
- 2
We pick the mic to the voice
A tube condenser flatters some voices and a broadcast dynamic suits others. The engineer sets the chain to your voice and the job rather than pointing the same mic at everybody.
- 3
You read, we punch
The engineer rolls, marks the takes worth keeping and punches you back in on the line that did not land, so you are not re-reading a whole page because of one word. For ADR the picture plays back with the recording so your read lands where the mouth does.
- 4
You leave with the files
Raw takes, or takes edited and cleaned into the deliverable you actually need. Say which one when you book.
For ADR the useful thing to know is that it goes faster when the picture arrives before you do. Send the cut with the booking and the session starts with the video already lined up rather than with a file transfer.
The setup
What you are reading into
Microphones
UAD Sphere DLX, Rode NTK tube condenser, Rode NT-1A and Shure SM7B. Ask for a specific mic ahead of the session if your voice already has one that works.
ADR to picture
Bring or send the cut and we record against it in Pro Tools so the line sits where it needs to. Send the video ahead of time if you can — it saves session minutes.
What it suits
Commercial reads, narration and documentary VO, e-learning and corporate, character and animation reads, IVR and phone prompts, and dialogue replacement for film and video.
Booked by the hour
Voice-over is the hourly service — choose Recording Session when you book. Short scripts often fit inside the one-hour minimum.
Hours
Open 12 PM to 2 AM every day except Wednesday. Online booking opens from 3 PM; call or text if a client call forces a morning slot.
Bring
Water, and the script in whatever form you will actually read from. Mics, headphones, stands and pop filters are here.
The full microphone and plugin list is on the about page. If the job needs the finished audio balanced and polished as well, that is the mixing and mastering side.
Rates
What it costs
Studio rate
$65 / hour
Engineer included. Your first session is 25% off, and paying in full 24 hours ahead takes another 10% off.
Book more hours, pay less per hour
$60 / hr
4+ hours
$55 / hr
15+ hours
$50 / hr
30+ hours
That is up to 23% off the standard rate at 30 hours ($50 an hour). Bulk hours are prepaid and used whenever you like — a single booking cannot run long enough to reach the top tiers on its own.
A 25% deposit holds the room (minimum $30) and the balance is due at the session. Deposits go through Stripe or PayPal; e-transfer is fine too.
Voice-over and ADR are booked as hourly studio time — pick Recording Session and attach your script. Editing the takes into a finished deliverable is billed at the same hourly rate, and every hour you book already includes up to 10 minutes of editing afterwards.
Questions
Before you book
How much does a voice-over session cost?
It is the hourly studio rate — $50–$65/hr depending on how many hours you book, engineer included, first session 25% off. A short commercial read usually fits in the one-hour minimum.
Do you provide the voice talent?
No — you bring the voice. This is the room, the chain and the engineer. If you need a voice as well, say so when you enquire and we will tell you straight whether we can help rather than guessing on your behalf.
What is ADR?
Automated dialogue replacement: re-recording a line in a studio so it can replace what the camera mic picked up on set. You watch the picture and match your own performance, and the clean take drops into the edit.
Can I direct the session remotely?
Ask when you book. Remote direction needs setting up in advance rather than arranged on the day.
What files do I get?
Whatever the job needs — raw takes, selected takes, or edited and cleaned audio. Tell us the deliverable when you book so the session ends with the right thing rather than a folder you have to sort out later.
Book the room and read
Pick a time, attach the script and the picture, and turn up. The mic will be up and the level will already be right.
Open 12 PM to 2 AM every day except Wednesday · 23 Alexis Blvd, North York, Toronto, ON M3H 2P2
Other things we do
Music Recording Studio
Book the room by the hour and track vocals or instruments with an engineer on the desk. Mics, headphones and pop filters are provided and patched before you arrive.
Mixing & Mastering
Send your stems or a rough mix from anywhere — you do not have to record here. Billed by the hour with an estimate up front; turnaround is typically 3-5 business days.
Podcast Studio
A treated room, a mic per voice and every voice on its own track, so one person coughing does not cost you the whole take.
Music Production & Beats
Original production built from scratch — beats, arrangement, live keys, guitar and bass, and backing tracks for your live set.