How to Record Voice on TikTok

Adding your own voice to a TikTok is one of the quickest ways to build a genuine connection with your audience and make your content stand out. Whether you’re telling a story, teaching a skill, or adding funny commentary, a voiceover brings a personal touch that trends and popular audios just can’t replicate. This guide will walk you through every method for recording your voice on TikTok, from simple post-production voiceovers to fun AI effects.

Why Should You Use Your Voice on TikTok?

Before getting into the how-to, it’s worth understanding why this is such a powerful tool for creators and brands. In a sea of lip-syncs and dancing videos, using your original audio helps you cut through the noise. It establishes your unique voice, literally and figuratively, building a stronger brand identity.

Here are a few quick benefits:

• Authenticity and Connection: Hearing the voice behind the account makes you more relatable. It turns a faceless profile into a real person, fostering trust and community. When your followers hear you, they feel like they know you.
• Powerful Storytelling: Some stories can't be told through text overlays alone. A voiceover lets you control the narrative, add emotional depth, and guide the viewer’s attention exactly where you want it. Think of "day in the life" vlogs, personal anecdotes, or background stories for your product.
• Educational Content: For tutorials, how-tos, and explainer videos, a clear voiceover is indispensable. It allows you to break down complex topics step-by-step, making your content more valuable and easier to follow.
• Accessibility: Combining a voiceover with on-screen text or captions makes your content accessible to a wider audience, including those with visual impairments or people who prefer listening over reading.

The Easiest Method: Recording a Voiceover After Filming

The most common and flexible way to add your voice is by recording a voiceover after you’ve already shot or uploaded your video clips. This method gives you complete control over timing and allows you to nail the perfect take without the pressure of speaking while on camera.

Here’s how to do it, step-by-step:

1. Record or Upload Your Video: Start by either recording a new video directly in the TikTok app or uploading pre-recorded clips from your phone's camera roll. Arrange your clips in the editor as you normally would.
2. Proceed to the Editing Screen: Once your video clips are in place, tap the red checkmark or "Next" button to move to the main editing screen. This is where you’ll see options for adding text, stickers, effects, and sounds.
3. Find the "Voiceover" Tool: On the right-hand side of the editing screen, look for an icon of a microphone typically labeled "Voiceover." If you don’t see it immediately, it might be tucked under an "Edit" or arrow-down menu. Tap it to open the voiceover screen.
4. Record Your Audio: On the voiceover screen, you'll see your video timeline. You can drag the timeline with your finger to the exact spot where you want your voiceover to begin. Press and hold the big red record button to record your voice. Release it to stop. You can record in as many small segments as you need, you don't have to get it all in one take!
5. Correction and Trim: Made a mistake? Don't worry. You can tap the back arrow or an "undo" button to delete your last recorded segment and try again. Precision is your friend here.
6. Uncheck "Keep original sound": Before you record, you should notice a checkbox at the bottom of the track that says, "Keep original sound." Make sure to uncheck this box if your goal is to replace the original sound with your voice message. If you leave the box checked, then your new voice recording will be placed on top of your video's original background sound.
7. Save Your Voiceover: Once you're happy with your recording, tap "Save" at the top right. You’ll be taken back to the main editing screen.

Essential Tips for Great Voiceovers

• Write a quick script. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, but jotting down a few bullet points helps keep you on track and prevents rambling. This makes your message clearer and more concise.
• Find a quiet space. Background noise can ruin an otherwise great video. Record in a quiet room, away from traffic, pets, or family conversations. Pro tip: A closet filled with clothes is an amazing, makeshift sound booth because the fabric absorbs echo.
• Stay close to your phone’s microphone. You don't need a fancy mic to get started. Just make sure you're speaking clearly and directly into your phone’s built-in microphone, typically located at the bottom of the device.

Alternative I: Recording Your Voice While You Film

Sometimes you need a more organic, in-the-moment feel. Recording your voice directly as you film your video is perfect for vlogging, live commentary, or reacting to something happening in real-time. The process is straightforward, but it offers less editing flexibility than a separate voiceover.

1. Open the TikTok Camera: Launch the app and go to the camera screen.
2. Ensure Your Microphone is Active: Unlike the voiceover tool, this method uses your phone’s microphone live. The microphone is on by default - just don't play music from another app at the same time, or it may interfere.
3. Press Record and Speak: Simply press the red record button and begin filming while speaking. Your voice will be captured along with the video.
4. Adjust Audio Levels Later: After you finish recording, you can still adjust the audio. On the editing screen, tap "Edit" and then "Volume." There, you can lower or mute the "Original sound" and increase the "Added sound" if you've added music, but your primary voice track will be part of the original video sound.

This method is great for spontaneity, but because the audio is tied to the original video clip, it’s much harder to edit out mistakes or re-record sections without re-shooting the entire clip.

Alternative II: Let an AI Do the Talking With Text-to-Speech

You’ve definitely heard it before - that friendly, robotic voice narrating countless TikTok videos. The text-to-speech feature has become a massive trend for its comedic effect, clarity, and unique creative possibilities. It’s also a fantastic way to add narration if you’re not comfortable using your own voice.

Here’s how to use it:

1. Get to the Editing Screen: After recording or uploading your video, navigate to the main editing screen.
2. Add a Text Layer: Tap the "Text" icon (usually "Aa") on the right side menu. Type the sentence you want the AI voice to read.
3. Activate Text-to-Speech: After typing, tap the text box you just created. You’ll see a few options appear. Look for an icon of a person with soundwaves coming out and tap it. It’s usually labeled "Text-to-speech."
4. Choose a Voice: TikTok offers a variety of AI voices, from the classic friendly female voice to deeper male tones and even ones that sound like they're singing. Tap through the options to preview and find the one that fits your video’s vibe.
5. Set Text Duration: To make the text disappear after it's spoken, tap the text box again and select "Set duration." You can drag the timeline handles to determine when the text appears and disappears, syncing it with the spoken audio.

Get Creative With Voice Effects

Once you’ve recorded your voiceover, TikTok offers another layer of creativity: voice effects. These can transform your voice to sound like a chipmunk, a robot, a baritone singer, and more. They are perfect for comedic skits, storytelling with different characters, or just adding a quirky touch.

1. Record Your Audio First: You must have a voiceover recorded on your video to use this feature (or you must be speaking in the original video clip).
2. Find "Voice effects": On the editing screen, look for the "Voice effects" option on the right-hand panel. It's often located near the "Voiceover" button.
3. Browse and Apply an Effect: A menu will appear at the bottom with various voice filters. Tap on each one (like "Chipmunk," "Robot," "Echo," and "Mic") to hear a preview. The effect will be applied to all the audio recorded in your video - both from the original clip and any new voiceovers.
4. Confirm Your Choice: Once you find one you like, simply navigate off the menu and the effect will be saved. Tap "Save" at the top of the editing screen to finalize it.

Final Thoughts

Mastering audio is a game-changer for any TikTok creator looking to elevate their content. By using voiceovers, the playful text-to-speech feature, or wild voice effects, you unlock new ways to tell stories, educate your audience, and build a brand that feels uniquely human.

After you’ve perfected an amazing TikTok with crystal-clear audio, the next step is fitting it into your broader content strategy. We all know that consistency is everything on social media, which is where planning becomes so important. Using our visual calendar in Postbase, you can see your entire content schedule at a glance, allowing you to map out your TikToks alongside Reels, Shorts, and other posts to get a clear picture of your entire social media presence.