How to Generate Long-Form Narration

This tutorial walks you through producing long-form audio such as podcast episodes, article narrations, social media voiceovers, and e-learning content. You will prepare voices in the Lab, import a script into Audiobooks, assign voices, fine-tune individual segments, and export a finished audio file.

Looking to create an audiobook with chapter markers instead? See Generate an Audiobook.

What You Will NeedCopy Anchor Link

• Voice Creator Pro, running either as the desktop app on your machine, or in your browser with VCP Cloud
• A script or document for your content (TXT, DOCX, PDF, or text in your clipboard)
• One or more voices ready in your library, or a reference audio clip (3 to 10 seconds) for cloning

Step 1: Prepare Your Voices in the LabCopy Anchor Link

Before starting an audiobook, set up the voices you plan to use. Open the Lab and choose your approach:

• TTS tab - Pick a built-in voice if you do not need a custom one, or clone a real voice by recording, uploading a file, or (on the desktop app) importing from YouTube. Keep reference audio between 3 and 10 seconds for best results. See Text to Speech and Voice Cloning.
• Design tab - Describe the voice you want (tone, age, style) and the model generates it. See Voice Design.

Click Save Voice after you are happy with each cloned voice so it is available in your audiobook later. If your content has multiple speakers (for example, a podcast host and guest), save a voice for each one.

Tip: Test each voice with a short sample of your actual script in the Lab before moving to Audiobooks. This helps you catch issues early. If you try to generate a long script in the Lab, it offers Create a project to move the text into Audiobooks, where it is split into smaller parts for cleaner audio.

Step 2: Create an Audiobook and Import Your ScriptCopy Anchor Link

1. Open Audiobooks from the sidebar and click New project.
2. Bring in your content using one of these methods:
   • Paste or type into the box and click Create project
   • Click Import a book to choose an EPUB, PDF, DOCX, TXT, or other ebook file
   • Drag a file anywhere onto the page
3. If you chose a file, click Continue.

Voice Creator Pro splits the text into segments at paragraph boundaries. Paragraphs longer than 150 words are split at sentence boundaries automatically. You can change Max words per segment in Project Settings and, on the desktop app, click Re-parse to apply it.

If your script names a speaker on each line, the app offers to give each speaker a voice. See Turn a Script into Multi-Voice Audio.

When the project opens, the Your book is ready dialog offers to find speakers and tag emotions with an AI service. Click Skip if you would rather assign voices yourself, or see Casting.

See Importing & Exporting for more on supported formats and text cleanup options.

Step 3: Assign VoicesCopy Anchor Link

With your script imported, assign voices to your content:

1. Set a default voice. In the Voices panel in the left column, click + to add a voice, then click set default. All segments use this voice unless you override them. For a single-narrator article, this may be the only voice you need.
2. Override per segment. Click any segment and pick a different voice under Segment voice in the right panel. Useful for a guest quote in an otherwise single-voice article.
3. Use inline voice spans. Highlight text within a segment and pick a voice in the Selection panel. This is ideal for podcast scripts where host and guest lines appear in the same paragraph.

You can use any combination of built-in, cloned and designed voices. See Voice Assignment for the full details.

Example: Podcast With Two SpeakersCopy Anchor Link

For a podcast script with a host and a guest:

1. Set the default voice to your host voice.
2. Highlight each guest line and pick your guest voice in the Selection panel.
3. Alternatively, if your script is structured with one speaker per paragraph, override the voice at the segment level for guest paragraphs.

Step 4: Set Up the LexiconCopy Anchor Link

If your content includes names, technical terms, acronyms, or brand names that the model might mispronounce, add them to the Lexicon before generating.

1. In the Lexicon panel in the left column, click + Add.
2. Enter the Word or phrase and its Pronunciation, preview it, and click Save.
3. Test a single segment containing that word to verify it sounds right.

Defining pronunciations up front saves you from regenerating segments later. You can also add entries after generating if you hear a mispronounced word. The editor then offers Reset & regenerate for the segments that contain it.

Step 5: Check Project SettingsCopy Anchor Link

Before generating audio, click the gear icon at the top right of the editor to open Project Settings, and check:

• Takes per generation - Set above 1 if you want multiple versions of each segment to choose from.
• Gap between segments - Silence between segments (default 300 ms). Podcasts often work better with shorter gaps, while e-learning may benefit from longer pauses.
• Gap between sections - Extra silence before each new section (default 1000 ms).
• Format - Set your preferred export format (MP3, WAV, FLAC, or M4B).
• Loudness - For MP3 and M4B, choose Podcast for podcast platforms or YouTube for video.

The Language picker is in the left column of the editor. Leave it on Auto to detect the language from the text.

See Project Settings for the full list of options.

Step 6: Fine-Tune SegmentsCopy Anchor Link

Click any segment to access its controls:

• Edit text with the pencil icon to fix typos, adjust phrasing, or rewrite for better spoken delivery.
• Split or merge segments if the automatic segmentation breaks in an awkward place. See Segments.
• Adjust generation settings per segment with the sliders icon (speed, temperature, and so on) to control pacing and emphasis for specific lines.
• Add expression tags like [laughter] or [surprise-oh] for natural vocal reactions. Expression tags are supported by OmniVoice and Chatterbox models.

Use Takes to Find the Best DeliveryCopy Anchor Link

Set Takes per generation above 1 in Project Settings to generate multiple versions of each segment. Audition each take and pick the one that sounds best. This is especially helpful for segments where tone and delivery matter, like an intro hook or a key quote.

Step 7: Generate AudioCopy Anchor Link

Click Generate All at the top right of the editor to generate every remaining segment, or hover single segments and click Generate. Listen as you go and regenerate any that need improvement.

Tip: Generate a handful of segments first to confirm your voice assignments and settings sound right before generating everything.

Step 8: ExportCopy Anchor Link

Choose the format in Project Settings under Output. Once every segment is generated, click Export at the top right of the editor.

Before exporting, check the Output settings in Project Settings:

• Gap between segments controls silence between segments (default 300 ms)
• Gap between sections controls the extra silence before each new section (default 1000 ms)

Adjust these to match the pacing you want. Podcasts often sound better with shorter gaps, while e-learning narration may benefit from longer pauses. See Importing & Exporting for more on export options.

Use Case TipsCopy Anchor Link

Article and Blog NarrationCopy Anchor Link

A single narrator voice usually works best. Focus on pacing and the gap between segments to keep the audio easy to follow. Use the lexicon for any technical terms or proper nouns.

Social Media VoiceoversCopy Anchor Link

Keep segments short and punchy. Export as MP3 or WAV depending on your video editor. Tighten the gaps for a faster pace.

E-Learning ContentCopy Anchor Link

Use a clear, measured voice. Raise Gap between segments slightly to give learners time to absorb information. Add lexicon entries for domain-specific terminology.

Video Narration ScriptsCopy Anchor Link

Export as WAV for the best compatibility with video editing software. Match Gap between segments and Gap between sections to your video's pacing.

Next StepsCopy Anchor Link

• Audiobooks overview for a high-level look at the Audiobooks workflow
• Voice Cloning for detailed guidance on creating voice clones
• Voice Design for creating voices from text descriptions
• Segments for granular control over individual segments
• Project Settings for all available audiobook configuration options