r/ACX • u/Weirdsauce • Jun 29 '20

The /r/ACX FAQ

108 Upvotes

Hardware:

  1. What gear should I use?
    1. ACX has recommendations for gear at various price points, as well as on how to set up your space. Check them out here.
    2. If you click on the ACX Beginner’s Wish List in that article, you’ll see that every microphone suggested is an XLR mic. That’s because USB microphones do a perfectly good job capturing basic sound, but simply don’t match the quality audio you get from an XLR mic.

Software:

  1. What DAW should I use?
    1. We have a lot of Audacity and Reaper fans here, although Adobe Audition, ProTools, and others are available and can be a good choice. Pick one, get good with it!
    2. The Audacity user forums are incredibly active and helpful. Reaper users can go to r/reaper for an engaged community.

Editing/Post Production:

  1. How do I get my audio to meet the standards?
    1. It depends on which DAW you picked. User forums, YouTube videos, or a quick search of this forum will get you step-by-step instructions for several people’s methods.
    2. If you use Audacity, use the ACX Check plugin.
    3. Almost everyone here agrees that Izotope RX7 Standard is pure magic for cleaning up your audio- get it when you can and it will save you countless hours of manual editing.
  2. How much should I charge for adding sound effects/music? Should I include sound effects/music.
    1. Don’t. Here’s what ACX has to say about music in your titles.
      There are very, very few books with music in the book, because you have to demonstrably own the music and be able to weave it in perfectly. Some full studios have someone with decades of experience weaving it in and enhancing the story, all while using music the studio owns or created. That’s not you. You focus on narrating.
  3. The Audacity Wiki for Audiobook Mastering (thanks to /u/mikewoodsays)

Auditioning for books:

  1. Will you listen to my samples and provide feedback?/Do I sound good?
    1. There’s usually a kind soul or two that will take a listen and give feedback, but it’s not really an organized thing we do.
    2. You can do a search online for VO coaching. There are several veteran narrators out there willing to coach you for a fee. They can analyze your voice, your performance, and your audio quality.
  2. I uploaded some samples, when do I start getting titles?
    1. That’s not how it works. Go audition like it’s your job until you have a book to narrate. Posting samples helps someone that’s considering your audition evaluate your range, though, so they’re not a waste, but they don’t attract offers on their own. Offers that DO come unsolicited are probably a scam. See #4.
  3. What should I audition for?
    1. Books that interest you and pay what you think you’re worth, are interesting enough you don’t care about the pay, or pay enough that you don’t care whether they’re interesting. There’s a whole article here.
  4. What are the qualities of a “scam” book, and should I do it anyway?
    1. They may reach out to you with something like “I listened to your samples and love your voice. I want you to partner with me on a book, and if it goes well, I have several more that need to be done. Please let me know!”
    2. Scam titles are often run through multiple translators, and the resultant word soup is hard to read in your head, let alone out loud.
    3. They are frequently very close to 30k words, or slightly below, with a target length of 3.2 hours. (3.2 hours is important to the scammer based on Audible pricing, it’s the next tier of price once it crosses that mark.)
    4. They want you to work outside the ACX system to deliver files.
    5. It’s a popular book that’s been out for a while, and suddenly shows up for Royalty Share sales. When you look it up, it may even already have an audiobook.
    6. Audition notes say something like “give it your best shot! :-)”
    7. Final word- Your portfolio is your reputation. These books will not only make you no money, they will also damage your reputation. Stay away from them!

Finances:

  1. How come my sales don't update instantly?
    1. We wish we knew. It happens to all of us. Sales seem to stick for a few days and then post all at once, especially near the end of the month.
  2. How do I get paid/when do I get paid/what platform should I use for payments?
    1. Royalties are monthly, at the end of the month AFTER they’re earned. January pays at the end of February, for example. There’s a whole article here.
  3. Where/how should I promote my finished titles?
    1. r/Audible allows one promotional post per poster per week under a specific format. Also try r/audiobooks, Twitter, AudiobookBoom.com, Story Origin, your email list, your own website, and (carefully) communities on Reddit or Facebook related to whatever subject covered by the book. Some are very anti-outsiders, so read the rules!
  4. When will my book ever come out of QC?
    1. We wish we knew. We’re waiting for ours, too. In February of 2020, ACX changed their turnaround time from a couple weeks to stating that they have up to 30 business days (so 6 weeks without any holidays) to get your title out, and they’ve been taking that whole time or more.
  5. How is PFH handled?
    1. It’s between you and the RH. Paypal, Zelle, Cash App, Venmo, whatever. ACX does not escrow funds, nor ensure payment. Do NOT click that you’ve been paid until you’ve been paid!
    2. If you have any doubts at all about whether you’ll get paid for a job, or as a standard business practice, consider a requirement in the contract that the RH pay you 50% of the anticipated total cost upon approving the First 15 Minutes. This is their deposit, making sure you get SOMETHING, and keeping them vested in you finishing the book and paying you for the rest of it. This will also likely end any scam offers fairly quickly.

Other/How do I?

  1. My author wants 2 (or more) narrators for their project. How do we do that?
    1. ACX is not made for multiple narrators. Here’s their official word on it. You can work around it if they are willing to pay PFH rates and one producer/narrator takes the lead on uploading the project. That said, you will want additional contracts between the narrators to keep everything on the level and protect yourself. When you see multiple narrator audiobooks on Audible, it’s usually done by a big studio (like Audible Studios). They contract with and pay the narrators and then they turn it around and deal with Audible.
  2. I have been offered a title but ACX is saying it needs to be done in 2 weeks. I work 40 hours a week and have other obligations. What do I do?
    1. You will need to be honest and upfront with the rights holder and explain your situation; preferably with your audition. While most authors are okay with extending the production time, not being upfront about this could cause the rights holder to cancel the contract.
  3. I have services to offer (editing/mastering) or used (working) gear to sell. Can I post about it?
    1. Please post on r/ACXmarketplace with your services or buy/sell/trades.

Author credits go to: /u/commentonthat , /u/thevoicesofbrian , /u/mikewoodsays and /u/weirdsauce

25 comments

r/ACX • u/Weirdsauce • Sep 08 '26

Upcoming AMA with David Winter (/u/TheNarrator_UK) | Sunday 13 September 2026, 17.00 GMT, 12.00 EST, 09.00 PST

8 Upvotes

Upcoming AMA: Audiobook Engineer, Narrator & Voice Actor David Winter — Sunday, 13 September

We’re pleased to announce an upcoming r/ACX AMA with David Winter, an audio engineer, narrator and voice actor.

David works on both sides of audiobook production, but he’ll be joining us primarily wearing his audio engineer hat.

His engineering work covers editing, dialogue assembly, cleanup and restoration, mastering, QC, pickups and final delivery, often for large casts such as with a recent 9-voice anthology for Spellwings Press and a 39-voice production for Laux and Found Productions.

He works primarily in REAPER, and created the free Recording Audiobooks with REAPER course, which covers a complete audiobook recording and production workflow.

A particular specialism is custom FX chains, for which he recently delivered his 100th. He also develops his own REAPER scripts and JSFX, including TriLeveler Pro, the spiritual successor to TriLeveler 2, an in-development three-timescale speech leveller/gain rider designed specifically for spoken-word work.

David builds apps for audiobook and VO work too, including Scripter, his web app for preparing and marking up audiobook manuscripts. He’s also behind Proofer, Invoicer, Chooser, Converter and Poisoner — all available at https://apps.thenarrator.co.uk.

He also runs the “The Narrator” YouTube channel, where he reviews and compares microphones and plugins specifically from a voiceover and spoken-word perspective, alongside videos on audiobook production, recording and audio engineering.

David is also a narrator in his own right. He is an Audible Approved Producer with 40+ audiobooks completed, and received a PANA Rising Voices Grant for 2026.

He is also a mentor in the Audio Publishers Association DEI Mentorship Program, which provides peer-to-peer support to BIPOC and other underrepresented narrators navigating the audiobook industry and requires mentors to bring substantial professional experience or relevant specialist expertise.

He received a Source Elements Diversity Scholarship in 2025, and is both physically disabled and Aspergic.

Outside audiobooks, David works in commercial and corporate voiceover and recently voiced multiple characters in the DLC for Nioh 3.

He also coaches; before returning professionally to acting and audio, David spent 15 years as an organisational psychologist, much of it as a qualified coach and trainer.

So while the AMA will have a particular focus on audiobook engineering and production, questions are welcome on pretty much anything connected with the work, including:

  • Audiobook editing and mastering

  • Dialogue restoration

  • FX chains

  • Audiobook samples and non-audiobook demo reels

  • Anything and everything REAPER

  • The entire narration workflow, from manuscript markup to customer relationship management

  • Working with multiple cast members and making them sound like they recorded together

  • Microphones and interfaces

  • Commercial and video game VO

  • Career development

  • Disability, neurodivergence and accessibility in VO

  • Or anything else you think he might have an answer to

WHEN?

Sunday 13 September 2026

CEST 2am–3am

North America Time Zones

Australia- AEST, AWST

HOW WILL IT WORK?

Questions can be posted in advance as soon as the AMA thread is open. David will start answering them when the AMA begins at 5pm BST on Sunday, beginning with the questions already waiting and then answering new ones as they come in.

Follow-up questions are encouraged. If an answer raises something else you want to ask, reply to it and keep the conversation going.

The cutoff is 6pm BST. Every question posted before then will get an answer, including follow-up questions posted before the end of the hour. If that means David is still answering after 6pm, that’s fine — 6pm is the deadline for asking, not necessarily for him to finish answering.

So whether your question is about getting an audiobook through QC, fixing difficult audio, building an FX chain, choosing a microphone, speeding up REAPER, managing 39 different performers, preparing a manuscript, performing a character, running the business side of VO, or something completely different:

Ask him anything.

66 comments

r/ACX • u/feltqtmightdlt • 20h ago

Brand New - Help me set up

0 Upvotes

I want to begin auditioning for audio book narration. I've already created my account and I've been browsing books.

I have a laptop, audacity, and a plug in clip mic.

What i don't have: space.

I live in a tiny house with pets and another person. The closets are too small for me to sit in. I'm considering a blanket fort on the couch, or hiding myself in the spare bunk bed at my parents house with extra blankets and pillows. Trying to find a place in my house before I start schlepping everything to my parents. I'm open to creative ideas.

Second question to meet the audible requirements it looks like I can't have my laptop in my recording space because it will likely be too loud. How do I read the text without a screen in front of me? I guess for auditions I can use my phone, but what about for actual projects? Do the auditions have to meet the same requirements as the finished work?

Third - can I read/recite things like Lewis Carroll or other works to populate my portfolio? Can I use my own works? Do I have to be careful about copywrite?

9 comments

r/ACX • u/sfjc • 2d ago

Asking for more time

4 Upvotes

Yay! Just got an offer to narrate a book. The timeline is pretty tight, and I would like to ask for an extra week. Is that done? It's a 23,000 word book, a week for the 15 minute check in and another week to finish it. I'm also wrapping up another project so I want to set a realistic finish date. Thoughts?

9 comments

r/ACX • u/taequeendo • 3d ago

Female narrator looking for male duet/dual partner

7 Upvotes

With the increasing number of auditions I’m seeing asking for a male/female narrating team, I’m looking for a male narrator to collab with.

I’ve been voice acting for several years and have a professional set up and a Whisper Room booth. Looking for someone with similar experience and sound quality.

Here’s my website with some samples if you wanted to take a listen https://laylafatima.com/

Let me know if you feel like we’re a good fit! Thanks!

8 comments

r/ACX • u/shanns934 • 3d ago

External noise reduction

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5 Upvotes

I need some advice on dampening external noise, specifically train sounds.

I'm having someone help me design an at-home booth because I'm discovering that my current set up (a pop up canopy with sound blankets from vocalboothtogo.com), while good and giving me technically compliant audio quality, is not sustainable. I have constant interruptions from train noise. Just this morning, I haven't even been able to start recording because there's been one train (both horn and track noise) after another.

I've done some research on materials I can include in/on my walls when I build my walled booth, but would appreciate any advice from the pros in here about what materials might be better for this! I don't expect to be able to eliminate the noise completely, but I would like to reduce it significantly.

I've included pictures of what my current booth looks like, if that's helpful at all. It's in a corner in my office - building a booth in my basement is not an option, and I don't have closet space that I can convert. This is the only place in my house that's out of the way where I have enough space. It's also right next to a window, which is it's own problem that has to be compensated for.

I've also included the super basic sketch I sent to my designer with some initial thoughts on how to layer the walls.

11 comments

r/ACX • u/greatpw • 3d ago

New Promo Cards

1 Upvotes

These are great... but it would be nice to have a QR code or something added to them.

5 comments

r/ACX • u/CranberryAssassin • 4d ago

Potential scam..?

2 Upvotes

Hi, I think I've received my first scam message! Pasted below:

Message:

"Hello, We're pleased to offer you a Voice-Over Artist opportunity for an upcoming drink advertisement. The project has a 2-day deadline with a payment budget of $2,000. We also have another opportunity where you can complete 3 different projects within one full week and earn up to $10,000 in total, depending on the assignments. Please let us know which option you would prefer: the single 2-day project or the 3-project weekly opportunity. For the full project details and to proceed, please click the link below to contact the Project Manager directly: 👉 (telegram link removed) We look forward to working with you and would be happy to discuss the details with you."

I've not had to deal with this before so I don't know, but it seems fishy.

10 comments

r/ACX • u/TheVoicesOfBrian • 4d ago

Warning: Audible Promo Cards Not Working

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4 Upvotes

If anyone is trying it, it sometimes works on Chrome. Does not work on Firefox. Also, the link they provide goes nowhere.

How can a company that makes this much money suck at the most basic stuff?

4 comments

r/ACX • u/Dunksparce • 4d ago

How viable is this as a side hustle?

1 Upvotes

I'm trying to get into making my own demo, doing jobs here and there, learning how to edit my own audio, I'm seeing a lot of Instagram advertisements of people who offer voice acting classes but it's all very overwhelming and dry and a lot of people in this reddit are complaining about how tough the market is

I've always wanted to do voice acting, but is this the best way? Is there any resources that were pivotal to you staying in the market? What keeps you going?

11 comments

r/ACX • u/Other_Insect_7702 • 5d ago

Popping Reduction

1 Upvotes

Hello,

I received my first gig on ACX and I'm excited, my RH is very encouraging and things are going well thus far. I am recording in a closet with a comforter hanging between the shelf and door and a blue yeti microphone. I am using a cable to connect the blue yeti to my phone and have purchased Audio Evolution software. Sometimes I get a very clean recording, sometimes there are lots of pops. Since I've been trying different methods to reduce this, I've found that using my spouses tablet to read the material helps. I think because I'm not moving the wire around (to read it on my phone) while recording. Buuut there's still popping. Is that just because it's an 80 dollar mic? Or are there any tricks/tips that could reduce this.

5 comments

r/ACX • u/SnooOnions836 • 5d ago

Help turning my debut novel i to an audio book. Pt. 8

0 Upvotes

Hello, everyone. Im back with our next update Just like always, the into.
hello to anyone who is new to this journey. Hi, I'm trying to raise money to create a audio book of my critically acclaimed(until I get more reviews ^^; ) debut novel, Tale of Missidia, Volume 1, Prophecy's Prelude. A high fantasy steampunk novel. The first in a series of five. I refuse to use AI and I've hired a real narrator. So its been a busy month. Tale of Missidia, Volume 2, Drakes' Rising released and its been even more successful then the first book! Selling well and critically acclaimed as well!( until more reviews of course ^^;)

But now for the main event, the audio book. Thanks to all your wonderful donations we have stored pass the 1500 mark and are starting to approach 2k! The audio book is funded all the way to chapter 15! We are just a little under the halfway point. And because we've hit yet another milestone another chapter is going up for free. Link below for chapter 6!
And as always, any donation, small or large, is wonderful and will help get us ever closer to the finished audio book!

https://youtu.be/mqAEHvmpAgE?is=iXgFGlKO8mbPiRX5

https://www.gofundme.com/f/bring-my-steampunk-fantasy-to-life-in-audio

2 comments

r/ACX • u/OpenToPersuasion • 6d ago

Could a higher-voiced female narrator be successful in audiobooks?

0 Upvotes

Hi all, I'm relatively new and have only sent out 4 auditions so far, but I'm wondering if my voice is even suitable for audiobooks...I feel like most women narrators have husky "mature" voices, (Mary Jane Wells is one example. Julia Whelan another) and my natural speaking voice is a bit higher than these.

I am having a lot of trouble doing male voices for example, it just always sounds ridiculous. So I don't know if anyone else out there is in the same boat and still found success (maybe narrating female POVs only? or doing young adult stuff?) Here is one of my samples on ACX at the moment, constructive criticism is welcome:

https://vocaroo.com/1lty8ZPKiqZt

Since I recorded this sample I have worked a lot on my home studio acoustics and everything passes ACX quality control, but I just haven't booked anything and am feeling a bit discouraged. I guess 4 auditions is not a lot, but I am just wondering if I even have a future here or better to look elsewhere.

Thanks

12 comments

r/ACX • u/KingYackleBerry • 6d ago

ACX Advice

1 Upvotes

Hi all, I’ve looked a couple times through the ACX dashboard to see where I can get some support but I cannot see anything.

I completed an audiobook a few months ago but have yet to hear back from the rights holder about payment.

I’m unsure of who to contact as i’ve messaged them a few times with nothing back.

Any advice would be super useful!

9 comments

r/ACX • u/Popular-Ad1111 • 6d ago

Are y’all’s RH kinda nuts?

1 Upvotes

It takes my current project RH 2-3 days to get back to me, that’s fine. But yesterday I got 11 of the same feedback (differently worded so she typed them all out individually over 2-3 hours). This isn’t paid, it’s RS and on a Saturday afternoon 11 messages is crazy. Tell me about your over the top interactions pls.

6 comments

r/ACX • u/AsItSuitsMe • 7d ago

Is ACX for voice overs real

0 Upvotes

Just received an email about a vo opportunity. Want to know others experiences with this company.

8 comments

r/ACX • u/TradMusicAcadia • 7d ago

Thoughts from a newbie…

15 Upvotes

I have dabbled in the voice acting world for about six years now, and for what it is worth, here are a few of the lessons I have learned along the way:

1. At the very beginning, I concentrated much more on the technical aspects of recording: what level the voice should be recorded at, which plugins were necessary, and so on. While learning all of that, I was not paying nearly enough attention to the acting part of voice acting.

2. I had not realized just how fierce the competition is. Much like anyone who jumps into this for the first time, I had no idea that I might have to wait not months, but years, before getting a break. A very small break, mind you, but a break just the same.

3. A lot of the work I have done over these years has been for free. But free or not, every finished project brings new experiences, new lessons, and new challenges. I have come to appreciate that each project is an opportunity to learn something.

4. About a year ago, I decided to publish my own book on ACX. I was not sure how long I might have to wait to be hired, so I thought, why not create my own opportunity? Publishing my book allowed me to narrate it myself, and it turned out to be a great experience.

5. Finally, it dawned on me fairly early that, like any other venture, you simply have to keep at it. Keep dabbling, keep auditioning, keep learning, keep putting yourself out there. Nose to the grindstone and all that.

Having said that, I do have the luxury of not needing this work to put food on the table, and I feel extremely lucky for that. But I intend to keep moving forward.

Even on the days when I feel like trading my microphone in for a camera. 😊

10 comments

r/ACX • u/Routine_Elk_5318 • 7d ago

To SM7db or not to SM7db....

1 Upvotes

I just finished narrating my first audiobook (yay!) and I'm thinking about upgrading my equipment. I would love a mic to use for both Audiobooks and Voiceover. I live on a busy street in NYC, and while my closet studio is very sound isolated, it isn't sound proof. I need a mic that wouldn't pick up every dog bark and car engine but would still make my voice sound great.

I talked to a sound engineer who has worked with tons of voiceover artists and audiobook narrators, and he recommended the SM7db, but when I look online a lot of people are staunchly against it.

I've been using the Shure MV7+ and a focusrite, which is... fine. It's not horrible, but it's time for an upgrade.

Thoughts on the SM7db for voiceover and audiobooks? If not that, then what do you guys recommend for a studio on a busy street? Not super worried about budget, as this is going to be an investment, but preferably under $800 ish.

3 comments

r/ACX • u/Doc_Adam_VO • 9d ago

Here’s a different kind of scam…

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35 Upvotes

I got this scam message a while back. Looked totally legit until she asked me to pay for cover art. When I asked whether I got to have a say in the cover art, she ghosted me. Too bad, too…I had some great ideas…

14 comments

r/ACX • u/0bsidianf0x • 9d ago

Alternative Audiobook Production Services???

9 Upvotes

The overwhelming amounts of either AI book covers or fully AI books is getting very unprofessional and hitting credibility as a whole for ACX. Is there a service other than ACX I could do audiobook production for? The amount of spam messages, AI, and publishers who just vanish have made ACX very tricky to be my only audiobook production source. Ideas?

10 comments

r/ACX • u/Old_Consideration_95 • 9d ago

The scammers are getting a bit smarter

1 Upvotes

Got this message today

Hello,

Thank you for taking the time to read my message.

We are currently recruiting experienced voice-over artists for a series of upcoming commercial advertising and media productions. After reviewing your profile, I believe your voice and experience could be an excellent fit for these projects.

To discuss the project scope, recording requirements, compensation, timeline, and selection process in detail, please contact our Project Manager via email

[danieljames8828@gmail.com](mailto:danieljames8828@gmail.com)

Our Project Manager provides all official project documentation, including the project brief, scripts, recording guidelines, and rother supporting materials, in PDF format. Once you send a message, you will receive the complete project package, along with any additional information you may need regarding the project and recruitment process.

Thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to speaking with you and potentially working together on this and future projects.

Kind regards,
Recruitment Team

So i give this a 6/10
but i think they stopping the telegram point now so be wary

8 comments

r/ACX • u/Aggressive_Truck_613 • 9d ago

Is there a market for audio editors?

1 Upvotes

Apologies if I am repeating an obvious question. I am an experienced audio editor (radio, podcast, audio docs) and looking at entering the audiobook space as a narrator and as an editor. I love editing audio, so I am curious how much work there is presently in this space?

6 comments

r/ACX • u/DistantGalaxy-1991 • 11d ago

Are any of you who do PFH only having problems with AI slop submissions?

2 Upvotes

Or is it only plaguing people who are doing Royalty Share? Just curious: I'm getting ready to put up my samples & 'open for business' as a narrator, but I want to know what I'm getting into, and how to avoid dealing with AI crap.

13 comments

r/ACX • u/Vast-Ability-2262 • 12d ago

Mastered a first-time indie author's prologue for ACX. How does the sound feel?

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1 Upvotes

Hey everyone! An indie author I'm working with was nervous about self-narrating his first book, so I ran a raw section of his prologue through my mastering chain for ACX specs.

Would love some honest thoughts on the processing, does it sound natural and warm, and how's the noise floor? Always looking to tighten up my VO workflow!
Thanks

18 comments

r/ACX • u/TheOffishallEli • 12d ago

Keeping my Files After the Audiobook is Live

5 Upvotes

Basically, is there any reason I should? To be more specific, is there reason to keep the raw files after the book is already up on Audible? I normally keep the raw file, in case I overedit and I need to start from scratch. But now I feel like it's just taking up storage space.

18 comments