Struggling to get hold of the right old timey speech recording for your project? Make your own! Learn how to create a vintage voice effect with Adobe Audition here.

You might be working on narration for an old-fashioned style video skit, or perhaps you want speech samples in your music, just like Public Service Broadcasting.

A vintage voice effect adds warmth and authenticity to your recording. Stylistically, if you’re going for the retro feel, it just makes sense.

However, when you use speech samples, you need to make sure you are actually allowed to use them. This means obtaining the appropriate licenses in order to feature them in your project. One of these would be the master license, if taken from a musical track. This tends to be controlled by the label, which can make obtaining it expensive and tricky. If setting samples to visuals or podcast, you’ll also need a sync license. You could opt for speech samples that are in the public domain, meaning you don’t have to pay anyone for the rights to use them.

But, what if you have a very specific vision in mind? It can be a challenge finding samples that already exist and fit your precise brief. This is when creating your own becomes the most attractive option!

Create a Vintage Voice Effect

Creating your own vintage voice effect is a pretty easy process. You’ll just need a decent mic for recording your voice, and a DAW. We’re looking specifically at Adobe Audition for this article, although you can apply the techniques in other software.

This method, as shown by Mike Russell, uses the sound of lovely, warm, crackling vinyl. You can get hold of crackling vinyl sounds from Synchedin, plus thousands of other sounds, by subscribing from just $3.99 per month.

By playing with the EQ of the voice recording you have made, you can give your vocal track the illusion of antiquity. Handy presents in the Parametric Equalizer, such as Old Time Radio, make finding the right sound for your recording beautifully simple. You can then experiment with different frequencies to adapt the sound to your liking.

Alternatively, you can head into the Filter & EQ effects, opt for the FFT filter and select the On Hold EQ. This, paired with your vinyl crackle effect, will give a completely convincing vintage voice effect perfect for adding that retro feel to your project!