Audiobook & Voiceover Proofreading Tools

Proofreading an audiobook or long-form voiceover can be one of the most time-consuming parts of the recording process. Even an experienced narrator can miss a word, add a word, misread a phrase or pronounce something differently from the script.

VO Sidekick is an online audio proofing tool designed specifically for professional voiceover artists and audiobook narrators. It compares your recorded audio against your original script or manuscript and highlights potential differences for you to review.

What is an audiobook proofreading tool?

An audiobook proofreading or audio proofing tool helps check a recorded narration against the written manuscript.

Traditionally, audiobook proofing involves listening through the recording while following the manuscript and noting any discrepancies. For a long audiobook, that can mean checking many hours of audio.

Automated audio proofing can provide an initial check by comparing the recording with the text and identifying areas that may need attention.

How does VO Sidekick’s Audio Proofing Tool work?

VO Sidekick was created by a working professional voiceover artist to help make audio proofing quicker and easier and more affordable.  VO Sidekick aims to be the best and easiest to use audio proofing tool out there.

Upload your recorded audio along with your script or manuscript. VO Sidekick analyses the two and identifies potential mismatches between what was written and what was recorded.

The tool can help identify:

• missed words and phrases
• additional words
• potential mispronunciations

Rather than listening through an entire recording simply to find possible errors, you can concentrate your attention on the areas the tool has flagged.

You remain in control throughout. Potential errors can be reviewed individually and either marked for pickup or ignored if the recorded version is correct.

Can VO Sidekick proofread an audiobook?

Yes. VO Sidekick can be used for long-form narration and audiobook proofing by comparing recorded narration with the supplied manuscript.

For longer projects, audio and scripts can be uploaded in manageable sections or chapters and checked as the recording progresses.

VO Sidekick is designed as a proofing assistant rather than a replacement for human judgement. It identifies potential discrepancies for the narrator or producer to review and make the final decision.

What file formats does VO Sidekick support?

VO Sidekick currently accepts WAV, MP3 and FLAC audio.

Scripts can be supplied as PDF or TXT files, or text can simply be copied and pasted directly into the tool.

Can VO Sidekick help create audiobook pickups?

Potential mismatches can be reviewed within VO Sidekick and identified as pickups where necessary.

A list of mismatches can also be exported as a CSV file, making it easier to manage corrections outside the platform.

For Adobe Audition users, VO Sidekick can also export markers which can be brought into the editing workflow, further DAW integration will follow.

What is the best way to proofread an audiobook?

There is no single approach that will suit every narrator or production.

A traditional human proofreader can provide valuable judgement and context, particularly on complex productions. Some narrators proof their own recordings manually, while others use a combination of human and automated checking.

Automated audiobook proofreading tools can be particularly useful when you want a fast initial check for discrepancies between a manuscript and recorded narration.

VO Sidekick is designed to make that first (or last) pass quicker while keeping the narrator in control of the final decisions.

Is there an affordable audiobook proofreading tool?

VO Sidekick was created with independent voiceover artists and audiobook narrators in mind, with pricing based on the amount of audio being checked rather than requiring a large upfront software purchase.

During the current pilot, new users can try the Audio Proofing Tool with two hours of audio free before deciding whether it is useful for their workflow.

This makes it possible to test automated audiobook proofing on a real recording before committing to using it on a larger project.

Does AI replace an audiobook proofreader?

VO Sidekick isn’t designed to replace human judgement.

Speech recognition and automated comparison can identify potential discrepancies quickly, but context still matters. A flagged difference may be an intentional performance choice, an acceptable variation or something that doesn’t require a pickup.

For that reason, VO Sidekick presents potential mismatches for the user to review rather than automatically deciding that every difference is an error.

Think of it as an extra pair of ears.

Who is VO Sidekick for?

VO Sidekick’s Audio Proofing Tool may be useful for:

• audiobook narrators
• professional voiceover artists
• long-form narrators
• independent audiobook producers
• voice artists who proof their own recordings
• narrators looking to reduce the time spent manually comparing recordings against scripts

It has been developed specifically around professional voiceover workflows rather than as a general-purpose transcription tool.

Is uploaded voiceover audio used to train AI?

No. Uploaded audio and scripts are not used to train AI models.

Protecting unreleased recordings, manuscripts and client material is particularly important for professional voiceover artists, which is why privacy has been considered as part of the way VO Sidekick has been developed.

What other audiobook and voiceover proofing tools are available?

There are other audio proofing tools available for audiobook narrators and voiceover artists, including Pozotron, which offers a range of tools designed to help with audiobook production and proofing.

VO Sidekick takes a deliberately focused approach.

Designed by a working voiceover artist, VO Sidekick is being developed around the reality of doing the job. I use what I learn from my own work, alongside feedback from fellow voiceover artists and narrators, to decide what we build and improve.

The aim is simple: tools made specifically for voiceover artists, with the features we actually need and without unnecessary complexity.

Affordability is also central to that. Voiceover artists are increasingly being asked to pay for subscriptions across multiple services and platforms, and I don’t want VO Sidekick to become another monthly expense that you’re tied into whether you use it or not.

That’s why the Audio Proofing Tool is offered on a pay-as-you-use basis. My aim is to keep the price as affordable as possible and make VO Sidekick something that adds value to your work rather than simply adding another subscription to your monthly costs.

Ultimately, different proofing tools will suit different workflows. I’d encourage you to explore the options and find the one that works best for the way you work.  And your input to VO Sidekick will always be valued and help shape the direction the tool progresses in.

Try VO Sidekick’s Audio Proofing Tool

If you’re looking for a faster way to proofread an audiobook, check a voiceover recording against a script or identify potential pickup errors, you can try VO Sidekick’s Audio Proofing Tool.

New users currently receive two hours of audio proofing free during the pilot.