Why I Chose to Clone My Voice for Podfics: A Practical Approach

AI is a hot topic these days, and I’m sure most of you have already seen the many debates for and against it. From job loss concerns to ethical questions, it’s hard to avoid discussions around it. I want to be upfront here: I’m not writing this to argue for or against AI. Instead, I want to explain why I decided to use ai to clone my voice to create podfics, especially given my background as a voiceover artist.

I’ve been working as a professional actor since 2010, and voiceover work has been a big part of my career. When it comes to performance, I can be a bit of a perfectionist, and I take pride in delivering the best I can—especially since I’m getting paid for the work. But as much as I love recording, the reality is that it takes a lot of time and energy. And as much as I would like to turn all of my fanfics into podfics, it’s not practical for me to do so without help.

First, let’s talk about the recording process. For any given story, the time it takes to record is only half the battle. Editing doubles that time. If you’ve ever worked with audio, you’ll know that even the smallest mistakes can demand several retakes. And when we’re talking about fics that are often over 30k words… well, it’s a bit of a marathon.

Then there’s another factor: I’m also a parent. And as anyone with children knows, time management becomes even more of a balancing act when you’re juggling work, creative projects, and family responsibilities. My role as a parent is incredibly important to me, and it’s one more reason I needed a practical solution to help me keep up with my creative projects.

Oh, and have I mentioned I really hate editing? Hearing my own voice say things multiple times in order to choose the best take is exhausting for me. Plus, the added headache of my chronic tendonitis just makes long editing sessions a nightmare. I need to save my poor arm for things I enjoy doing, like drawing and writing!

Here’s where the voice cloning comes in. I made the decision to clone my voice to keep things manageable. This allows me to keep some authenticity without the overwhelming workload–after all, it’s my voice. (And for the record, I assume the publicly available voices were recorded with the actors fully aware of what they were signing up for, but it just felt more right for me to use my own after using a generic one.)

It’s important to point out that I don’t monetize my fanfics or podfics. All of this work—whether it’s recording, editing, or creating—is purely for the love of the story and the community. However, if you’d like to support my work, there are ways to do so! You can check out my original novels and artwork on my website. By purchasing those, you help me continue doing what I love while sharing my stories with all of you.

In the end, this is just one way I’m using technology to enhance what I do. For me, it’s about making the best use of my time while still producing something I’m proud of, and I hope you enjoy the stories as much as I love creating them.

Click Here for my YouTube channel in case you wanted to have a listen to my podfics!