Quick answer: on the Cut page, open the microphone-shaped Voiceover tool under the Viewer. Choose the real microphone under Audio Input, leave Record Track on the new VO track or select your own mono track, and speak once before recording. If the input meter doesn't move, stop there and fix the device or permission; timeline volume can't repair a missing input. Wear headphones, place the playhead or an In point where the line should begin, then click Record.
That route is enough for narration, scratch tracks and timed pickup lines. Resolve 21 also keeps a compact Voiceover palette on the Edit page, while Fairlight gives you explicit input patching, multiple armed tracks, layers and ADR. The controls below were rechecked on August 27, 2026 against the current DaVinci Resolve 21 Reference Manual; Blackmagic's support center listed 21.0.4 as the current maintenance release at that check.
If you're learning the wider audio path rather than solving this one recording task, the DaVinci Resolve Fairlight hub routes recording, cleanup, mixing and delivery without turning this page into a full audio course.
Choose the recording route before you set up the mic
| What you need | Use this route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One narration or scratch track, fast | Cut Voiceover | Current Resolve 21 palette includes input, destination track, monitoring, countdown, recording location and a prompter. |
| A compact panel while editing | Edit > Record Voiceover | File name, input, track and Record stay in a small tool; extra options cover monitoring, countdown and stereo input. |
| Explicit routing, multiple microphones or preserved layered takes | Fairlight track recording | You patch inputs to tracks, arm the exact tracks, and record from the transport. |
| Cue lists, pre-roll, beeps, streamers and repeated dialogue replacement | Fairlight ADR | ADR is a session workflow, not merely another Record button. |
Don't build the Fairlight route just because an old tutorial starts there. The simple tool removes several setup steps. Move to Fairlight when you need its control, not because recording a microphone is supposed to be complicated.
Record a voiceover on the Cut page
- Open an active timeline and switch to Cut.
- Click the microphone-shaped Voiceover icon below the Viewer.
- Under Audio Input, choose the microphone or audio-interface input you are actually using.
- Under Record Track, use the VO track Resolve creates or choose another suitable audio track.
- Speak at the level you'll use for the take. The miniature meter should respond before you press Record.
- Choose a monitoring mode, put on headphones, and set a short countdown if you want one.
- Place the playhead at the start, or set an In point when you want a repeatable cue.
- Click Record, perform the line, then click Stop.
These Voiceover settings control two different paths: Audio Input decides what Resolve records, while Monitoring decides what you hear during the take. A working headphone mix isn't proof that the selected microphone is reaching the recording track; the input meter is the faster check.
The Cut palette offers Timeline & Microphone, Timeline Audio Only, Microphone Audio Only and Mute Monitoring When Recording. There's no universally correct choice. A narrator following music may need the timeline in headphones; a laptop user without headphones may need monitoring muted to avoid feedback.
Use No Countdown, 3 Secs Countdown or 5 Secs Countdown based on the performer. The countdown is a visual preparation cue. It does not fix a late script start, room echo or input latency.
Use the prompter and keep alternate takes
The Cut Voiceover tool can load a plain-text .txt script and display it over the Viewer. Enable the Prompter Overlay, load the file, then adjust font size, line spacing, side margin and background opacity until the script is readable without covering the part of the frame you need to judge.
Set In and Out points around the voiceover range when timing matters. Resolve uses that range to pace the scroll; without it, the script spans the timeline. The Cue button returns the playhead to the initial recording In point, so you can repeat a line without dragging the playhead back by eye.
After you stop, the playhead returns to the starting position for review. Recording a new take at the same location replaces the earlier clip on the timeline, but Resolve keeps the previous takes in the Media Pool. That is an editorial replacement, not deletion of the recorded media. Name the recording clearly and keep the destination bin selected so useful alternates are easy to find.
Use the compact Edit-page Voiceover tool
On the Edit page, choose Timeline > Record Voiceover or click the small microphone on the Timeline toolbar. Enter a useful File Name, choose the Audio Input, then choose a Record Track. Auto lets Resolve select a track from the current layout; selecting the VO track yourself is easier to verify in a crowded timeline.
The three-dot menu adds Input Monitoring, a three-second visual countdown, Mute Timeline Audio While Recording, Stereo Input and Hide Options. Blackmagic notes that software input monitoring can have some lag. If the delay pulls your delivery off time, monitor directly through the audio interface when it supports that, or turn software monitoring off while keeping the picture or guide audio you actually need.
Stereo Input is for a genuinely stereo microphone or stereo source. Most spoken-word microphones are mono. Selecting stereo by habit can create unnecessary channel confusion and is one reason to inspect the recorded clip when speech appears on only one side.
Move to Fairlight when routing must be explicit
Use Fairlight when the simplified palette cannot express the session: several microphones, separate performers, manual input assignments, overlapping takes or a controlled ADR pass. The official Fairlight overview treats track recording and ADR as full audio-post workflows rather than hidden voiceover preferences.
- Create or select a suitable mono VO track.
- Choose Fairlight > Patch Input/Output.
- Set Source to the physical microphone input and Destination to the VO track input, then click Patch.
- Click the track's red R button to arm it. An audio track can't be record-armed until an input is patched.
- Place the playhead, click the transport Record button, and watch the waveform draw in real time.
- Click Stop or press Spacebar, then disarm the track before ordinary playback.
Fairlight can designate a default audio input that auto-patches when you arm a track. That's convenient on a stable workstation, but it doesn't replace checking the source shown in the Mixer. Recordings are written under File > Project Settings > Master Settings > Working Folders > Project media location, while the selected Media Pool bin determines where the new clips appear inside the project.
For cue lists, pre-roll, post-roll, beeps and streamers, open the ADR interface instead of stretching a simple voiceover panel into an ADR session. AI Create ADR Cues is a separate Studio-only aid; conventional recording and a manually built cue list are different claims.
DaVinci Resolve voiceover not working: find the first missing signal
No meter movement
Don't press Record repeatedly. Confirm the microphone is powered and not physically muted, the operating system can see it, Resolve has microphone permission, and the Voiceover Audio Input points to that device rather than a laptop mic or stale interface. Reconnect or reselect the device, then speak again. A dead meter is an input problem; raising clip gain, a track fader or LUFS later in the chain can't create missing samples.
The meter moves, but no clip appears
Confirm an active timeline is open, choose a real Record Track instead of relying on an ambiguous Auto result, verify the recording location is writable and has free space, then perform a five-second test. In Fairlight, confirm the source is patched to the track input, the track is armed, and you pressed the transport Record control rather than only Record Arm.
A clip exists, but playback is silent
Now the microphone did record something. Check the clip waveform, clip mute, track Mute/Solo state, track fader, bus assignment and output device in that order. If other clips are silent too, move to the broader Resolve no-audio diagnostic. If only the VO track disappears between the Mixer and speakers, the Fairlight bus-routing guide owns that signal path.
Fix echo, feedback and delayed monitoring
Feedback happens when a live microphone hears its own monitored output through speakers and sends it back into the system. Use headphones, lower the monitor level, or choose a monitoring mode that doesn't return the mic to speakers. Muting the timeline isn't the same as muting microphone monitoring; decide which signal is causing the loop.
A delayed copy of your voice is monitoring latency. The Edit tool explicitly warns that Input Monitoring can have lag. Reduce the audio buffer only if the system remains stable, use direct hardware monitoring when the interface provides it, or disable the software return. Don't drag a correctly recorded clip earlier just to compensate for a delay you heard only in headphones; compare the waveform with the picture first.
Fix voiceover that plays in only one ear
Start at the source format. A single spoken-word microphone normally belongs on a mono track. If a mono signal was recorded into only one side of a stereo clip, inspect Clip Attributes and map the active channel deliberately, or rerecord to a mono destination when practical. Do not duplicate the active channel until you have confirmed the file really contains one valid side rather than a damaged cable or wrong interface input.
If the clip meter is centered but the output still favors one side, check the track pan and bus format. “Only one ear” is a symptom shared by source mapping, track panning and output routing; the waveform and meters tell you which stage owns it.
Fix a voiceover that is too quiet without clipping it
Set the microphone or interface preamp so ordinary speech produces a healthy meter with room for louder words. There's no single record level that fits every voice, microphone and delivery specification. Avoid clipping at the input; lowering a clipped timeline clip can't restore the lost peaks.
After recording, separate cleanup from loudness. Clip gain and the track fader set level, EQ changes tone, dynamics controls range, and the final loudness check belongs near delivery. Use the Voice Isolation versus Dialogue Leveler guide only after you have a real recording; Voice Isolation is Studio-only and neither tool replaces microphone placement. Then use the Resolve LUFS and audio-level guide for the destination measurement rather than chasing a generic recording number.
DaVinci Resolve Free vs Studio for voiceover
The base Cut/Edit Voiceover recording controls and Fairlight track-recording workflow are documented without a Studio-only marker, so the live-microphone task applies to Free and Studio. Studio adds AI capabilities around the recording workflow; Voice Isolation is explicitly Studio-only. Keep AI Speech Generator out of this setup decision: generating speech from text isn't the same intent as recording a person through a microphone.
For a wider beginner route through the application, return to the DaVinci Resolve tutorial hub. For this task, the useful finish line is smaller: the correct microphone moves the meter, the take appears on the intended track, and the recorded waveform plays through the expected bus.
DaVinci Resolve voiceover FAQ
How do I record a voiceover in DaVinci Resolve 21?
Open the Cut page Voiceover tool, choose the microphone under Audio Input, choose a VO track, confirm the meter moves, wear headphones, place the playhead or an In point, then press Record. The Edit page offers a compact version under Timeline > Record Voiceover.
Why is DaVinci Resolve not recording my microphone?
If the Voiceover meter doesn't move, check the physical mic, operating-system input, microphone permission and Audio Input selection. If the meter moves but no clip appears, check the destination track and recording location; in Fairlight, also verify input patching and Record Arm.
Can I record voiceover in the free version of DaVinci Resolve?
Yes. The base Voiceover and Fairlight recording workflows are documented without a Studio-only restriction. Some AI cleanup tools differ by edition; Voice Isolation is explicitly Studio-only.
Why can I hear my voice with a delay while recording?
That delayed return is monitoring latency. Use direct monitoring on the audio interface when available, reduce the buffer only if the system stays stable, or disable software Input Monitoring. Don't move the recorded clip until the waveform proves the recording itself is late.
Why is my voiceover only in one ear?
A mono microphone may have been recorded or interpreted as one side of a stereo clip. Check the source channels, Clip Attributes, track format and pan. Use a mono track for a normal single-microphone narration unless the source is genuinely stereo.
Where does DaVinci Resolve save voiceover recordings?
The Cut Voiceover palette has a Voiceover Recording File Location setting. Fairlight recordings use the Project media location under Project Settings > Master Settings > Working Folders, while the selected Media Pool bin controls where the new clips appear inside the project.
Should I use Voiceover or ADR in Fairlight?
Use Voiceover for narration, scratch tracks and simple timed pickups. Use Fairlight ADR when you need cue lists, pre-roll/post-roll, beeps, streamers, repeated performances and a controlled dialogue-replacement session.
