Short answer: for a 30-second commercial spot, same day.
That’s the answer radio trained me to give, and it’s still accurate. Send the script by noon, get broadcast-ready audio back before end of business. That’s been the standard for short-form commercial work since stations needed spots turned around before the afternoon drive.
Longer answer: it depends on what you’re asking for. Here’s how the actual timeline works, without the fluff.
Commercial Spots (30–60 Seconds)
Same day. A 30-second read with two takes and clean editing is about 45 minutes of work, including the back-and-forth. I still run on the radio clock: if it’s in by noon, it’s back before you need it.
60-second spots get the same treatment. Most short-form commercial work — anything under two minutes of finished audio — comes back the same day you send the script.
Corporate, E-Learning, and Longer Narration
This is where the math changes. A 10-minute e-learning module comes back within 24 hours, usually less. A 30-minute corporate training video gets 2–3 business days. Longer projects, longer runway — but not as long as you might think.
For audiobooks or longer narration projects, we set a schedule upfront. You know when to expect files. I deliver on that schedule.
What Actually Slows Things Down
It’s almost never the recording. It’s the script.
If the script changes after recording starts, that adds time — sometimes a lot of it, depending on how far in we are. If the direction is unclear and we end up trying two or three different reads before you pick one, that adds time. If there are multiple approvers and decisions take a day to travel through the chain, that adds time on your end, not mine.
The recording itself is fast. The variables around it are what eat the clock.
What Speeds Things Up
A final script. Not a “pretty much final” script. Final. If your script is locked when you send it, the timeline is whatever I quoted you.
A clear tone brief. One reference clip is worth ten paragraphs of direction. If I know what you’re going for before I record, the first take is closer to right and you get fewer rounds of “can we try it a little more…”
A single point of contact. When there’s one person making decisions on your side, things move. When there are three, every question takes three times as long to answer.
The Honest Version
I built my workflow around agencies with real deadlines. That means I pick up the phone, respond to emails fast, and don’t make you chase me for files. The audio comes back ready to drop into your project. If something isn’t right, we fix it — no drama, no billing dispute, just fix it.
Send the script. Tell me when you need it. We’ll sort the rest out from there. Get in touch here.
Need a fast turnaround on voice over? Bill Stage delivers broadcast-ready audio same day for most commercial spots. Longer projects quoted with a firm schedule.
Send the script | Listen to the demos first
