Spoken-Word Audio Engineer / Dialogue Editor for Cinematic Reflection Series

RESET Media Ventures is seeking an experienced spoken-word audio engineer/dialogue editor to edit and master a series of approximately 20–25 professionally recorded narrative reflections. This is not a traditional podcast. The project is a cinematic spoken-word series built around reflective storytelling. The finished narration will be delivered to our videography/post-production team for integration with cinematic footage, music, ambient sound, and visual storytelling. The objective is simple: make the narration sound intimate, warm, natural, consistent, and professionally produced without making it sound overprocessed. The speaker's natural cadence, pauses, emphasis, breath, and conversational character are important parts of the performance and should be preserved. Scope of Work The selected engineer will: Edit raw spoken-word recordings Remove mistakes, false starts, clicks, distracting mouth noise, and unnecessary background noise Reduce excessive breaths while preserving natural breathing Assemble alternate takes where clearly identified Apply corrective EQ and appropriate compression Apply de-essing and noise reduction where necessary Maintain natural pauses and conversational pacing Establish consistent vocal tone and loudness across the complete series Master each reflection as a clean, voice-only track Prepare professional WAV files for delivery to the videography/post-production team Provide MP3 review copies Preserve project/session files Do not add music, sound effects, or cinematic ambience. Those elements will be handled during video post-production. Desired Sound The voice should feel: Warm. Intimate. Reflective. Present. Authoritative without sounding broadcast-heavy. The listener should feel as though the narrator is speaking directly to them—not listening to a commercial, radio announcer, or heavily processed podcast. Preserving the authenticity of the performance is more important than making every breath and pause technically perfect. Experience We're Looking For Strong preference will be given to engineers with experience in: Audiobooks Documentary narration Spoken-word projects Dialogue editing Voice-over post-production Narrative podcasts Documentary or cinematic audio Please provide 2–3 examples of spoken-word/dialogue work that best demonstrate the sound you would bring to this project. Do not send a general music-production portfolio unless it includes comparable narration work. Paid Test We will initially select a small number of candidates to complete a paid test using the same raw reflection. The purpose of the test is to establish the sonic identity for the entire series. The successful engineer may then be contracted to edit and master the complete collection. For the test, you will receive: One raw narration recording Editing instructions Reference information about the project You will return: Edited/mastered WAV MP3 review copy Brief description of your processing approach We are specifically evaluating: Naturalness of the voice Clarity and warmth Preservation of the narrator's cadence Noise/mouth/breath management Dynamic consistency Judgment about what not to edit Overall suitability for cinematic video Final Deliverables For each approved reflection: High-resolution edited/mastered WAV Clean voice-only WAV suitable for video post-production MP3 review/reference file Project/session archive Consistent file naming according to our production convention The original raw recordings will remain unchanged and will be retained separately by RESET Media Ventures. Project Size Approximately 20–25 reflections. This may lead to ongoing work as additional spoken-word, audiobook, documentary, and narrative projects enter production. When Applying Please answer the following: What percentage of your work involves spoken-word/dialogue editing? What is your approach to breaths and natural pauses in intimate narration? How do you maintain sonic consistency across recordings made during multiple sessions? What software do you use? What deliverable specifications do you normally provide for video post-production? Please provide links or samples to your best 2–3 relevant spoken-word projects. What would you charge to complete one reflection as a paid test? Please begin your proposal with the words “Spoken Word” so we know you read the complete posting.