A guide to voice synthesis, cloning and more

Introduction

Imagine transforming any text into a captivating voice at the touch of a button. ElevenLabs is revolutionizing this experience with its state-of-the-art speech synthesis and ai-powered audio solutions, setting new standards in the ai ​​industry. This article shows you the salient features of ElevenLabs, provides a step-by-step demo on how to use its API effectively, and highlights several real-world applications. Let’s find out how you can fully leverage the power of ElevenLabs and take your audio content to new heights.

General description

1. ElevenLabs is transforming text-to-speech technology with ai-powered speech synthesis and advanced audio solutions, and offers a step-by-step guide to using its API effectively.
2. The platform provides speech synthesis, text-to-speech, voice cloning, real-time voice conversion, and custom voice models for various applications.
3. Instructions for using the ElevenLabs API include registration, setting up your environment, and implementing basic sound generation and text-to-speech functionalities.
4. Demonstrates the use of ElevenLabs for speech-to-speech conversion, showing how to modify voices in real-time and save the processed audio.
5. It highlights real-world applications such as media production, customer service and branding, illustrating how ElevenLabs technology can improve various sectors.

What is the ElevenLabs API?

He OnceLabs API is a set of programmatic interfaces provided by ElevenLabs that allow developers to integrate advanced speech synthesis and audio processing capabilities into their applications. These are the key features and functionalities of the ElevenLabs API:

• Voice synthesis
• Text to speech (TTS)
• Voice cloning
• Real-time voice conversion
• Custom voice models

The API is designed to easily integrate with applications that use RESTful web services and requires an API key for authentication and access.

Features of ElevenLabs

Here is the overview of the features:

1. Voice synthesis

ElevenLabs offers state-of-the-art speech synthesis technology that enables the creation of realistic speech from text. The platform supports multiple languages ​​and accents, ensuring a wide reach for global applications.

2. Text to speech (TTS)

The TTS feature transforms written text into natural-sounding audio. With high-quality voice output, it is ideal for applications in audiobooks, podcasts, and accessibility tools.

3. Voice cloning

Voice cloning allows users to replicate a specific voice. This feature is especially useful for media production, gaming, and custom user experiences.

4. Real-time voice conversion

This feature enables real-time conversion from one voice to another, which can be applied in live streaming, virtual assistants, and customer service solutions.

5. Custom voice models

ElevenLabs offers the possibility of creating custom voice models, tailored to specific needs. This feature is beneficial for branding, content and interactive application creation.

Also Read: A Complete Guide on Text to Speech and Speech to Text

Introduction to the ElevenLabs API

Step 1: Registration and API Access

• First, visit the ElevenLabs website and create an account. Once logged in, head over to the API section to retrieve your unique API key.
• After logging in, navigate to the API section to obtain your API key.

Step 2: Set up your environment

Make sure that Python is installed on your computer. You can download and install Python from the website Python official website.

Step 3: Basic Usage

Text to speech

import requests

CHUNK_SIZE = 1024

url = "https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/text-to-speech/EXAVITQu4vr4xnSDxMaL" 

headers = {

  "Accept": "audio/mpeg",

  "Content-Type": "application/json",

  "xi-api-key": ""

}

data = {

  "text": '''Born and raised in the charming south, 

  I can add a touch of sweet southern hospitality 

  to your audiobooks and podcasts''',

  "model_id": "eleven_monolingual_v1",

  "voice_settings": {

    "stability": 0.5,

    "similarity_boost": 0.5

  }

}

response = requests.post(url, json=data, headers=headers)

if response.status_code == 200:

    with open('output.mp3', 'wb') as f:

        for chunk in response.iter_content(chunk_size=CHUNK_SIZE):

            if chunk:

                f.write(chunk)

    print("Audio saved as output.mp3")

else:

    print(f"Error: {response.status_code}")

    print(response.text)

Production

You can choose to use a different voice by changing the voice_id, which must be passed in the URL; you can find the available voices here.

Example of sound effects (sound generation)

import requests

url = "https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/sound-generation"

payload = {

    "text": "Car Crash",

    "duration_seconds": 123,

    "prompt_influence": 123

}

headers = {  "Accept": "audio/mpeg",

  "Content-Type": "application/json",

  "xi-api-key": ""

          }

response = requests.post(url, json=data, headers=headers)

if response.status_code == 200:

    with open('output_sound.mp3', 'wb') as f:

        for chunk in response.iter_content(chunk_size=CHUNK_SIZE):

            if chunk:

                f.write(chunk)

    print("Audio saved as output_sound.mp3")

else:

    print(f"Error: {response.status_code}")

    print(response.text)

Production

You can replace the text in the payload to generate different types of sound effects using the Elevenlabs API

Step 4: Advanced Features

Speech by Speech

import requests 

import json  

CHUNK_SIZE = 1024  # Size of chunks to read/write at a time

XI_API_KEY = ""  

VOICE_ID = "N2lVS1w4EtoT3dr4eOWO"  # ID of the voice model to use

AUDIO_FILE_PATH = "output.mp3"  # Path to the input audio file

OUTPUT_PATH = "output_new.mp3"  # Path to save the output audio file

# Construct the URL for the Speech-to-Speech API request

sts_url = f"https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/speech-to-speech/{VOICE_ID}/stream"

# Set up headers for the API request, including the API key for authentication

headers = {

    "Accept": "application/json",

    "xi-api-key": XI_API_KEY

}

# Set up the data payload for the API request, including model ID and voice settings

# Note: voice settings are converted to a JSON string

data = {

    "model_id": "eleven_english_sts_v2",

    "voice_settings": json.dumps({

        "stability": 0.5,

        "similarity_boost": 0.8,

        "style": 0.0,

        "use_speaker_boost": True

    })

}

# Set up the files to send with the request, including the input audio file

files = {

    "audio": open(AUDIO_FILE_PATH, "rb")

}

# Make the POST request to the STS API with headers, data, and files, enabling streaming response

response = requests.post(sts_url, headers=headers, data=data, files=files, stream=True)

# Check if the request was successful

if response.ok:

    # Open the output file in write-binary mode

    with open(OUTPUT_PATH, "wb") as f:

        # Read the response in chunks and write to the file

        for chunk in response.iter_content(chunk_size=CHUNK_SIZE):

            f.write(chunk)

    # Inform the user of success

    print("Audio stream saved successfully.")

else:

    # Print the error message if the request was not successful

    print(response.text)

Production

I took the output of the text to speech model and gave it as input to the speech to voice model, you can notice that the voice has changed in the new output audio file.

Also Read: Speech to Text in Python: Step by Step Tutorial

Real applications of ElevenLabs

1. Media Production: ElevenLabs' speech synthesis functionality can be used to create audiobooks, podcasts, and video game characters.
2. Customer service: Real-time speech conversion and personalized voice models can improve interactive voice response (IVR) systems
3. Branding and marketing: Brands can use custom voice models to maintain a consistent auditory identity across different media.

Conclusion

ElevenLabs offers a suite of ai-based voice technologies with a variety of features, including text-to-speech, voice cloning, real-time voice modification, and custom voice model creation. By following the instructions in this guide, you will be able to explore and leverage ElevenLabs’ capabilities for numerous creative and practical applications.

Frequent questions