Getting Started with ElevenLabs Text-to-Speech Voice API Get started with the Elevenlabs text to speech voice API. Easy guide to setting up your first project.

The ElevenLabs Text-to-Speech (TTS) API offers high-quality, low-latency voice generation. Whether you’re building audiobooks, podcasts, or integrating real-time speech synthesis in chatbots, ElevenLabs provides a robust platform for generating lifelike AI voices in multiple languages.

In this tutorial, I’ll guide you through setting up and using the ElevenLabs API to create a small project that generates an audio file from text using Python.

What I’ll talk about

1. What is ElevenLabs?
2. Getting Started with ElevenLabs TTS API
   1. Signing Up
      1. Accessing Your API Key
3. Using the ElevenLabs Text-to-Speech API
   1. API Endpoints Overview
      1. Voice Settings
4. Small Project: Text-to-Speech Audio File Generation
   1. Code Sample in Python
   2. Workflow Breakdown
5. Use Cases for ElevenLabs

So, let’s get started. It’s always great to do a reset and start from the beginning. So let’s understand what exactly ElevenLabs is before we dive into how you can use it’s API.

1. What is ElevenLabs?

ElevenLabs is an AI-powered text-to-speech engine that allows developers to generate natural-sounding voices, making it ideal for audiobooks, podcasts, voiceovers, and real-time speech applications like chatbots. Its advanced voice cloning capabilities also allow you to create personalized AI voices.

2. Getting Started with ElevenLabs TTS API

Before diving into code, you’ll need to sign up for an ElevenLabs account and access your API key.

Signing Up

1. Visit the ElevenLabs website: Go to https://www.elevenlabs.io and create an account.
2. Explore the Dashboard: After signing in, you’ll land on the dashboard where you can explore premade voices, your projects, and API usage stats.

Accessing Your API Key

Once you’re logged in:

1. Navigate to the API section in your dashboard.
2. Copy your API Key. You’ll need it to authenticate API requests.

3. Using the ElevenLabs Text-to-Speech API

The ElevenLabs API provides several endpoints for interacting with its text-to-speech service. The primary endpoint for converting text to speech is /v1/text-to-speech/{voice_id}.

API Endpoints Overview

Here are the main endpoints relevant to this tutorial:

1. Text-to-Speech: /v1/text-to-speech/{voice_id}
2. Voice Library: /v1/voices (to get available voices)
3. Voice Settings: Customize speech settings (pitch, speed, etc.)

Voice Settings

ElevenLabs gives you the flexibility to adjust voice characteristics such as stability and clarity, allowing you to fine-tune your AI-generated voice for different use cases (e.g., audiobooks vs. real-time chatbots).

4. Small Project: Text-to-Speech Audio File Generation

Let’s walk through a small Python project that converts text into an audio file using the ElevenLabs TTS API.

Prerequisites

1. Python 3.x installed
2. requests library installed (`pip install requests`)

Step 1: Install Dependencies

In your project folder, open a terminal and install the requests package:

pip install requests

Step 2: API Key and Headers

Set up your API key and necessary headers:

import requests

Your API key from the ElevenLabs dashboard

api_key = 'your_api_key_here'

headers = {

'xi-api-key': api_key,

'Content-Type': 'application/json'

}

Step 3: Fetch Available Voices

You can query ElevenLabs to get a list of available voices.

Get available voices

response = requests.get('https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/voices', headers=headers)

voices = response.json()

Print out available voices

for voice in voices['voices']:

print(f"Voice ID: {voice['voice_id']}, Name: {voice['name']}")

This will return a list of voices. For this tutorial, I’ll use the voice_id 21m00Tcm4TlvDq8ikWAM, a popular ElevenLabs premade voice.

Step 4: Convert Text to Speech

Now, let’s send a request to convert text into speech.

python

voice_id = '21m00Tcm4TlvDq8ikWAM' # Replace with the voice ID you want to use

text = "Hello, this is a sample audio generated using ElevenLabs API."

Endpoint URL

url = f"https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/text-to-speech/{voice_id}"

Request body

data = {

"text": text,

"voice_settings": {

"stability": 0.75, # Control voice stability

"clarity": 0.9 # Control voice clarity

}

}

Send POST request to generate speech

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

Save the audio to a file

with open('output_audio.mp3', 'wb') as audio_file:
audio_file.write(response.content)
print("Audio file has been saved as 'output_audio.mp3'")

Workflow Breakdown

1. Set the voice_id: We use the ElevenLabs premade voice 21m00Tcm4TlvDq8ikWAM, but you can select any voice from the library.
2. Define the text: This is the text that you want to convert to speech.
3. Voice Settings: Adjust the stability and clarity settings to fine-tune how the voice sounds.
4. Send the request: The request is sent to the text-to-speech endpoint, returning the audio content.
5. Save the audio: Finally, we write the response content (the audio file) to an MP3 file.

5. Use Cases for ElevenLabs

Here are a few common use cases for the ElevenLabs API:

1. Audiobooks: Automatically generate high-quality audiobook narrations with adjustable voice styles.
2. Podcasts: Use AI-generated voices for intros, advertisements, or full episodes.
3. Voiceovers: Generate professional voiceovers for videos or presentations.
4. Chatbots: Integrate real-time, natural-sounding TTS into customer support or virtual assistants.
5. Multilingual Support: Generate voices in different languages to localize content.
6. Voice Cloning: Create personalized voices for branded or unique applications.

By following this tutorial, you’ve set up a basic Python project to interact with the ElevenLabs Text-to-Speech API. Whether you’re building out an audiobook platform, a podcast, or a real-time chatbot, ElevenLabs provides flexible and high-quality AI voices suitable for various use cases. Its robust API and easy-to-use voice settings allow you to fine-tune speech synthesis for any project.

I sense you have a few questions on your mind. Perhaps this will help?

Customization and Control

How can I further fine-tune ElevenLabs voices for different applications?

You can fine-tune the voice settings like stability and clarity through the API, adjusting them depending on your use case (e.g., audiobooks vs. real-time chatbots). You can experiment with these parameters to find the perfect balance for your project.

Can I combine GPT models (like those from OpenAI) with ElevenLabs’ ai audio?

Yes! By integrating ChatGPT (or other GPT models from OpenAI) with ElevenLabs, you can generate real-time conversational responses and convert them to ai audio. This setup is ideal for applications like interactive virtual assistants, chatbots, or voice-driven educational tools.

Voice Cloning

What’s the process for using voice cloning in ElevenLabs?

Voice cloning can be initiated by uploading a sample of the target voice through the ElevenLabs platform. The cloned voice can then be used for audio generation in the same way as a premade voice. This is perfect for custom branding, character creation in games, or personalized customer service applications.

Can I clone voices in languages other than English?

Yes, ElevenLabs supports multilingual audio generation. While English is a primary focus, other languages like Spanish and French are available for both premade and cloned voices.

Multilingual Support

How does ElevenLabs handle multilingual voice generation?

ElevenLabs has a growing library of voices that support different languages. You can switch between languages in your API requests, making it easy to create multilingual experiences in applications like global customer support or international audiobooks.

Advanced Features

What are the limits of real-time audio generation in low-latency environments?

While ElevenLabs provides low-latency audio generation, it’s essential to test it in real-time environments (e.g., live chatbots) to ensure the latency fits your needs. Pairing ElevenLabs’ Turbo mode with GPT models can optimize performance for quick response times.

How does speech-to-speech work?

Speech-to-speech allows you to input an audio clip and generate a new one in a different voice, even changing the tone or pitch. This feature is useful for transforming voices in media production or personalizing AI-based voice generators.

Integration with Other Tools

How can I integrate ElevenLabs with ChatGPT or other OpenAI tools?

You can use ChatGPT to generate text-based conversational responses and then send that text to the ElevenLabs API for audio generation. This creates a seamless flow from AI-powered dialogue to ai audio playback, perfect for dynamic chatbots, virtual tutors, or interactive storytelling.

Can ElevenLabs’ voice generator be used in Turbo mode for faster audio generation?

Yes, Turbo mode enhances real-time performance, making it perfect for applications that require fast audio generation like voice-based chatbots or real-time narration in gaming or media production.

API Usage and Scaling

What are the API rate limits for large-scale audio generation?

ElevenLabs offers different tiers based on your project needs. For large-scale projects like audiobooks or podcasts, you may want to consider higher-tier plans to accommodate increased API calls and faster audio generation.

Here are some solid next steps:

Experiment with ElevenLabs Voices and Settings

Explore the range of elevenlabs voices by using the /v1/voices endpoint and adjust settings like stability and clarity for fine-tuning. Start with simple projects like converting text to ai audio for voiceovers or narrated content. This is a good way to get comfortable with audio generation before tackling larger projects.

Integrate OpenAI GPT Models with ElevenLabs

Start integrating ChatGPT from OpenAI with ElevenLabs for a dynamic, real-time audio system. For example, you could build a chatbot that uses ChatGPT to generate dialogue and ElevenLabs to convert that dialogue into ai audio on the fly. You’ll be combining the best of both text and audio AI technologies.

Build a Multilingual or Voice-Cloning Project

Explore multilingual support by building a project that switches between different languages, like a global voice assistant or an English audiobook with translated versions. You could also experiment with voice cloning to create unique, custom voices for personalized branding.

Optimize for Real-Time Audio with Turbo Mode

If you’re working on real-time applications like chatbots or virtual assistants, enable Turbo mode to ensure low-latency audio responses. This setup is crucial for providing a seamless user experience in real-time ai audio interactions.

Explore Speech-to-Speech and Advanced Features

Experiment with speech-to-speech for converting existing audio clips into new voices. This could be useful for transforming content for different audiences, whether in media production, podcasts, or gaming.

By taking these next steps, you’ll harness the full power of ElevenLabs and OpenAI to create cutting-edge applications that blend text-based AI with high-quality, dynamic audio generation. Happy building!

For more advanced features like voice cloning, speech-to-speech, and multilingual voice generation, check out the full documentation at https://docs.elevenlabs.io.

Happy coding!