speech-generation

name

speech-generation

description

Generate text-to-speech audio using the ElevenLabs MCP server's text_to_speech tool. Use when the user asks to create voiceovers, narration, audio from text, spoken dialogue, podcast-style audio, audiobook readings, announcements, or voice content. Supports voice selection by name or ID, multiple models (multilingual, flash, turbo), stability/similarity/style controls, speed adjustment, and multiple output formats.

Speech Generation (Text-to-Speech)

Step 0 — plan first. Before generating, run the visual-planning skill (the pre-generation gate for all media, audio included): clarify the ask (voice, language, format, where it's used), pin the tone/pacing, confirm the exact script and pronunciations, then generate and verify.

Use the mcp__ElevenLabs__text_to_speech tool to convert text to natural-sounding speech via ElevenLabs.

Quick Reference

I want to create...	Read This	Preset to Start With
Product demo / explainer video	voiceover.md	Product Demo or Explainer Video
Marketing / promo voiceover	voiceover.md	Marketing / Promo
Audiobook / fiction	narration.md	Fiction / Audiobook
Documentary narration	narration.md	Documentary
Technical tutorial audio	documentation.md	Technical Tutorial
README / docs narration	documentation.md	README Narration
Podcast episode	podcast.md	Conversational Host
IVR / phone menu	announcement.md	IVR / Phone Menu
App notification sound	announcement.md	App Notification
Multi-language content	multilingual.md	—
Custom parameter tuning	voice-settings.md	See Named Presets table

When to Use

• User asks to "read this aloud", "create a voiceover", "generate narration"
• User wants audio versions of text content
• User needs podcast-style audio, announcements, or voice prompts
• User is creating audio for a video or presentation

Tool Reference

text_to_speech

Key parameters:

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
text	string (required)	—	The text to convert to speech
voice_name	string	—	Name of the voice (e.g. "Rachel", "Adam", "Bella")
voice_id	string	—	Voice ID (alternative to voice_name)
model_id	string	eleven_multilingual_v2	Model to use (see Models section)
stability	float (0–1)	0.5	Higher = more consistent, lower = more expressive
similarity_boost	float (0–1)	0.75	How closely to match the original voice
style	float (0–1)	0	Style exaggeration (increases latency if > 0)
speed	float (0.7–1.2)	1.0	Speech speed
use_speaker_boost	bool	true	Boost similarity to original speaker
language	string	"en"	ISO 639-1 language code
output_format	string	"mp3_44100_128"	Audio format (see Output Formats)
output_directory	string	~/Desktop	Where to save the file

Only one of voice_name or voice_id can be provided. If neither is given, the default voice is used.

Models

Model ID	Languages	Quality	When to Use
eleven_v3	70+	Highest	Best choice — newest model, widest language support
eleven_multilingual_v2	29	High	Proven fallback if v3 produces artifacts
eleven_flash_v2_5	32	Good	Real-time / streaming, ultra-low latency
eleven_turbo_v2_5	32	Good	Batch processing, balanced speed/quality
eleven_flash_v2	1 (EN)	Good	English-only, ultra-low latency
eleven_turbo_v2	1 (EN)	Good	English-only, balanced
eleven_monolingual_v1	1 (EN)	Basic	Legacy — avoid unless reproducing old output

For detailed model comparison and selection guidance, see voice-settings.md.

Voice Selection

Use mcp__ElevenLabs__search_voices to find voices already in the user's library, or mcp__ElevenLabs__search_voice_library to browse the full ElevenLabs voice library.

Matching voices to content

Content type	Voice criteria
Technical tutorial	Clear, measured, neutral pace
Marketing/promo	Energetic, warm, confident
Narration/story	Expressive, varied pacing
Announcement	Authoritative, clear, professional
Conversational	Natural, relaxed, friendly

Voice design

Use mcp__ElevenLabs__text_to_voice to generate a custom voice from a text description (e.g. "A warm female voice with a slight British accent"). This creates 3 preview variations. Save the best one with mcp__ElevenLabs__create_voice_from_preview.

Voice cloning

Use mcp__ElevenLabs__voice_clone to create an instant voice clone from audio files.

Voice Controls

Controls are summarized below. For parameter interaction details, named presets, and advanced tuning, see voice-settings.md.

Parameter	Low	Medium	High
Stability (0–1)	Expressive, emotional (0.1–0.3)	Balanced default (0.4–0.6)	Consistent, monotone (0.7–1.0)
Similarity Boost (0–1)	More variation from base voice	—	Closely matches original (0.7–1.0)
Style (0–1)	Fastest generation (0)	Moderate expression (0.2–0.3)	Maximum style, higher latency (0.5+)
Speed (0.7–1.2)	Slow, deliberate (0.7)	Normal (1.0)	Fast-paced (1.2)

Output Formats

Format	Description
mp3_44100_128	MP3 128kbps (default, good balance)
mp3_44100_192	MP3 192kbps (higher quality, Creator tier+)
pcm_16000	PCM 16kHz (raw audio)
pcm_44100	PCM 44.1kHz (high quality raw, Pro tier+)
opus_48000_128	Opus 128kbps (efficient streaming)
ulaw_8000	μ-law 8kHz (Twilio compatible)

For platform-specific format recommendations, see announcement.md.

Common Patterns

Documentation narration

See documentation.md for text cleaning, code block handling, and segmentation.

text: [cleaned documentation content]
voice_name: "Rachel"
model_id: "eleven_v3"
stability: 0.55
similarity_boost: 0.80
style: 0.10
speed: 0.90

Video voiceover

See voiceover.md for timing tables, text prep, ffmpeg mixing, the timed voiceover pipeline, and golden rules.

text: "Introducing our new dashboard. With real-time analytics,
      you can track performance at a glance."
voice_name: "Adam"
model_id: "eleven_v3"
stability: 0.50
similarity_boost: 0.80
style: 0.25
speed: 0.95

Announcement / notification

See announcement.md for brevity rules, templates, and platform formats.

text: "Deployment complete. All 12 services are running."
voice_name: "Bella"
model_id: "eleven_v3"
stability: 0.75
similarity_boost: 0.85
style: 0.05
speed: 1.05

Story / narrative

See narration.md for character voices, long-form strategy, and pacing.

text: [story content]
voice_name: "Rachel"
model_id: "eleven_v3"
stability: 0.25
similarity_boost: 0.80
style: 0.50
speed: 0.90

Multi-language

See multilingual.md for language tiers, pronunciation hints, and batch workflows.

Set language to the ISO 639-1 code and write text in the target language. Use eleven_v3 (70+ languages) or eleven_multilingual_v2 (29 languages).

Podcast / multi-speaker

See podcast.md for multi-speaker workflow, voice pairing, and episode structure.

Generate each speaker's lines separately with different voices, then concatenate with natural gaps.

Additional ElevenLabs Tools

Tool	Use case
mcp__ElevenLabs__speech_to_speech	Transform audio from one voice to another
mcp__ElevenLabs__speech_to_text	Transcribe audio to text (with optional diarization)
mcp__ElevenLabs__isolate_audio	Isolate vocals from background noise
mcp__ElevenLabs__voice_clone	Clone a voice from audio files
mcp__ElevenLabs__text_to_voice	Design a new voice from a text description

Combining with Other Media Skills

Voiceover + Video

1. Generate the video with generate_video
2. Generate the voiceover with mcp__ElevenLabs__text_to_speech
3. Combine with ffmpeg: ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -i voiceover.mp3 -c:v copy -c:a aac output.mp4

Narration + Background Music

1. Generate narration with mcp__ElevenLabs__text_to_speech
2. Generate background music with generate_music
3. Mix audio: ffmpeg -i narration.mp3 -i music.wav -filter_complex "[1:a]volume=0.2[bg];[0:a][bg]amix=inputs=2:duration=longest" output.mp3

Podcast Production

1. Generate each speaker's lines separately with different voices
2. Generate intro/outro jingle with generate_music
3. Concatenate: ffmpeg -i intro.wav -i part1.mp3 -i part2.mp3 -i outro.wav -filter_complex "concat=n=4:v=0:a=1" podcast.mp3

See podcast.md for the complete step-by-step workflow.

Tips

• Write text as you want it spoken — use punctuation for natural pauses
• Use "..." for longer pauses: "And the winner is... congratulations!"
• Spell out abbreviations if you want them read as words: "API" vs "A.P.I."
• For numbers, write them as words if pronunciation matters: "twenty-three" vs "23"
• Test with a short sentence first to verify the voice before generating long content
• Use output_directory to control where files are saved (defaults to ~/Desktop)
• For advanced parameter tuning, consult voice-settings.md
• For video voiceover, follow the Golden Rules and Timed Voiceover Pipeline
• Check voice tiers before selecting a voice — library/cloned voices need a paid plan
• Use the Voice Selection Guide to match voice type to content — always test the voice before writing the full script

Reference Files

File	What It Covers	When to Read
voice-settings.md	Parameter interactions, named presets, model selection, output formats	Tuning voice parameters or choosing a model
voiceover.md	Product demos, explainers, marketing, corporate training	Creating audio for video content
narration.md	Audiobooks, fiction, documentaries, children's stories	Long-form narrative or character voices
documentation.md	Tutorials, READMEs, API docs, e-learning	Converting technical docs to audio
podcast.md	Multi-speaker, interviews, episode structure	Podcast or dialogue production
announcement.md	IVR, notifications, system alerts, public address	Short-form announcements or telephony
multilingual.md	Language support, pronunciation, localization	Non-English or multi-language content