voice-design

What this skill does

# AI Voice Design

> Select and create the perfect AI voice for your content using ElevenLabs, Qwen3-TTS, and other platforms—matching voice characteristics to brand personality and audience.

## When to Use This Skill

- Choosing an AI voice for video narration
- Creating a consistent brand voice across content
- Cloning a voice for scalable production
- Comparing voice synthesis platforms
- Designing voice characteristics by description
- Casting multiple voices for different characters/uses

## Methodology Foundation

**Source**: ElevenLabs + Qwen3-TTS + Voice Design Best Practices

**Core Principle**: "La voix est 50% de l'impact d'une vidéo"—a poorly chosen or generated voice breaks the illusion. The best AI voice is one listeners don't notice is AI. This requires matching voice characteristics (age, gender, tone, pace) to content type and audience expectations.

**Why This Matters**: AI voice synthesis has reached human-level quality for most use cases, enabling content creation at scale. But the technology is only as good as the voice selection. A mismatched voice undermines content regardless of how natural it sounds.


## What Claude Does vs What You Decide

| Claude Does | You Decide |
|-------------|------------|
| Structures production workflow | Final creative direction |
| Suggests technical approaches | Equipment and tool choices |
| Creates templates and checklists | Quality standards |
| Identifies best practices | Brand/voice decisions |
| Generates script outlines | Final script approval |

## What This Skill Does

1. **Matches voice to brand** - Translates brand attributes into voice characteristics
2. **Selects optimal platform** - ElevenLabs vs Qwen3-TTS vs alternatives based on needs
3. **Designs voices by description** - Creates custom voices from text prompts
4. **Manages voice consistency** - Maintains the same voice across projects
5. **Casts multi-voice projects** - Selects complementary voices for dialogues/characters

## How to Use

### Select AI Voice
```
Help me choose an AI voice for [content type].
Brand: [personality]
Audience: [who]
Content: [describe]
Platform preference: [if any]
```

### Design Custom Voice
```
Design a voice for my brand:
Brand personality: [traits]
Target audience: [who]
Use cases: [where voice will be used]
```

### Compare Platforms
```
Compare voice platforms for my needs:
Volume: [how much content]
Languages: [which]
Budget: [range]
Features needed: [cloning, real-time, etc.]
```

## Instructions

When designing AI voices, follow this methodology:

### Step 1: Define Voice Requirements

Before choosing a platform or voice, document what you need.

```
## Voice Requirements Worksheet

### Brand Alignment
**Brand personality** (3-5 traits):
**Tone of voice** (formal/casual/playful/etc.):
**Existing brand sounds** (if any):

### Audience Match
**Primary audience** (age, context):
**What voice would they trust?**
**What voice would feel authentic to them?**

### Technical Requirements
**Languages needed**:
**Monthly volume** (minutes/hours):
**Real-time needed?** (yes/no):
**Voice cloning needed?** (yes/no):
**Budget** (monthly):

### Content Types
□ Long-form narration (courses, audiobooks)
□ Short-form video (social, ads)
□ Conversational (chatbots, assistants)
□ Character voices (multiple speakers)
□ Localization (same voice, multiple languages)
```

---

### Step 2: Choose Your Platform

Match platform to requirements.

```
## Platform Decision Matrix (2026)

### ElevenLabs
**Best for**: Premium quality, voice cloning, multilingual
**Pricing**: $5-330/mo
**Languages**: 29+
**Voice cloning**: Yes (from $22/mo)
**Latency**: 75ms (Flash v2.5)

**Choose if**:
- Quality is top priority
- Need professional voice cloning
- Require many languages with same voice
- Budget allows $20+/mo

### Qwen3-TTS (Open Source)
**Best for**: Self-hosted, zero marginal cost, privacy
**Pricing**: Free (+ GPU costs)
**Languages**: 10
**Voice cloning**: Yes (zero-shot from 3 seconds)
**Latency**: 97ms streaming

**Choose if**:
- Processing sensitive data locally
- High volume (cost per minute matters)
- Technical capability to self-host
- Need real-time streaming

### Murf.ai
**Best for**: Professional voiceover, video workflow
**Pricing**: $19-99/mo
**Languages**: 45+
**Voice cloning**: Limited
**Special**: "Say It My Way" intonation control

**Choose if**:
- Need studio voiceover quality
- Video production workflow
- Team collaboration needed
- Want precise pronunciation control

### OpenAI TTS
**Best for**: Simple integration, developer-focused
**Pricing**: $15/M characters
**Languages**: Limited
**Voices**: 6 presets (alloy, echo, fable, onyx, nova, shimmer)

**Choose if**:
- Already using OpenAI ecosystem
- Simple API integration needed
- Don't need customization
- Light usage

### Budget Decision

| Budget | Recommendation |
|--------|----------------|
| $0 | Qwen3-TTS (self-hosted) |
| $5-20/mo | ElevenLabs Starter |
| $20-50/mo | ElevenLabs Creator (with cloning) |
| $100+/mo | ElevenLabs Pro or Murf Pro |
| High volume | Self-hosted Qwen3-TTS |
```

---

### Step 3: Translate Brand to Voice

Convert brand attributes into voice parameters.

```
## Brand-to-Voice Translation

### Voice Attributes

| Brand Trait | Voice Translation |
|-------------|-------------------|
| Professional | Lower pitch, measured pace, clear articulation |
| Friendly | Mid-pitch, warm tone, slight smile quality |
| Authoritative | Deep, resonant, slower pace, confident pauses |
| Energetic | Higher pitch variation, faster pace, dynamic range |
| Trustworthy | Steady, consistent, neutral accent, clear |
| Innovative | Modern quality, subtle processing, distinctive |
| Warm | Rich mid-tones, soft consonants, unhurried |
| Premium | Controlled, polished, slight reverb/space |

### Voice Parameter Guide

**Pitch Range**:
- Low: Authority, seriousness, gravitas
- Mid: Versatility, approachability
- High: Energy, youth, friendliness

**Pace**:
- Slow: Premium, thoughtful, serious content
- Medium: Most content, versatile
- Fast: Energetic, urgent, young audience

**Accent**:
- Neutral: Universal appeal, no specific region
- Regional: Authenticity for specific markets
- International: European/British for sophistication (to US ears)
```

---

### Step 4: Design by Description (ElevenLabs)

ElevenLabs allows voice design via text description.

```
## Voice Design Prompts

### Template
"A [gender] voice in their [age range], with a [accent] accent.
The voice is [tone qualities] with [delivery characteristics].
[Additional characteristics or limitations]."

### Examples

**Corporate Explainer**:
"A male voice in his late 30s, with a neutral American accent.
The voice is warm and professional with clear articulation and
measured pacing. Sounds like a trusted advisor, not a salesman."

**E-learning Instructor**:
"A female voice in her early 40s, with a slight British accent.
The voice is encouraging and patient with a natural, conversational
delivery. Sounds like a supportive teacher who makes complex
topics accessible."

**Tech Product Demo**:
"A young male voice in his late 20s, with a West Coast American accent.
The voice is confident and energetic with a modern, casual delivery.
Sounds knowledgeable but not condescending, like explaining to a
friend who's also into tech."

**Luxury Brand**:
"A female voice in her 30s, with a subtle French accent.
The voice is sophisticated and understated with elegant pacing
and restrained emotion. Sounds exclusive but welcoming, never rushed."

### Tips for Better Results
- Be specific about age (not just "young" but "late 20s")
- Describe the feeling, not just mechanics
- Reference the context/listener relationship
- Iterate: try 3-5 variations, pick the best
```

---

### Step 5: Multi-Voice Casting

When content requires multiple speakers.

```
## Voice Casting for Multi-Speaker Content

### Dialogue Principles

**Contrast**:
- Different pitches (one higher, one lower)
- Different timbres (one warm,