> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.talkifai.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Voice Selection

> The right voice makes your agent sound professional and trustworthy from the first word.

## Why Voice Matters

The voice is your agent's **first impression**. Research consistently shows:

* Users form an opinion about an AI agent within seconds
* The wrong voice makes even a well-configured agent feel unprofessional
* The right voice builds trust instantly

***

## TTS Providers at a Glance

| Provider           | Quality | Latency  | Cost   | Best For                              |
| ------------------ | ------- | -------- | ------ | ------------------------------------- |
| **Cartesia Sonic** | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐   | Very Low | \$\$   | Most use cases — best overall balance |
| **OpenAI TTS**     | ⭐⭐⭐⭐    | Low      | \$\$   | Natural, conversational feel          |
| **ElevenLabs**     | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐   | Medium   | \$\$\$ | Premium quality, emotional range      |

<Info>
  **Short answer:** Start with Cartesia. If you need a premium, highly realistic voice, use ElevenLabs.
</Info>

***

## Cartesia Voices

Cartesia is the **most popular choice** among TalkifAI users — lowest latency with a natural, clear sound.

### Popular Cartesia Voices

| Voice                     | Gender  | Tone                 | Best For                          |
| ------------------------- | ------- | -------------------- | --------------------------------- |
| **Sonic English**         | Neutral | Clear, professional  | Customer support, general purpose |
| **Barbadian Man**         | Male    | Warm, friendly       | Sales, outbound calls             |
| **British Lady**          | Female  | Polished, formal     | Finance, legal, insurance         |
| **Australian Man**        | Male    | Casual, approachable | Tech support, startups            |
| **French Conversational** | Female  | Smooth, elegant      | Luxury brands, premium services   |
| **Indian Man**            | Male    | Clear, professional  | Business, enterprise              |

<Tip>
  Visit [cartesia.ai/voices](https://cartesia.ai/voices) to preview voices live in the browser. Copy the Voice ID from there and paste it into your agent settings.
</Tip>

***

## OpenAI TTS Voices

Simple, consistent, and natural — OpenAI's built-in voices require no external account.

| Voice ID  | Character       | Best For                           |
| --------- | --------------- | ---------------------------------- |
| `alloy`   | Neutral, clear  | General purpose                    |
| `echo`    | Male, deep      | Professional, authoritative        |
| `fable`   | Male, warm      | Friendly, storytelling             |
| `onyx`    | Male, deep rich | Premium, formal contexts           |
| `nova`    | Female, warm    | Support, approachable interactions |
| `shimmer` | Female, soft    | Calm, gentle conversations         |

***

## ElevenLabs Voices

ElevenLabs delivers the **highest quality** — the most human-like voices available. The tradeoff is slightly higher latency and cost.

### When to Use ElevenLabs

* You need a premium brand image
* Emotional range matters (sympathy, enthusiasm, warmth)
* Realism is more important than speed
* You can tolerate an extra 100–200ms of latency

### Popular ElevenLabs Voices

| Voice      | Type   | Description                        |
| ---------- | ------ | ---------------------------------- |
| **Rachel** | Female | Natural, conversational, US accent |
| **Adam**   | Male   | Deep, authoritative, articulate    |
| **Bella**  | Female | Soft, warm, friendly               |
| **Antoni** | Male   | Professional, neutral              |
| **Josh**   | Male   | Young, energetic                   |

<Note>
  Find your Voice ID in the ElevenLabs dashboard under Voice Library. Paste it into the Voice ID field in your agent settings.
</Note>

***

## Choose by Use Case

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="🛒 Customer Support / E-Commerce">
    **Recommended:** Cartesia Sonic or OpenAI `nova`

    **Why:** Warm, approachable, and clearly articulated. Soothing when customers are frustrated.

    **Settings:**

    * Speed: 1.0x (default)
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="📞 Sales / Outbound Calling">
    **Recommended:** Cartesia Barbadian Man or ElevenLabs Josh

    **Why:** Energetic and engaging — holds attention. Lower disconnect rates on cold calls.

    **Settings:**

    * Speed: 1.05x — slightly faster projects confidence
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="🏥 Medical / Healthcare">
    **Recommended:** OpenAI `shimmer` or a calm Cartesia female voice

    **Why:** Calm, reassuring tone. Patients are often anxious — a soothing voice genuinely helps.

    **Settings:**

    * Speed: 0.95x — slightly slower for clarity
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="🏦 Finance / Legal / Insurance">
    **Recommended:** OpenAI `onyx` or Cartesia British Lady

    **Why:** Deep, authoritative voices build trust in high-stakes financial conversations.

    **Settings:**

    * Speed: 0.95x — deliberate pacing conveys professionalism
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="🚀 Tech / Startup">
    **Recommended:** Cartesia Australian Man or OpenAI `echo`

    **Why:** Casual and modern — matches a startup's brand voice without being too formal.

    **Settings:**

    * Speed: 1.0x
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Voice Settings

### Speed (0.5x – 2.0x)

| Speed         | Use Case                                    |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| `0.8x – 0.9x` | Medical, elderly users, complex information |
| `1.0x`        | General use (recommended default)           |
| `1.1x – 1.2x` | Sales, energetic conversations              |

<Warning>
  Avoid going above 1.3x — the agent sounds robotic and users disconnect.
</Warning>

### Stability (ElevenLabs Only)

* **High (0.8+):** Consistent, less expressive — good for formal contexts
* **Low (0.3–0.5):** More expressive, natural variation — good for emotional conversations

### Style (ElevenLabs Only)

* `0.0` = Neutral
* `0.5` = Moderate expression
* `1.0` = Maximum style and emotion

***

## How to Test Your Voice

After saving the agent:

1. Go to **Studio → Agent → Test**
2. Speak a few sentences and listen carefully
3. Check:
   * Is pronunciation correct?
   * Does the speed feel natural?
   * Does the tone match the use case?
4. Adjust → save → test again

**Test these sentences:**

```
"Hello, my name is Aria. How can I help you today?"
"Could you please provide me with your order number?"
"Let me check that for you — just one moment."
"Your issue has been resolved. Is there anything else I can help with?"
```

***

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Create Your Agent" icon="plus" href="/platform/create-agent">
    Voice selected — go complete your agent setup.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Test Your Agent" icon="flask" href="/platform/agent-testing">
    Test the voice properly before going live.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>