Research
Introducing Eleven v3 (alpha) — the most expressive Text to Speech model
Eleven v3 is the most expressive Text to Speech model
Introducing Voice Design v3
Discover Voice Design v3: create unique AI voices with ease. Describe your desired voice, get three instant options, and deploy for creators, businesses, and developers.
We're excited to announce Voice Design v3. The new release makes creating voices quicker, easier, and more intuitive than ever before.
Voice Design v3 is ideal for creators, businesses, and developers who need specific voices for their project. All you have to do is describe your voice, instantly get three options, choose your favorite, and start using it right away.
Give it a try and see how easy voice creation can be.
Why Voice Design Matters
When we launched Voice Design, the goal was simple: let any creator generate a bespoke voice — no studio booking, no audio library deep dives. Version 3 takes that further, offering more control, faster iteration, and a smoother path from concept to final audio.
Projects often require dozens of voices: a calm narrator, an anxious side character, a few game NPCs, maybe even a talking raccoon. Searching for “something close enough” slows teams down.
Voice Design v3 removes that friction. Type a description, generate three candidates, choose one, and move on — all while paying only for the characters in your prompt, not per sample.
What’s New in v3
- Precision audio quality: Add terms like “perfect audio quality” (or any other grade) to your prompt — v3 will honor them. Want a tin-can radio effect instead? Just say so. You control the polish.
- Smarter prompting engine: v3 handles nuanced cues like “middle-aged New Yorker with rising intonation and a half-smile” without introducing artifacts or losing clarity. Behind the scenes, we’ve expanded the latent space and retrained on broader accent data, making rare combinations sound natural.
Two design modes
- Realistic Voice Design for lifelike performances. Example: “An Indian woman with a soft, calm delivery.”
- Character Voice Design for anything from elves to elder gods.
One click, three voices
Hit Generate and v3 returns three distinct voices. Keep the one you like—it fills a voice slot—and discard the rest. No queue. No extra cost.
Design a voice in three steps
- Pick a concept: What role does the voice play? Sketch a quick persona.
- Prompt with intent: Describe age, accent, tone, pacing, and audio quality in a single sentence. Example: “Perfect audio quality. Elderly male, thick Scottish accent, slow and reflective, gravelly timbre.”
- Save and deploy: Choose one of the three previews—it’s instantly usable in the ElevenLabs API or web studio.
No dropdown forests. No hidden levers. Just results.
Prompting Power Tips
Below you’ll find the attributes our research team sees most often in top‑quality results:
| Attribute | Why it matters | Example keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Age | Sets vocal texture and pitch | child, teen, middle-aged, elderly |
| Accent/nationality | Grounds the character in place | thick Australian, light French, neutral American |
| Gender | Guides resonance | male, female, gender-neutral |
| Tone & emotion | Drives delivery | warm, assertive, anxious, joyful |
| Speed | Controls pacing without editing | fast, measured, languid |
| Guidance scale | Balances creativity vs. prompt fidelity | “guidance scale 10” (try 8–12 for accuracy, 3–5 for exploration) |
For a full matrix, see the Prompting guide in docs.
A word on clarity
The best prompts read like everyday speech — short, specific, and jargon-free. That principle echoes our own writing style: if a word can be cut, cut it.
Real-world applications
- Game development: Prototype side quests with placeholder voices today. Replace them with final reads tomorrow — no recasting.
- Audiobooks and podcasts: Give each character a distinct sound. Then refine delivery scene by scene.
- Localization: Maintain timing in translated dialogue while generating culturally accurate accents.
- Accessibility: Build voices that align with a brand’s tone for screen readers and IVR systems — enhancing user comfort.
Available now
Voice Design v3 is live in the ElevenLabs dashboard: Voices → My Voices → Add a new voice → Voice Design
Log in, type a prompt, and click Generate. Soon, you’ll have three new voices — only one of which existed in your head.
See you in the studio.
Frequently Asked Question
No. PVCs remain the gold standard when you need to replicate a specific, licensed performer. Voice Design fills the gaps when that exact voice isn’t in our library or when you’re iterating on a fresh concept.
Just the characters in your preview text — even though we generate three samples behind the scenes.
Yes. Adjust any attribute and re‑generate. Each new preview follows the same single‑credit rule.
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Resources
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