voice-design

ElevenLabs Voice Design Prompting

Expert guidance for creating AI-generated voices using ElevenLabs Voice Design.

Quick Start Decision Tree

Goal	Approach
Generic narrator	Short prompt: "A calm male narrator"
Specific character	Detailed prompt with age, accent, tone, pacing, emotion
High audio quality	Add "perfect audio quality" or "studio-quality recording"
Stylized/lo-fi audio	Add "low-fidelity audio" or "sounds like a voicemail"
Strong accent	Use "thick" (not "strong"): "thick French accent"
Subtle accent	Use "slight": "slight Southern drawl"

Prompt Structure Template

Build prompts by combining these elements:

[Audio Quality] + [Age] + [Gender] + [Accent] + [Tone/Timbre] + [Pacing] + [Character/Emotion]

Example:

"Perfect audio quality. A man in his 40s with a thick British accent. His voice is deep and warm, speaking at a natural conversational pace. He sounds confident and approachable."

Phrasing Experimentation

How you phrase descriptors matters. The same concept written differently can produce noticeably different results:

Phrasing A	Phrasing B	Notes
"Perfect audio quality"	"The audio quality is perfect"	May produce different tonal qualities
"Speaking quickly"	"A fast pace"	Affects rhythm differently
"Deep voice"	"His voice is deep"	Contextual vs standalone descriptor
"Thick accent"	"A very pronounced accent"	Intensity perception varies

Best Practice: When iterating on a voice, try rephrasing key descriptors rather than just adding more details. Small wording changes can unlock the exact voice you're looking for.

Core Attributes Reference

Age Descriptors

Descriptor	Effect
Adolescent	Youthful, higher energy
Young adult / in their 20s	Fresh, vibrant
Middle-aged / in their 40s	Mature, experienced
Elderly / in their 80s	Weathered, wise

Tone/Timbre Descriptors

Category	Options
Depth	Deep, low-pitched, booming, resonant
Texture	Smooth, gravelly, raspy, breathy, airy
Quality	Warm, mellow, rich, buttery
Edge	Nasally, shrill, harsh, tinny, metallic
Special	Ethereal, robotic, throaty

Pacing Descriptors

Speed	Descriptors
Fast	Speaking quickly, fast-paced, hurried cadence, staccato
Normal	Normal pace, conversational, relaxed pacing
Slow	Speaking slowly, deliberate, measured, drawn out
Variable	Erratic pacing, rhythmic, musical

Accent Guidance

Use "thick" for prominent accents, "slight" for subtle:

• "A middle-aged man with a thick French accent"
• "A young woman with a slight Southern drawl"
• "An old man with a heavy Eastern European accent"

Avoid: "foreign", "exotic" (too vague)

For fantasy characters, reference real accents:

• "An elf with a proper thick British accent. He is regal and lyrical."
• "A goblin with a raspy Eastern European accent."

Technical Parameters

Guidance Scale Settings

Scenario	Guidance Scale	Notes
Accent/tone accuracy critical	35-40%	Higher adherence to prompt
Balanced quality + accuracy	25-30%	Good middle ground
Performance quality priority	15-25%	More creative freedom
Very niche/specific prompts	Lower (20%)	Prevents audio artifacts

Loudness Control

Controls the volume level of preview generation and saved voice output.

Setting	Use Case
Higher loudness	Energetic voices, announcers, shouting characters
Default/medium	Most conversational voices
Lower loudness	Soft-spoken characters, whispers, intimate narration

Tip: Adjust loudness to match the character's energy level. A drill sergeant should be louder than a meditation guide.

Preview Text Best Practices

1. Match emotional tone - Preview text should complement the voice description
2. Use longer text - Full sentences or paragraphs produce more stable results
3. Avoid contradictions - Don't use aggressive text for a calm voice description

Bad pairing:

Voice: "calm and reflective younger female voice" Preview: "Hey! I can't stand what you've done!!!"

Good pairing:

Voice: "calm and reflective younger female voice" Preview: "It's been quiet lately... I've had time to think, and maybe that's what I needed most."

Special Effects in Preview Text

Use these in preview text for expressive delivery:

• [laughs] - Laughter
• [sighs] - Sighs
• [exhales] - Exhale
• [lip smacks] - Lip smack
• (maniacal laughter) - Parenthetical actions

Common Voice Archetypes

Archetype	Key Prompt Elements
Sports Commentator	High-energy, thick accent, quick pace, enthusiastic
Drill Sergeant	Angry, fast pace, shouting, authoritative
Movie Trailer	Dramatic, builds anticipation, deep, resonant
Friendly Narrator	Warm, conversational pace, approachable
Evil Villain	Deep, resonant, slow, menacing
Cute Character	Squeaky, high-pitched, playful

Detailed Reference

For complete attribute tables, example prompts with preview text, and advanced techniques, read:

• references/voice-attributes.md - Complete attribute reference with all descriptors
• references/example-prompts.md - Full example prompts with preview text and guidance scales

Key Reminders

1. More detail = better accuracy for specific characters
2. Simple prompts work for generic/neutral voices
3. "thick" > "strong" for accent prominence
4. Preview text matters - match it to your voice description
5. Longer preview text = more stable voice generation
6. Guidance scale tradeoff: Higher = more accurate but potential quality loss
7. Experiment with phrasing - same concept, different words can produce different results
8. Adjust loudness to match character energy level