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🎤 Custom Voice Feature Guide

✨ New Feature: Add Custom Voices

You can now add your own custom ElevenLabs voices to the voice dropdown! This is perfect for:

  • Using voices from your personal ElevenLabs account
  • Adding cloned voices you've created
  • Using specific voice IDs you know about

🚀 How to Add a Custom Voice

Step 1: Get Your Voice ID

  1. From ElevenLabs Dashboard:

    • Go to https://elevenlabs.io/
    • Navigate to "Voices" section
    • Find the voice you want to use
    • Copy the Voice ID (20-character string like pNInz6obpgDQGcFmaJgB)

  2. From Voice URLs:

    • Voice IDs are often in ElevenLabs URLs
    • Example: https://elevenlabs.io/voice/pNInz6obpgDQGcFmaJgB
    • The ID is the part after /voice/

Step 2: Add Voice in the App

  1. Open the App:

    npm run dev:simple

  2. Click "➕ Add Custom Voice" button (next to the voice dropdown)

  3. Fill in the Modal:

    • Voice ID: Enter the 20-character voice ID
    • Display Name: Give it a friendly name (optional)
    • Test Voice: Check this box to test before adding

  4. Test the Voice (Recommended):

    • Click "🧪 Test Voice" to hear a sample
    • This ensures the voice ID works correctly

  5. Add the Voice:

    • Click "➕ Add Voice" to add it to your list
    • The voice will appear in the dropdown with "(Custom)" label

🎯 Example Voice IDs

Here are some popular ElevenLabs voice IDs you can try:

pNInz6obpgDQGcFmaJgB - Adam (Male, English)
EXAVITQu4vr4xnSDxMaL - Bella (Female, English)  
IKne3meq5aSn9XLyUdCD - Charlie (Male, English)
onwK4e9ZLuTAKqWW03F9 - Daniel (Male, English)

✅ Features

  • Voice Validation: Checks that voice IDs are properly formatted
  • Test Before Adding: Hear the voice before adding it to your list
  • Persistent Storage: Custom voices are saved and restored when you restart the app
  • Easy Management: Custom voices appear in a separate section in the dropdown
  • Visual Distinction: Custom voices are labeled with "(Custom)"

🔧 Voice ID Format

Valid voice IDs must be:

  • Exactly 20 characters long
  • Contain only letters and numbers (a-z, A-Z, 0-9)
  • No spaces or special characters

Examples:

  • ✅ pNInz6obpgDQGcFmaJgB (valid)
  • ✅ EXAVITQu4vr4xnSDxMaL (valid)
  • ❌ invalid-voice-id (contains hyphens)
  • ❌ short (too short)

🎵 Using Custom Voices

Once added, custom voices work exactly like built-in voices:

  1. Select from Dropdown: Choose your custom voice from the list
  2. Test Translation: Use "🧪 Test Translation" to hear it
  3. Real-Time Translation: Works with "▶️ Start Translation"
  4. All Features: Compatible with all translation features

🗑️ Managing Custom Voices

Currently, custom voices are stored in your configuration file. To remove a custom voice:

  1. Temporary: Just select a different voice (custom voice stays in list)
  2. Permanent: You can manually edit the config file or we can add a remove feature later

💡 Pro Tips

  1. Test First: Always test voices before adding them to ensure they work
  2. Descriptive Names: Use clear names like "My Cloned Voice" or "British Male"
  3. Voice Quality: Custom voices work best with high-quality ElevenLabs voices
  4. Account Access: Make sure your ElevenLabs API key has access to the voice

🐛 Troubleshooting

"Invalid voice ID format"

  • Check that the ID is exactly 20 characters
  • Ensure it contains only letters and numbers
  • No spaces at the beginning or end

"Voice test failed"

  • Verify your ElevenLabs API key is configured
  • Check that the voice ID exists in your account
  • Ensure you have sufficient ElevenLabs credits

"Voice already exists"

  • The voice ID is already in your list
  • Check the dropdown for existing voices

🎉 Ready to Use!

The custom voice feature is now fully functional! You can:

✅ Add unlimited custom voices
✅ Test voices before adding them
✅ Use them in real-time translation
✅ Store them permanently in your config

Start adding your favorite voices today! 🎤✨