Media Output Settings
Upon successful processing of a Deepgram text-to-speech request, you will receive an audio file containing the synthesized text-to-speech output.
Media Output Settings
Section titled “Media Output Settings”| Feature | API / Protocol |
|---|---|
| Encoding | REST, Streaming |
| Bit Rate | REST |
| Container | REST |
| Sample Rate | REST, Streaming |
Supported Audio Formats
Section titled “Supported Audio Formats”| Audio Format | Description | Use Cases | API / Protocol |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linear16 | Uncompressed, high-fidelity audio format | - Professional audio recordings- Broadcast applications- Quality-centric text-to-speech applications | REST, Streaming |
| MuLaw | Compressed audio format | - Telecommunication systems- Voice transmission in bandwidth-constrained environments | REST, Streaming |
| ALaw | Compressed audio format | - Telecommunication systems- Voice transmission where bandwidth efficiency is crucial | REST, Streaming |
| MP3 | Lossy audio compression format. Capable of significantly reducing file sizes while maintaining good audio quality | - Audio streaming- Digital music distribution- Podcasts | REST |
| Opus | Versatile audio codec optimized for interactive speech and music transmission. Offers low latency and superior compression efficiency. | - VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) communications- Online gaming- Real-time interactive speech and music transmission | REST |
| FLAC | Lossless audio compression format that maintains original audio quality with efficient storage. | - Archival audio storage- High-quality audio applications | REST |
| AAC | Advanced audio coding format providing superior audio quality compared to MP3 at similar bitrates. | - Mobile applications- Streaming platforms- Text-to-speech (TTS) applications | REST |
Audio Format Combinations
Section titled “Audio Format Combinations”While Deepgram offers flexibility in choosing encoding options, there are predefined combinations of audio formats with specific configurations that you must adhere to. These combinations determine the encoding parameters, container format, sample rate, bitrate, and content-type header attached to the response.
| Encoding | Container | Sample Rate (Hz) | Bitrate (bps) |
|---|---|---|---|
linear16 |
wav(default),none |
8000,16000,24000,(default),32000,48000 |
Not Applicable |
mulaw |
wav(default),none |
8000(default),16000 |
Not Applicable |
alaw |
wav(default),none |
8000(default),16000 |
Not Applicable |
mp3(default) |
Not Applicable | Not Configurable ( set to22050) |
32000,48000 (default) |
opus |
ogg(default) |
Not Configurable (set to 48000) |
Default: 12000 Range: >= 4000and <= 650000 |
flac |
Not Applicable | 8000,16000,22050,32000,48000 |
Not Applicable |
aac |
Not Applicable | Not Configurable (set to 22050) |
Default:48000, Range: >=4000and <= 192000 |
Audio Format Outputs
Section titled “Audio Format Outputs”Depending on which Encoding and Container you choose to use, you will receive the following audio output.
| Encoding | Container | Content-Type |
|---|---|---|
linear16 |
wav |
audio/wav |
linear16 |
none |
audio/l16;rate=24000 |
mulaw |
wav |
audio/wav |
mulaw |
none |
audio/mulaw;rate=8000 |
alaw |
wav |
audio/wav |
alaw |
none |
audio/alaw;rate=8000 |
mp3 |
n/a |
audio/mpeg |
opus |
ogg |
audio/ogg;codecs=opus |
flac |
n/a |
audio/flac |
aac |
n/a |
audio/aac |
FAQ & Troubleshooting
Section titled “FAQ & Troubleshooting”Why does Streaming Text to Speech only support a limited set of audio formats?
Section titled “Why does Streaming Text to Speech only support a limited set of audio formats?”Currently we only support linear16, mulaw , and alawfor our Streaming TTS Websocket. In the future we may offer additional support for other audio formats.
Why do I hear clicks in my audio?
Section titled “Why do I hear clicks in my audio?”If you encounter a problem of hearing “clicks” in the audio, we recommend that you add container=none to the request.
These clicks can occur when integrating with telephony providers, i.e. services that handle real-time communication such as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). When using these services, you probably want to use raw audio without a container. If you don’t specify container=none, the default container of wav will be requested, which will result in header information being misinterpreted by the service, leading to anomalies such as clicks or static sounds.
Be sure to ask Deepgram to provide raw audio by setting container=none; otherwise, you will likely hear static or clicking at the beginning of the audio playback as your speaker tries to interpret the accidentally-included container as actual audio.
Why do certain audio formats have a default container and some don’t?
Section titled “Why do certain audio formats have a default container and some don’t?”Many encodings require a certain container format as part of their specification (e.g., MP3, FLAC, AAC), so Deepgram can’t provide container options for those.
Other encodings can be container-less (e.g., raw audio). This is why wav and none are options for those.
With raw audio you no longer have metadata to give you information like the sample rate or encoding.
Why do certain audio formats have sample rate options and some don’t?
Section titled “Why do certain audio formats have sample rate options and some don’t?”Some formats specify their sample rates, so we cannot provide sample_rate options for them.
Why do certain audio formats have bit rates options and some don’t?
Section titled “Why do certain audio formats have bit rates options and some don’t?”Uncompressed audio formats don’t have configurable bit rates, so we cannot provide bit_rate options for them.
What’s Next