Create voice audio files

Cloud Text-to-Speech allows you to convert words and sentences into base64 encoded audio data of natural human speech. You can then convert the audio data into a playable audio file like an MP3 by decoding the base64 data. The Cloud Text-to-Speech API accepts input as raw text or Speech Synthesis Markup Language (SSML).

This document describes how to create an audio file from either text or SSML input using Cloud TTS. You can also review the Cloud TTS basics article if you are unfamiliar with concepts like speech synthesis or SSML.

These samples require that you have installed and initialized the Google Cloud CLI. For information about setting up the gcloud CLI, see Authenticate to Cloud TTS.

Convert text to synthetic voice audio

The following code samples demonstrate how to convert a string into audio data.

You can configure the output of speech synthesis in a variety of ways, including selecting a unique voice or modulating the output in pitch, volume, speaking rate, and sample rate.

Protocol

Refer to the text:synthesize API endpoint for complete details.

To synthesize audio from text, make an HTTP POST request to the text:synthesize endpoint. In the body of your POST request, specify the type of voice to synthesize in the voice configuration section, specify the text to synthesize in the text field of the input section, and specify the type of audio to create in the audioConfig section.

The following code snippet sends a synthesis request to the text:synthesize endpoint and saves the results to a file named synthesize-text.txt. Replace PROJECT_ID with your project ID.

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $(gcloud auth print-access-token)" \  -H "x-goog-user-project: <var>PROJECT_ID</var>" \  -H "Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8" \  --data "{  'input':{  'text':'Android is a mobile operating system developed by Google,  based on the Linux kernel and designed primarily for  touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.'  },  'voice':{  'languageCode':'en-gb',  'name':'en-GB-Standard-A',  'ssmlGender':'FEMALE'  },  'audioConfig':{  'audioEncoding':'MP3'  }  }" "https://texttospeech.googleapis.com/v1/text:synthesize" > synthesize-text.txt

The Cloud Text-to-Speech API returns the synthesized audio as base64-encoded data contained in the JSON output. The JSON output in the synthesize-text.txt file looks similar to the following code snippet.

 { "audioContent": "//NExAASCCIIAAhEAGAAEMW4kAYPnwwIKw/BBTpwTvB+IAxIfghUfW.." } 

To decode the results from the Cloud Text-to-Speech API as an MP3 audio file, run the following command from the same directory as the synthesize-text.txt file.

cat synthesize-text.txt | grep 'audioContent' | \ sed 's|audioContent| |' | tr -d '\n ":{},' > tmp.txt && \ base64 tmp.txt --decode > synthesize-text-audio.mp3 && \ rm tmp.txt

Go

To learn how to install and use the client library for Cloud TTS, see Cloud TTS client libraries. For more information, see the Cloud TTS Go API reference documentation.

To authenticate to Cloud TTS, set up Application Default Credentials. For more information, see Set up authentication for a local development environment.

 // SynthesizeText synthesizes plain text and saves the output to outputFile. func SynthesizeText(w io.Writer, text, outputFile string) error { ctx := context.Background() client, err := texttospeech.NewClient(ctx) if err != nil { return err } defer client.Close() req := texttospeechpb.SynthesizeSpeechRequest{ Input: &texttospeechpb.SynthesisInput{ InputSource: &texttospeechpb.SynthesisInput_Text{Text: text}, }, // Note: the voice can also be specified by name. // Names of voices can be retrieved with client.ListVoices(). Voice: &texttospeechpb.VoiceSelectionParams{ LanguageCode: "en-US", SsmlGender: texttospeechpb.SsmlVoiceGender_FEMALE, }, AudioConfig: &texttospeechpb.AudioConfig{ AudioEncoding: texttospeechpb.AudioEncoding_MP3, }, } resp, err := client.SynthesizeSpeech(ctx, &req) if err != nil { return err } err = os.WriteFile(outputFile, resp.AudioContent, 0644) if err != nil { return err } fmt.Fprintf(w, "Audio content written to file: %v\n", outputFile) return nil } 

Java

To learn how to install and use the client library for Cloud TTS, see Cloud TTS client libraries. For more information, see the Cloud TTS Java API reference documentation.

To authenticate to Cloud TTS, set up Application Default Credentials. For more information, see Set up authentication for a local development environment.

/**  * Demonstrates using the Text to Speech client to synthesize text or ssml.  *  * @param text the raw text to be synthesized. (e.g., "Hello there!")  * @throws Exception on TextToSpeechClient Errors.  */ public static ByteString synthesizeText(String text) throws Exception {  // Instantiates a client  try (TextToSpeechClient textToSpeechClient = TextToSpeechClient.create()) {  // Set the text input to be synthesized  SynthesisInput input = SynthesisInput.newBuilder().setText(text).build();  // Build the voice request  VoiceSelectionParams voice =  VoiceSelectionParams.newBuilder()  .setLanguageCode("en-US") // languageCode = "en_us"  .setSsmlGender(SsmlVoiceGender.FEMALE) // ssmlVoiceGender = SsmlVoiceGender.FEMALE  .build();  // Select the type of audio file you want returned  AudioConfig audioConfig =  AudioConfig.newBuilder()  .setAudioEncoding(AudioEncoding.MP3) // MP3 audio.  .build();  // Perform the text-to-speech request  SynthesizeSpeechResponse response =  textToSpeechClient.synthesizeSpeech(input, voice, audioConfig);  // Get the audio contents from the response  ByteString audioContents = response.getAudioContent();  // Write the response to the output file.  try (OutputStream out = new FileOutputStream("output.mp3")) {  out.write(audioContents.toByteArray());  System.out.println("Audio content written to file \"output.mp3\"");  return audioContents;  }  } }

Node.js

To learn how to install and use the client library for Cloud TTS, see Cloud TTS client libraries. For more information, see the Cloud TTS Node.js API reference documentation.

To authenticate to Cloud TTS, set up Application Default Credentials. For more information, see Set up authentication for a local development environment.

const textToSpeech = require('@google-cloud/text-to-speech'); const fs = require('fs'); const util = require('util'); const client = new textToSpeech.TextToSpeechClient(); /**  * TODO(developer): Uncomment the following lines before running the sample.  */ // const text = 'Text to synthesize, eg. hello'; // const outputFile = 'Local path to save audio file to, e.g. output.mp3'; const request = {  input: {text: text},  voice: {languageCode: 'en-US', ssmlGender: 'FEMALE'},  audioConfig: {audioEncoding: 'MP3'}, }; const [response] = await client.synthesizeSpeech(request); const writeFile = util.promisify(fs.writeFile); await writeFile(outputFile, response.audioContent, 'binary'); console.log(`Audio content written to file: ${outputFile}`);

Python

To learn how to install and use the client library for Cloud TTS, see Cloud TTS client libraries. For more information, see the Cloud TTS Python API reference documentation.

To authenticate to Cloud TTS, set up Application Default Credentials. For more information, see Set up authentication for a local development environment.

def synthesize_text():  """Synthesizes speech from the input string of text.""" from google.cloud import texttospeech text = "Hello there." client = texttospeech.TextToSpeechClient() input_text = texttospeech.SynthesisInput(text=text) # Note: the voice can also be specified by name. # Names of voices can be retrieved with client.list_voices(). voice = texttospeech.VoiceSelectionParams( language_code="en-US", name="en-US-Chirp3-HD-Charon", ) audio_config = texttospeech.AudioConfig( audio_encoding=texttospeech.AudioEncoding.MP3 ) response = client.synthesize_speech( input=input_text, voice=voice, audio_config=audio_config, ) # The response's audio_content is binary. with open("output.mp3", "wb") as out: out.write(response.audio_content) print('Audio content written to file "output.mp3"') 

Additional languages

C#: Please follow the C# setup instructions on the client libraries page and then visit the Cloud TTS reference documentation for .NET.

PHP: Please follow the PHP setup instructions on the client libraries page and then visit the Cloud TTS reference documentation for PHP.

Ruby: Please follow the Ruby setup instructions on the client libraries page and then visit the Cloud TTS reference documentation for Ruby.

Convert SSML to synthetic voice audio

Using SSML in your audio synthesis request can produce audio that is more similar to natural human speech. Specifically, SSML gives you finer-grain control over how the audio output represents pauses in the speech or how the audio pronounces dates, times, acronyms, and abbreviations.

For more details on the SSML elements supported by Cloud Text-to-Speech API, see the SSML reference.

Protocol

Refer to the text:synthesize API endpoint for complete details.

To synthesize audio from SSML, make an HTTP POST request to the text:synthesize endpoint. In the body of your POST request, specify the type of voice to synthesize in the voice configuration section, specify the SSML to synthesize in the ssml field of the input section, and specify the type of audio to create in the audioConfig section.

The following code snippet sends a synthesis request to the text:synthesize endpoint and saves the results to a file named synthesize-ssml.txt. Replace PROJECT_ID with your project ID.

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $(gcloud auth print-access-token)" \  -H "x-goog-user-project: <var>PROJECT_ID</var>" \  -H "Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8" --data "{  'input':{  'ssml':'<speak>The <say-as interpret-as=\"characters\">SSML</say-as> standard  is defined by the <sub alias=\"World Wide Web Consortium\">W3C</sub>.</speak>'  },  'voice':{  'languageCode':'en-us',  'name':'en-US-Standard-B',  'ssmlGender':'MALE'  },  'audioConfig':{  'audioEncoding':'MP3'  }  }" "https://texttospeech.googleapis.com/v1/text:synthesize" > synthesize-ssml.txt

The Text-to-Speech API returns the synthesized audio as base64-encoded data contained in the JSON output. The JSON output in the synthesize-ssml.txt file looks similar to the following code snippet.

 { "audioContent": "//NExAASCCIIAAhEAGAAEMW4kAYPnwwIKw/BBTpwTvB+IAxIfghUfW.." } 

To decode the results from the Text-to-Speech API as an MP3 audio file, run the following command from the same directory as the synthesize-ssml.txt file.

cat synthesize-ssml.txt | grep 'audioContent' | \ sed 's|audioContent| |' | tr -d '\n ":{},' > tmp.txt && \ base64 tmp.txt --decode > synthesize-ssml-audio.mp3 && \ rm tmp.txt

Go

To learn how to install and use the client library for Cloud TTS, see Cloud TTS client libraries. For more information, see the Cloud TTS Go API reference documentation.

To authenticate to Cloud TTS, set up Application Default Credentials. For more information, see Set up authentication for a local development environment.

 // SynthesizeSSML synthesizes ssml and saves the output to outputFile. // // ssml must be well-formed according to: // //	https://www.w3.org/TR/speech-synthesis/ // // Example: <speak>Hello there.</speak> func SynthesizeSSML(w io.Writer, ssml, outputFile string) error { ctx := context.Background() client, err := texttospeech.NewClient(ctx) if err != nil { return err } defer client.Close() req := texttospeechpb.SynthesizeSpeechRequest{ Input: &texttospeechpb.SynthesisInput{ InputSource: &texttospeechpb.SynthesisInput_Ssml{Ssml: ssml}, }, // Note: the voice can also be specified by name. // Names of voices can be retrieved with client.ListVoices(). Voice: &texttospeechpb.VoiceSelectionParams{ LanguageCode: "en-US", SsmlGender: texttospeechpb.SsmlVoiceGender_FEMALE, }, AudioConfig: &texttospeechpb.AudioConfig{ AudioEncoding: texttospeechpb.AudioEncoding_MP3, }, } resp, err := client.SynthesizeSpeech(ctx, &req) if err != nil { return err } err = os.WriteFile(outputFile, resp.AudioContent, 0644) if err != nil { return err } fmt.Fprintf(w, "Audio content written to file: %v\n", outputFile) return nil } 

Java

To learn how to install and use the client library for Cloud TTS, see Cloud TTS client libraries. For more information, see the Cloud TTS Java API reference documentation.

To authenticate to Cloud TTS, set up Application Default Credentials. For more information, see Set up authentication for a local development environment.

/**  * Demonstrates using the Text to Speech client to synthesize text or ssml.  *  * <p>Note: ssml must be well-formed according to: (https://www.w3.org/TR/speech-synthesis/  * Example: <speak>Hello there.</speak>  *  * @param ssml the ssml document to be synthesized. (e.g., "<?xml...")  * @throws Exception on TextToSpeechClient Errors.  */ public static ByteString synthesizeSsml(String ssml) throws Exception {  // Instantiates a client  try (TextToSpeechClient textToSpeechClient = TextToSpeechClient.create()) {  // Set the ssml input to be synthesized  SynthesisInput input = SynthesisInput.newBuilder().setSsml(ssml).build();  // Build the voice request  VoiceSelectionParams voice =  VoiceSelectionParams.newBuilder()  .setLanguageCode("en-US") // languageCode = "en_us"  .setSsmlGender(SsmlVoiceGender.FEMALE) // ssmlVoiceGender = SsmlVoiceGender.FEMALE  .build();  // Select the type of audio file you want returned  AudioConfig audioConfig =  AudioConfig.newBuilder()  .setAudioEncoding(AudioEncoding.MP3) // MP3 audio.  .build();  // Perform the text-to-speech request  SynthesizeSpeechResponse response =  textToSpeechClient.synthesizeSpeech(input, voice, audioConfig);  // Get the audio contents from the response  ByteString audioContents = response.getAudioContent();  // Write the response to the output file.  try (OutputStream out = new FileOutputStream("output.mp3")) {  out.write(audioContents.toByteArray());  System.out.println("Audio content written to file \"output.mp3\"");  return audioContents;  }  } }

Node.js

To learn how to install and use the client library for Cloud TTS, see Cloud TTS client libraries. For more information, see the Cloud TTS Node.js API reference documentation.

To authenticate to Cloud TTS, set up Application Default Credentials. For more information, see Set up authentication for a local development environment.

const textToSpeech = require('@google-cloud/text-to-speech'); const fs = require('fs'); const util = require('util'); const client = new textToSpeech.TextToSpeechClient(); /**  * TODO(developer): Uncomment the following lines before running the sample.  */ // const ssml = '<speak>Hello there.</speak>'; // const outputFile = 'Local path to save audio file to, e.g. output.mp3'; const request = {  input: {ssml: ssml},  voice: {languageCode: 'en-US', ssmlGender: 'FEMALE'},  audioConfig: {audioEncoding: 'MP3'}, }; const [response] = await client.synthesizeSpeech(request); const writeFile = util.promisify(fs.writeFile); await writeFile(outputFile, response.audioContent, 'binary'); console.log(`Audio content written to file: ${outputFile}`);

Python

To learn how to install and use the client library for Cloud TTS, see Cloud TTS client libraries. For more information, see the Cloud TTS Python API reference documentation.

To authenticate to Cloud TTS, set up Application Default Credentials. For more information, see Set up authentication for a local development environment.

def synthesize_ssml():  """Synthesizes speech from the input string of ssml.  Note: ssml must be well-formed according to:  https://www.w3.org/TR/speech-synthesis/  """ from google.cloud import texttospeech ssml = "<speak>Hello there.</speak>" client = texttospeech.TextToSpeechClient() input_text = texttospeech.SynthesisInput(ssml=ssml) # Note: the voice can also be specified by name. # Names of voices can be retrieved with client.list_voices(). voice = texttospeech.VoiceSelectionParams( language_code="en-US", name="en-US-Standard-C", ssml_gender=texttospeech.SsmlVoiceGender.FEMALE, ) audio_config = texttospeech.AudioConfig( audio_encoding=texttospeech.AudioEncoding.MP3 ) response = client.synthesize_speech( input=input_text, voice=voice, audio_config=audio_config ) # The response's audio_content is binary. with open("output.mp3", "wb") as out: out.write(response.audio_content) print('Audio content written to file "output.mp3"') 

Additional languages

C#: Please follow the C# setup instructions on the client libraries page and then visit the Cloud TTS reference documentation for .NET.

PHP: Please follow the PHP setup instructions on the client libraries page and then visit the Cloud TTS reference documentation for PHP.

Ruby: Please follow the Ruby setup instructions on the client libraries page and then visit the Cloud TTS reference documentation for Ruby.

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