Expert guidance for crafting ElevenLabs Voice Design prompts. USE WHEN: "ElevenLabs voice prompts", "voice design", "create AI voice", "voice description", designing character voices, optimizing voice prompts for accent, age, tone, pacing, and audio quality. Covers the complete Voice Design workflow from prompt writing to preview text optimization and guidance scale tuning. Explicit: elevenlabs-voice-designer:voice-design
Expert guidance for creating AI-generated voices using ElevenLabs Voice Design.
| 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" |
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."
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.
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
Use "thick" for prominent accents, "slight" for subtle:
Avoid: "foreign", "exotic" (too vague)
For fantasy characters, reference real accents:
| 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 |
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.
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."
Use these in preview text for expressive delivery:
[laughs] - Laughter[sighs] - Sighs[exhales] - Exhale[lip smacks] - Lip smack(maniacal laughter) - Parenthetical actions| 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 |
For complete attribute tables, example prompts with preview text, and advanced techniques, read:
references/voice-attributes.md - Complete attribute reference with all
descriptorsreferences/example-prompts.md - Full example prompts with preview text and
guidance scales