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Play.HT TTS

Play.HT provides high-quality neural text-to-speech with support for voice cloning, custom voice creation, and multiple voice engines including PlayHT 2.0 and Play3.0-mini.

Authentication​

Play.HT requires both an API key and user ID:

from tts_wrapper import PlayHTClient, PlayHTTTS

client = PlayHTClient(credentials=(
    'api_key',  # Your Play.HT API key
    'user_id'   # Your Play.HT user ID
))

tts = PlayHTTTS(client)
tip

Use environment variables for secure credential management:

import os

client = PlayHTClient(credentials=(
    os.getenv('PLAYHT_API_KEY'),
    os.getenv('PLAYHT_USER_ID')
))

Features​

Voice Selection​

List and select from available voices, including both standard and cloned voices:

# Get list of available voices
voices = tts.get_voices()
for voice in voices:
    print(f"Name: {voice['name']}")
    print(f"Languages: {voice['language_codes']}")
    print(f"Gender: {voice['gender']}")
    print("---")

# Set a specific voice
tts.set_voice("voice_id", "en-US")

Streaming​

Supports real-time audio streaming:

# Stream synthesis for real-time playback
tts.speak_streamed("This text will be synthesized and played in real-time")

Voice Properties​

Adjust synthesis properties:

# Set voice engine
tts.set_property("voice_engine", "PlayHT2.0")  # Options: PlayHT2.0, Play3.0-mini

# Set speed
tts.set_property("speed", "1.2")  # Range: 0.5-2.0

# Set quality
tts.set_property("quality", "high")  # Options: draft, low, medium, high, premium

Advanced Features​

Play.HT offers advanced voice control features:

# Set emotion (PlayHT2.0)
tts.set_property("emotion", "happy")

# Set voice guidance
tts.set_property("voice_guidance", "relax more")

# Set style guidance
tts.set_property("style_guidance", "speak in a friendly tone")

File Output​

Save synthesized speech to file:

# Save as WAV
tts.synth_to_file("Hello world", "output.wav", "wav")

# Save as MP3
tts.synth_to_file("Hello world", "output.mp3", "mp3")

Best Practices​

  1. Cost Management

    • Use appropriate quality settings for your needs
    • Cache frequently used phrases
    • Monitor API usage

  2. Performance

    • Reuse client instances
    • Choose appropriate voice engine
    • Use streaming for long text

  3. Error Handling

    try:
        tts.speak("Hello, world!")
    except Exception as e:
        if "Unauthorized" in str(e):
            print("Check your Play.HT credentials")
        elif "QuotaExceeded" in str(e):
            print("Usage quota exceeded")
        else:
            print(f"Error: {e}")

Limitations​

  • No SSML support (tags will be stripped)
  • No native word timing support
  • API rate limits apply
  • Quality settings affect synthesis time
  • Some features limited to specific voice engines
  • Voice cloning requires additional setup

Voice Engine Selection​

PlayHT2.0​

  • Higher quality synthesis
  • More natural prosody
  • Supports emotions and style guidance
  • Longer processing time

Play3.0-mini​

  • Faster processing
  • Good for real-time applications
  • More consistent output
  • Limited style options
# For highest quality
tts.set_property("voice_engine", "PlayHT2.0")
tts.set_property("quality", "premium")

# For faster processing
tts.set_property("voice_engine", "Play3.0-mini")
tts.set_property("quality", "medium")

Custom Voices​

Play.HT supports voice cloning through their platform:

  1. Create custom voice on Play.HT website
  2. Get the voice ID (full S3 URL format)
  3. Use it in your code:
voice_id = "s3://voice-cloning-zero-shot/..."
tts.set_voice(voice_id)

Additional Resources​

Next Steps​