# Voice customization

## Overview

You can customize various aspects of your AI agent’s voice to create a more natural and engaging conversation experience. This includes controlling pronunciation, speaking speed, and language-specific voice settings.

:::callout{intent="tip" title="Manage agents from your AI assistant"}
You can also make these changes conversationally. The [hosted MCP server](/guides/elevenagents-operate-hosted-mcp) lets Claude and other MCP clients create, configure, and manage your agents through natural language.
:::

## Available customizations

::::card-grid
:::card{title="Multi-voice support" href="/guides/elevenagents-customization-voice-multi-voice-support"}
Enable your agent to switch between different voices for multi-character conversations, storytelling, and language tutoring.
:::

:::card{title="Pronunciation dictionary" href="/guides/elevenagents-customization-voice-pronunciation-dictionary"}
Control how your agent pronounces specific words and phrases using IPA or CMU notation.
:::

:::card{title="Speed control" href="/guides/elevenagents-customization-voice-speed-control"}
Adjust how quickly or slowly your agent speaks, with values ranging from 0.7x to 1.2x.
:::

:::card{title="Expressive mode" href="/guides/elevenagents-customization-voice-expressive-mode"}
Context-aware emotional delivery powered by Eleven v3 Conversational and an improved turn-taking system.
:::

:::card{title="Audio environment" href="/guides/elevenagents-customization-voice-audio-environment"}
Add a looping background sound and apply a phone-style filter to outbound agent audio.
:::

:::card{title="Language-specific voices" href="/guides/elevenagents-customization-voice-customization-language"}
Configure different voices for each supported language to ensure natural pronunciation.
:::
::::

## Best practices

:::callout{intent="warning"}
Voices with live moderation enabled cannot be used in ElevenAgents.
:::

:::accordion{title="Voice selection"}
Choose voices that match your target language and region for the most natural pronunciation. Consider testing multiple voices to find the best fit for your use case.
:::

:::accordion{title="Speed optimization"}
Start with the default speed (1.0) and adjust based on your specific needs. Test different speeds with your content to find the optimal balance between clarity and natural flow.
:::

:::accordion{title="Pronunciation dictionaries"}
Focus on terms specific to your business or use case that need consistent pronunciation and are not widely used in everyday conversation. Test pronunciations with your chosen voice and model combination.
:::

:::callout{intent="note"}
Some voice customization features may be model-dependent. For example, phoneme-based pronunciation control is only available with the Flash v2 model.
:::

## Related pages

- [Administration](./administration-index.md)
- [API reference](./api-reference-index.md)
- [Changelog](./changelog-index.md)
- [ElevenAgents](./elevenagents-index.md)
- [ElevenAPI](./elevenapi-index.md)
- [ElevenCreative](./elevencreative-index.md)
- [ElevenLabs Documentation Docs](../index.md)
- [General Troubleshooting FAQ](./troubleshooting-index.md)
- [General Website FAQ](./website-index.md)
- [Help Center](./help-center-2-index.md)

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