Eleven v3: Create Expressive Speech with Tags and Dialogue

Peter Bubenik Β· Elevenlabs Research Β· Β· Source
Eleven v3: Create Expressive Speech with Tags and Dialogue

After studying this material, you should be able to:

  1. Explain what Eleven v3 is and what makes it different from previous models
  2. Identify the key features and their practical applications
  3. Apply audio tags and dialogue mode correctly in scripts
  4. Decide when to use v3 versus older models
  5. Access and use Eleven v3 through the available interfaces

Step-by-Step Study Guide

Step 1: Understanding the Problem v3 Solves

Before learning what v3 does, understand why it was built.

Previous AI voice models had good sound quality but lacked expressiveness

The Gap They Identified:

ProblemExample
Flat emotional deliveryCould not sound genuinely excited or scared
No natural reactionsCould not sigh, whisper, or laugh believably
Poor dialogue realismBack-and-forth conversations sounded robotic

πŸ’‘ Key Insight:

Quality of sound β‰  Quality of expression You can have crystal-clear audio that still sounds lifeless.


Step 2: Learning the Core Features

Eleven v3 introduces 4 major capabilities:

Feature 1: Audio Tags

  • Small inline instructions embedded directly in your script
  • Written in lowercase square brackets
  • Control tone, emotion, and non-verbal sounds

Examples:

[whispers] Something's coming…
[sighs] I can feel it.
[excited] We finally made it!

Think of audio tags like stage directions in a screenplay

Feature 2: Dialogue Mode

  • Generates multi-speaker conversations in one audio file
  • Uses a structured JSON array format
  • Automatically handles:
    • Speaker transitions
    • Emotional changes
    • Natural interruptions and overlapping speech

Feature 3: 70+ Languages

  • Expanded global language support
  • Covers high-demand languages worldwide

Feature 4: Deeper Text Understanding

  • Better reading of stress and cadence from text alone
  • More natural expressivity even without tags

Step 3: Learning How to Use Audio Tags Correctly

Basic Structure:

[tag] Your spoken text here.

Combining Multiple Tags:

[whispers] Something's coming… [sighs] I can feel it.

βœ… Correct Format Rules:

RuleCorrectIncorrect
Case[whispers][Whispers]
Brackets[sighs](sighs)
PlacementInline with textSeparate line only

Step 4: Understanding When to Use v3 vs. Other Models

This is a critical decision-making skill.

Use Eleven v3 When:

  • βœ… Creating videos, audiobooks, or media content
  • βœ… You need high expressiveness
  • βœ… You have time for prompt engineering and iteration
  • βœ… Latency is not a concern

Do NOT Use Eleven v3 When:

  • ❌ Building real-time applications
  • ❌ Creating conversational AI tools
  • ❌ You need fast, reliable output with minimal tuning

πŸ“Œ Rule of Thumb:

Expressiveness vs. Speed β€” v3 wins on expression, v2.5 Turbo/Flash wins on speed


Step 5: Understanding Current Limitations

Being aware of limitations prevents frustration.

LimitationWhat It Means Practically
Alpha stageOutput quality is not fully consistent
Requires prompt engineeringYou may need multiple attempts
Higher latencySlower generation times
PVC not optimizedProfessional Voice Clones work better on older models
No real-time support yetCannot use for live conversations

πŸ’‘ Recommendation for Voice Cloning:

Use Instant Voice Clones (IVC) or designed voices instead of Professional Voice Clones (PVC) until PVC optimization is released.


Step 6: How to Access and Use Eleven v3

Via the Website (Available Now):

Step 1 β†’ Log in to ElevenLabs UI
Step 2 β†’ Open the Model Picker dropdown
Step 3 β†’ Select "Eleven v3 (alpha)"
Step 4 β†’ Paste your script with tags or dialogue
Step 5 β†’ Generate audio

Via API:

  • Text to Speech endpoint β€” supports v3 with audio tags
  • Text to Dialogue endpoint (new) β€” accepts JSON array for multi-speaker output
  • Studio support and broader API access coming soon

Step 7: Pricing Awareness

User TypeLaunch PriceAfter June
Self-serve (UI)80% off (~5Γ— cheaper)Same as Multilingual V2
Enterprise (UI)80% off business pricingFull business pricing

Practical note: If you want to experiment affordably, now is the best time during the launch promotion.


Quick Summary Cheat Sheet

ELEVEN v3 (ALPHA) β€” KEY FACTS

WHAT IT IS:    Most expressive TTS model by ElevenLabs
KEY FEATURES:  Audio tags | Dialogue mode | 70+ languages | Better text understanding
BEST FOR:      Videos, audiobooks, cinematic content
AVOID FOR:     Real-time apps, conversational AI
HOW TO USE:    UI β†’ Model Picker β†’ Select v3 β†’ Add tags β†’ Generate
TAG FORMAT:    [lowercase] inline with your script
LIMITATION:    Needs prompt engineering, higher latency, PVC not optimized

Self-Check Questions

  1. What problem did Eleven v3 specifically solve that previous models could not?
  2. Write a sample script line using two different audio tags
  3. A developer is building a live customer service chatbot. Should they use v3? Why or why not?
  4. What voice clone type should you use with v3 during the alpha stage?
  5. What are the two API endpoints available for v3?

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