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Text to Speech (Lightning)

Quickstart

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Step 1: Get Your API Key

Open the API Keys page in the Smallest AI console.

Smallest AI dashboard with API Keys highlighted under Developer section in the left sidebar

Click Create API Key in the top-right corner, enter a name, and click Create API Key to confirm.

API Keys page showing the Create API Key button Create New API Key dialog with API Name field and Create API Key button

The new key appears in your dashboard. Click the copy icon to copy it.

API Keys dashboard showing the newly created key with copy icon highlighted

Export the key in your terminal:

export SMALLEST_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"
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Step 2: Hear Audio in 30 Seconds

Paste this in your terminal - no install required:

curl -X POST "https://api.smallest.ai/waves/v1/tts" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SMALLEST_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: audio/wav" \
  -d '{"text": "Hello from Smallest AI. This is Lightning v3.1 Pro.", "voice_id": "meher", "model": "lightning_v3.1_pro", "sample_rate": 24000, "output_format": "wav"}' \
  --output hello.wav

Play hello.wav - it should sound like this:

That’s broadcast-quality TTS with ~200ms TTFB.

The model field selects which Lightning pool serves the request - lightning_v3.1_pro is the new premium pool with a curated voice catalog. Omit the field or pass "model": "lightning_v3.1" to use the standard pool (more voices, plus voice cloning).

Step 3: Build It Into Your App

curl -X POST "https://api.smallest.ai/waves/v1/tts" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SMALLEST_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: audio/wav" \
  -d '{
    "text": "Modern problems require modern solutions.",
    "voice_id": "meher",
    "model": "lightning_v3.1_pro",
    "sample_rate": 24000,
    "speed": 1.0,
    "language": "en",
    "output_format": "wav"
  }' --output output.wav

The smallestai Python SDK example uses client.waves.synthesize_tts, which returns audio byte chunks you can join and save. synthesize_sse_tts streams the same request over SSE.

For browser or mobile clients, keep the API key on your server and mint a short-lived access token for the client.

Full runnable source files: Python | JavaScript | cURL

Step 4: Explore More

Lightning v3.1 Pro

Premium voice catalog across American, British, and Indian accents, plus dedicated voices for 29 additional languages (adds Dutch, Swedish over v3.1). Pass model: lightning_v3.1_pro to use.

Voices & Languages

Browse 217 voices across 12 languages on the standard pool - English, Hindi, Spanish, and 9 Indian languages.

Streaming TTS

Real-time audio streaming via WebSocket for voice assistants.

Voice Cloning

Clone any voice from just 5-15 seconds of audio (standard pool only).

Key Parameters

ParameterTypeDefaultDescription
textstringrequiredText to synthesize (max ~250 chars recommended)
voice_idstringrequiredVoice to use (e.g., meher, magnus)
modelstringlightning_v3.1TTS pool: lightning_v3.1 (standard) or lightning_v3.1_pro
sample_rateint441008000, 16000, 24000, or 44100 Hz
speedfloat1.0Speech rate: 0.5 to 2.0
languagestringenLanguage code matching the voice - en, hi, es, ta, etc. See tags.language via GET /waves/v1/lightning-v3.1/get_voices.
output_formatstringpcmpcm, wav, mp3, ulaw, or alaw

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