jamiepine--voicebox/docs/content/docs/overview/creating-voice-profiles.mdx

---
title: "Creating Voice Profiles"
description: "How to create voice profiles, both cloning-based and preset-based"
---

## Overview

A **voice profile** is a saved voice you can reuse across generations, stories, and the API. As of 0.4, Voicebox profiles come in two flavors that map to two different ways of getting a voice:

| Profile type   | What it stores                                       | Use when…                                                |
| -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Cloned**     | One or more reference audio samples + a voice embedding | You want to replicate a specific person's voice          |
| **Preset**     | A reference to a pre-built voice in a specific engine | You want a curated, production-ready voice with no audio prep |

Both types live in the same Profiles tab and behave the same way at generation time — pick the type that matches your goal and follow the workflow below.

<Callout type="info">
  Not sure which to use? Cloning gives you a *specific* voice but needs clean audio. Preset gives you *good* voices instantly but you don't get to choose who they sound like.
</Callout>

## Workflow A — Cloned Profiles

Use this when you want to replicate a specific person's voice from a recording.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Prepare Audio">
    10-30 seconds of clear speech, minimal background noise. See [Voice Cloning](/overview/voice-cloning) for the engine catalog.
  </Step>
  <Step title="Create Profile">
    **Profiles** → **+ New Profile** → choose a cloning engine (Qwen3-TTS, Chatterbox Multilingual, Chatterbox Turbo, LuxTTS, or TADA)
  </Step>
  <Step title="Upload or Record Sample">
    Drag in an audio file, or record directly with the in-app recorder
  </Step>
  <Step title="Generate to Test">
    Use the profile to generate a test phrase. If quality is poor, add more samples
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Audio Requirements (Cloning Only)

<Cards>
  <Card title="Duration">
    **10-30 seconds**

    Too short: Poor quality
    Too long: Unnecessary
  </Card>
  <Card title="Clarity">
    **Clear speech**

    No background noise
    No music or overlapping voices
  </Card>
  <Card title="Quality">
    **High fidelity**

    44.1 kHz or 48 kHz sample rate
    Minimal compression
  </Card>
  <Card title="Content">
    **Natural speech**

    Conversational tone
    Complete sentences
  </Card>
</Cards>

### File Formats

Supported formats:
- **WAV** (recommended) — Lossless quality
- **MP3** — Acceptable, minimal compression
- **M4A** — Acceptable
- **FLAC** — Lossless alternative

<Callout type="info">
  Use WAV for best results. Avoid heavily compressed formats.
</Callout>

### Recording Tips

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Quiet Space">
    - Record in a quiet room
    - Turn off fans, AC, appliances
    - Close windows to reduce outside noise
    - Use soft furnishings to reduce echo
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Microphone Placement">
    - 6-12 inches from mouth
    - Slight angle to reduce plosives (p, b, t)
    - Use a pop filter if available
    - Maintain consistent distance
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Recording Settings">
    - 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz sample rate
    - 16-bit or 24-bit depth
    - Mono is fine (stereo will be converted)
    - Avoid automatic gain control
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

### Speaking Style

- **Natural pace** — Don't rush or speak too slowly
- **Clear articulation** — Pronounce words clearly
- **Consistent volume** — Maintain steady loudness
- **Normal tone** — Speak as you normally would
- **Complete sentences** — Avoid fragments or "ums"

### Multiple Samples

Adding multiple samples can significantly improve quality:

<Cards>
  <Card title="Robustness">
    Model learns a more complete representation
  </Card>
  <Card title="Versatility">
    Handles different speaking styles better
  </Card>
  <Card title="Quality">
    Reduces artifacts and improves naturalness
  </Card>
  <Card title="Consistency">
    More reliable across different texts
  </Card>
</Cards>

Consider adding samples with:

1. **Different tones** — casual, formal, excited, calm
2. **Different content** — narratives, questions, statements
3. **Different recording conditions** — studio quality, room acoustics

<Callout type="warn">
  All samples should be from the **same speaker**. Mixing voices will produce poor results.
</Callout>

### Processing Existing Audio

If you have existing audio (podcasts, videos, etc.):

<Steps>
  <Step title="Find Clean Speech">
    Look for segments with just the target speaker, no background music, minimal noise
  </Step>
  <Step title="Use Audio Editor">
    Tools like Audacity or Adobe Audition: cut clean 10-30s segments, remove silence at start/end, normalize volume
  </Step>
  <Step title="Export as WAV">
    Save as high-quality WAV file
  </Step>
</Steps>

For light background noise, use Audacity's noise reduction (gentle settings — over-processing introduces artifacts).

### Testing & Iteration

After creating a cloned profile:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Generate Test">
    Try a simple phrase: `"Hello, this is a test of my voice profile."`
  </Step>
  <Step title="Evaluate Quality">
    Listen for natural tone, clear pronunciation, proper prosody, lack of artifacts
  </Step>
  <Step title="Iterate">
    If quality is poor: add more samples, try different source audio, check sample quality
  </Step>
</Steps>

#### Common Issues

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Robotic Voice">
    **Cause**: Poor quality samples or too short

    **Fix**: Use longer, higher-quality samples
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Wrong Tone">
    **Cause**: Sample tone doesn't match desired output

    **Fix**: Record samples in the style you want to generate
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Artifacts/Glitches">
    **Cause**: Background noise or audio issues in samples

    **Fix**: Clean up samples or re-record in quieter environment
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Workflow B — Preset Profiles

Use this when you want a ready-made voice without recording anything. Available engines: **Kokoro 82M** (50 voices) and **Qwen CustomVoice** (9 voices). See [Preset Voices](/overview/preset-voices) for the full catalog.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create Profile">
    **Profiles** → **+ New Profile** → choose **Kokoro** or **Qwen CustomVoice** as the engine
  </Step>
  <Step title="Pick a Voice">
    The engine's voice catalog appears. Click any voice to preview it
  </Step>
  <Step title="Name and Save">
    Give the profile a name. No audio sample required
  </Step>
  <Step title="Generate">
    The profile is ready immediately — use it in the floating generate box or Generate page
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Callout type="info">
  Preset profiles are **locked to their source engine**. Switching to a different engine in the floating generate box greys out the profile, since the voice only exists in that engine. Clicking a greyed profile auto-switches the engine back.
</Callout>

### Qwen CustomVoice + Instruct

Preset voices in Qwen CustomVoice support **delivery instructions** — natural-language style control over tone, pace, and emotion. The floating generate box shows a slider icon next to the generate button when a Qwen CustomVoice profile is selected; click it to reveal the instruct textarea.

See [Preset Voices → Using Instruct Mode](/overview/preset-voices#using-instruct-mode) for examples.

## Advanced Tips

### Celebrity / Character Voices (Cloning)

For cloning public figures or characters:

1. **Legal considerations** — Ensure you have rights or it's clearly fair use
2. **Source quality** — Find high-quality interview audio or clean clips
3. **Consistency** — Use clips where they speak similarly
4. **Multiple samples** — Very important for recognizable voices

### Accent & Dialect (Cloning)

Cloning models preserve accent and dialect:

- British English samples generate British English output
- Southern accent samples produce Southern accent output
- Regional pronunciations are maintained

### Emotion Transfer (Cloning)

The emotional tone of samples affects generation:

- Energetic samples → energetic output
- Calm samples → calm output
- Mix samples for a more versatile profile

For Qwen CustomVoice presets, use the **instruct** field instead of relying on sample emotion — that's exactly what it controls.

## Managing Profiles

### Organization

- **Descriptive names** — "John Smith - Professional Narrator"
- **Add descriptions** — Note recording conditions, use cases, or which preset voice
- **Language tags** — Mark the primary language
- **Archive unused** — Keep profile list manageable

### Export / Import

- **Export** profiles to share or backup
- **Import** from colleagues or teammates
- **Cloned profiles** export with their voice embeddings (not the original audio)
- **Preset profiles** export as engine + voice ID metadata only — the importer must have that engine's model installed

## Next Steps

<Cards>
  <Card title="Voice Cloning" href="/overview/voice-cloning">
    Engine catalog and best practices for cloning
  </Card>
  <Card title="Preset Voices" href="/overview/preset-voices">
    Full catalog of Kokoro and Qwen CustomVoice voices
  </Card>
  <Card title="Generate Speech" href="/overview/generating-speech">
    Use your profile to generate speech
  </Card>
  <Card title="Build Stories" href="/overview/building-stories">
    Create multi-voice narratives
  </Card>
</Cards>