> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cartesia.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Volume, Speed, and Emotion

> Control the speed, volume, and emotion of generated speech.

<Warning>
  **Speed and volume controls are temporarily disabled on `sonic-3.5`** — will be re-enabled soon. They remain available on `sonic-3` snapshots; if you rely on speed or volume augmentation today, pin to `sonic-3`.
</Warning>

Sonic provides controls for the speed, volume, and emotion of generated speech. These are available on [play.cartesia.ai](https://play.cartesia.ai) using the UI controls, by passing a `generation_config` parameter, or by using [SSML tags](/build-with-cartesia/capability-guides/ssml-tags) within the transcript.

<Tip>
  **Sonic interprets these parameters as guidance** rather than strict adjustments, to ensure natural speech. Test against your content to confirm the output matches your expectations.
</Tip>

## Speed and volume controls

Guide the speed and volume of a TTS generation with the `generation_config.speed` and `generation_config.volume` parameters. These values are roughly a multiplier on the default — for example, `1.5` generates audio at 1.5x the default speed.

<ParamField path="generation_config.speed" type="number">
  The speed of the generation, ranging from `0.6` to `1.5`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="generation_config.volume" type="number">
  The volume of the generation, ranging from `0.5` to `2.0`.
</ParamField>

You can also specify these inside the transcript itself using [SSML](/build-with-cartesia/capability-guides/ssml-tags):

```xml lines theme={null}
<speed ratio="1.5"/> I like to speak quickly because it makes me sound smart.
<volume ratio="1.5"/> And I can be loud, too!
```

## Emotion controls <span class="beta-tag">Beta</span>

By default, the model interprets the emotional subtext in the provided transcript. Guide the emotion of a TTS generation, the way a director directs an actor, using the `generation_config.emotion` parameter.

<Note>
  Emotion tags push the model to be more emotive, but only work when the emotion is consistent with the transcript. The mismatch below is unlikely to work well:
</Note>

```xml theme={null}
<emotion value="sad"/> I'm so excited!
```

<ParamField path="generation_config.emotion" type="string">
  The emotional guidance for a generation, one of the emotions below.
</ParamField>

The primary emotions, for which we have the most data and produce the best results, are: `neutral`, `angry`, `excited`, `content`, `sad`, and `scared`.

The complete list of available emotions is: `happy`, `excited`, `enthusiastic`, `elated`, `euphoric`, `triumphant`, `amazed`, `surprised`, `flirtatious`, `joking/comedic`, `curious`, `content`, `peaceful`, `serene`, `calm`, `grateful`, `affectionate`, `trust`, `sympathetic`, `anticipation`, `mysterious`, `angry`, `mad`, `outraged`, `frustrated`, `agitated`, `threatened`, `disgusted`, `contempt`, `envious`, `sarcastic`, `ironic`, `sad`, `dejected`, `melancholic`, `disappointed`, `hurt`, `guilty`, `bored`, `tired`, `rejected`, `nostalgic`, `wistful`, `apologetic`, `hesitant`, `insecure`, `confused`, `resigned`, `anxious`, `panicked`, `alarmed`, `scared`, `neutral`, `proud`, `confident`, `distant`, `skeptical`, `contemplative`, `determined`.

The voices with the best emotional response are:

* [Leo](https://play.cartesia.ai/voices/0834f3df-e650-4766-a20c-5a93a43aa6e3) (id: `0834f3df-e650-4766-a20c-5a93a43aa6e3`)
* [Jace](https://play.cartesia.ai/voices/6776173b-fd72-460d-89b3-d85812ee518d) (id: `6776173b-fd72-460d-89b3-d85812ee518d`)
* [Kyle](https://play.cartesia.ai/voices/c961b81c-a935-4c17-bfb3-ba2239de8c2f) (id: `c961b81c-a935-4c17-bfb3-ba2239de8c2f`)
* [Gavin](https://play.cartesia.ai/voices/f4a3a8e4-694c-4c45-9ca0-27caf97901b5) (id: `f4a3a8e4-694c-4c45-9ca0-27caf97901b5`)
* [Maya](https://play.cartesia.ai/voices/cbaf8084-f009-4838-a096-07ee2e6612b1) (id: `cbaf8084-f009-4838-a096-07ee2e6612b1`)
* [Tessa](https://play.cartesia.ai/voices/6ccbfb76-1fc6-48f7-b71d-91ac6298247b) (id: `6ccbfb76-1fc6-48f7-b71d-91ac6298247b`)
* [Dana](https://play.cartesia.ai/voices/cc00e582-ed66-4004-8336-0175b85c85f6) (id: `cc00e582-ed66-4004-8336-0175b85c85f6`)
* [Marian](https://play.cartesia.ai/voices/26403c37-80c1-4a1a-8692-540551ca2ae5) (id: `26403c37-80c1-4a1a-8692-540551ca2ae5`)

View the full list of emotive voices in our [Voice Library](https://play.cartesia.ai/voices?tags=Emotive).

You can also use [SSML](/build-with-cartesia/capability-guides/ssml-tags) tags for emotions:

```xml theme={null}
<emotion value="angry"/> How dare you speak to me like I'm just a robot!
```

## Nonverbalisms

Insert `[laughter]` in your transcript to make the model laugh. We plan to add more non-speech verbalisms like sighs and coughs in future releases.