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Overview

The Telnyx Text-to-Speech (TTS) WebSocket API provides real-time audio synthesis from text input. This streaming endpoint allows you to send text and receive synthesized audio incrementally, enabling low-latency voice generation for real-time applications.

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WebSocket Endpoint

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Connection URL

wss://api.telnyx.com/v2/text-to-speech/speech?voice={voice_id}

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Query Parameters

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
voicestringYesVoice identifier (e.g., Telnyx.NaturalHD.astra)
inactivity_timeoutintegerNoTime without message to keep the WebSocket open (default: 20 seconds)

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Authentication

Include your Telnyx API token as an Authorization header in the connection request: 
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TELNYX_TOKEN

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Example Connection

import websockets

url = "wss://api.telnyx.com/v2/text-to-speech/speech?voice=Telnyx.NaturalHD.astra"
headers = {
    "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_TELNYX_TOKEN"
}

websocket = await websockets.connect(url, extra_headers=headers)

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Connection Flow

The TTS WebSocket follows this lifecycle:
  1. Connect - Establish WebSocket connection with authentication.
  2. Initialize - Send initialization frame with space character.
  3. Send Text - Send one or more text frames to synthesize.
  4. Receive Audio - Receive audio frames with base64-encoded mp3 data.
  5. Stop - Send empty text frame to signal completion.
  6. Close - Connection closes after processing completes.

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Flow Diagram

Client                          Server
  |                               |
  |------- Connect -------------->|
  |<------ Connected -------------|
  |                               |
  |------- Init Frame ----------->|
  |       {"text": " "}           |
  |                               |
  |------- Text Frame ----------->|
  |       {"text": "Hello"}       |
  |                               |
  |<------ Audio Frame -----------|
  |       {"audio": "base64..."}  |
  |<------ Audio Frame -----------|
  |       {"audio": "base64..."}  |
  |                               |
  |------- Stop Frame ----------->|
  |       {"text": ""}            |
  |                               |
  |<------ Close -----------------|

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Frame Types

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Outbound Frames (Client → Server)

All outbound frames are JSON text messages with the following structure:

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1. Initialization Frame

Purpose: Initialize the TTS session Format: 
{
  "text": " "
}
Example: 
import json

init_frame = {"text": " "}
await websocket.send(json.dumps(init_frame))
Notes:
  • Must be sent first after connection.
  • Contains a single space character.
  • Required to begin the session.

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2. Text Frame

Purpose: Send text content to be synthesized into speech Format: 
{
  "text": "Your text content here"
}
Example: 
text_frame = {"text": "Hello, this is a test of the Telnyx TTS service."}
await websocket.send(json.dumps(text_frame))
Multiple Text Frames: 
# You can send multiple text frames sequentially
frames = [
    {"text": "First sentence."},
    {"text": "Second sentence."},
    {"text": "Third sentence."}
]

for frame in frames:
    await websocket.send(json.dumps(frame))
    await asyncio.sleep(0.5)
Notes:
  • Can send multiple text frames in one session.
  • Each frame is processed and synthesized separately.
  • Audio is returned incrementally for each text frame.

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3. Stop Frame

Purpose: Signal completion of text input and end the session Format: 
{
  "text": ""
}
Example: 
stop_frame = {"text": ""}
await websocket.send(json.dumps(stop_frame))
Notes:
  • Contains an empty string.
  • Signals the server to finish processing.
  • Should be sent after all text frames.

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Inbound Frames (Server → Client)

The server sends JSON text messages containing synthesized audio data.

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Audio Frame

Purpose: Deliver synthesized audio data Format: 
{
  "audio": "UklGRiQAAABXQVZFZm10IBAAAAABAAEAQB8AAAB9AAACABAAZGF0YQAAAAA="
}
Processing Audio: 
import base64

async for message in websocket:
    data = json.loads(message)

    if "audio" in data:
        # Decode base64 audio
        audio_bytes = base64.b64decode(data["audio"])

        # Save or process audio
        with open("output.mp3", "ab") as f:
            f.write(audio_bytes)
Audio Specifications:
PropertyValue
Formatmp3
Sample Rate16 kHz
Bit Depth16-bit
ChannelsMono (1)
EncodingBase64
Notes:
  • Multiple audio frames may be received for a single text input.
  • Each audio chunk is a complete mp3 file with headers.
  • Chunks should be concatenated in the order received.
  • Use append mode when saving to file to preserve all audio.

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Complete Example

Here’s a complete example showing all frame types in sequence: 
import asyncio
import json
import base64
import websockets

async def tts_example():
    # 1. Connect to WebSocket
    url = "wss://api.telnyx.com/v2/text-to-speech/speech?voice=Telnyx.NaturalHD.astra"
    headers = {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_TELNYX_TOKEN"
    }

    async with websockets.connect(url, extra_headers=headers) as ws:
        print("Connected to TTS WebSocket")

        # 2. Send initialization frame
        init_frame = {"text": " "}
        await ws.send(json.dumps(init_frame))
        print("Sent: Initialization frame")

        # 3. Send text frame
        text_frame = {"text": "Hello, welcome to Telnyx Text-to-Speech streaming."}
        await ws.send(json.dumps(text_frame))
        print("Sent: Text frame")

        # 4. Receive audio frames
        audio_count = 0
        async for message in ws:
            data = json.loads(message)

            if "audio" in data:
                audio_count += 1
                audio_bytes = base64.b64decode(data["audio"])

                # Append audio chunks to file
                with open("output.mp3", "ab") as f:
                    f.write(audio_bytes)

                print(f"Received: Audio frame #{audio_count} ({len(audio_bytes)} bytes)")

                # After receiving audio, send stop frame
                if audio_count >= 10:  # Adjust based on your needs
                    # 5. Send stop frame
                    stop_frame = {"text": ""}
                    await ws.send(json.dumps(stop_frame))
                    print("Sent: Stop frame")

        print("Connection closed")

asyncio.run(tts_example())
Expected Output: 
Connected to TTS WebSocket
Sent: Initialization frame
Sent: Text frame
Received: Audio frame #1 (8192 bytes)
Received: Audio frame #2 (6144 bytes)
Received: Audio frame #3 (4096 bytes)
Sent: Stop frame
Connection closed

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Configuration Summary

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Required Configuration

# WebSocket URL
ENDPOINT = "wss://api.telnyx.com/v2/text-to-speech/speech"
VOICE_ID = "Telnyx.NaturalHD.astra"
URL = f"{ENDPOINT}?voice={VOICE_ID}"

# Authentication Header
HEADERS = {
    "Authorization": f"Bearer {TELNYX_TOKEN}"
}

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Message Sequence

# 1. Initialization
{"text": " "}

# 2. Text to synthesize (can send multiple)
{"text": "Your text here"}

# 3. Stop signal
{"text": ""}

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Demo Project

A complete Python implementation is available under the link.

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Video Demo

Watch this demonstration to see the Telnyx Text-to-Speech in action:

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Troubleshooting

IssueSolution
Connection failsVerify token format: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN
No audio receivedEnsure initialization frame sent first
Audio is garbledCheck base64 decoding and file append mode
Empty audio fileConfirm text frame contains valid content

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Additional Resources