Speech Studio
Speech Studio is an artificial intelligence tool built upon the principles of advanced speech analysis, synthesis, and recognition. The tool can be utilized to ...
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What is Speech Studio?
Speech Studio is a set of UI-based tools for building and integrating features from Azure AI Speech service into applications. It provides a no-code approach where users create projects and reference assets using the Speech SDK, Speech CLI, or REST APIs. The platform supports real-time and batch speech-to-text transcription, text-to-speech synthesis with neural voices, speech translation, custom voice creation, pronunciation assessment, and call center analytics.
Key features include Real-time speech to text for testing with audio files, Batch speech to text for large audio volumes, Custom speech models tailored to specific vocabulary, Pronunciation assessment for speech accuracy feedback, Speech Translation into multiple languages, Voice Gallery with expressive neural voices across 100+ languages, Custom voice creation using audio files and transcriptions, Audio Content Creation for audiobooks and video narrations, Custom Keyword for voice activation, and Captioning scenarios with profanity filters.
Speech Studio is designed for developers building speech-enabled applications, businesses creating audiobooks or video narrations, call centers analyzing conversations, language learners practicing pronunciation, and organizations needing domain-specific speech recognition models. It serves both technical users who integrate via SDK/API and non-technical users who use the no-code UI tools.
Speech Studio pricing
Pricing model: Free
Free (F0) tier includes: 5 audio hours free per month for Standard Real-time Speech to Text, 5 audio hours free per month for Custom Real-time Speech to Text (shared with Standard), 1 custom model free per month for endpoint hosting, 0.5 million characters free per month for Neural Text to Speech, and 5 audio hours free per month for Speech Translation. Batch processing is not included in the free tier. Once free limits are exceeded, service is throttled until next monthly cycle. Pay-as-you-go pricing: Speech to Text billed per second (real-time, fast, batch), Custom Speech Training at $10 per compute hour, Text to Speech Neural at $3,900 for 400M characters ($9.75 per 1M characters), Custom Voice Professional synthesis per 1M characters, Voice model training per compute hour with cap, Endpoint hosting per model per hour. Commitment tiers available for 2,000-50,000 hours of Speech to Text and 80M-2,000M characters for Text to Speech.
Speech Studio pros
- No-code approach for creating speech projects
- Supports 100+ languages and regional dialects
- Highly expressive neural voices with human-like speech
- Real-time speech to text with intermediate results
- Batch transcription for large audio volumes
- Custom speech models for domain-specific terminology
- Pronunciation assessment with instant feedback
- Custom voice creation from audio files
- Audio Content Creation for audiobooks and narrations
- Speech translation with low latency
- Captioning with profanity filters and synchronization
- Call center conversation analysis with sentiment extraction
- Custom keyword generation for voice activation
- Voice Gallery to browse and test voices before use
- REST API and SDK integration options
- background noise cancellation capabilities
- Recognizes and generates voice accurately
Speech Studio cons
- Requires Azure account and subscription
- No offline capabilities - needs internet connection
- Limited to 100 languages (not all languages supported)
- Domain-specific model creation requires training data
- Initial learning curve for new users
- Custom models decommissioned after 7 days if unused
- Free tier has monthly usage limits and throttling
- macOS and Linux not supported for desktop tools
Frequently asked questions about Speech Studio
What is Speech Studio?
Speech Studio is a set of UI-based tools for building and integrating features from Azure AI Speech service in your applications. You create projects using a no-code approach, then reference those assets in applications using the Speech SDK, Speech CLI, or REST APIs.
Do I need an Azure subscription to use Speech Studio?
Yes, you need an Azure subscription to create a Speech resource in the Azure portal. You can create an Azure subscription for free. After creating the Speech resource, you configure it in Speech Studio to access the speech capabilities.
What languages are supported in Speech Studio?
Speech Studio supports over 100 languages and regional dialects including English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Hindi, Portuguese, and many more. The Voice Gallery allows you to browse voices across all supported languages.
Can I use the free tier for commercial purposes?
The free tier is a pricing tier, not a separate non-commercial license. However, commercial usage rights for prebuilt neural voices are explicitly granted only to paid tier customers. Free tier users should review Microsoft Product Terms and Azure Cognitive Services terms to ensure compliance with their specific use case.
What happens when I exceed the free tier limit?
When you exceed the free monthly quota, Azure will not automatically charge you. Instead, the service will throttle or reject additional requests beyond the free limit, returning HTTP 429 (Too Many Requests) errors. The service stops processing until the next monthly cycle resets your quota. You must manually switch to a paid tier (S0) to continue without interruption.
How do custom speech models work?
Custom speech models are created by uploading training and testing datasets with sample audio tailored to your specific vocabulary sets and speaking styles. Unlike base models, custom models become part of your competitive advantage as they are not publicly accessible. Custom Speech Training costs $10 per compute hour for base models released on or after October 1, 2023, and unused models are decommissioned after 7 days.
What is pronunciation assessment?
Pronunciation assessment evaluates speech pronunciation and gives speakers feedback on the accuracy and fluency of spoken audio. Language learners can practice and get instant feedback to improve pronunciation. Educators can evaluate pronunciation of multiple speakers in real time. It is charged as standard Speech to Text, billed per second of speech evaluated.
Can I create custom voices in Speech Studio?
Yes, Custom voice allows you to create custom, one-of-a-kind voices for text to speech. You supply audio files and create matching transcriptions in Speech Studio, then use the custom voices in your applications. Custom Voice Professional synthesis is billed per 1M characters, voice model training costs per compute hour with a cap, and endpoint hosting is billed per model per hour. Custom voice is a limited access feature requiring application for access.
What is the difference between Standard and Neural voices?
Standard voices are basic text-to-speech voices while Neural voices use advanced neural network models to produce highly expressive and human-like speech. Neural voices are available in both standard and Neural HD variants. Neural HD voices offer higher quality but are not included in the standard commitment tiers. Neural voices are available in the Voice Gallery for browsing and testing.
How do I get started with Speech Studio?
First, create an Azure subscription (free option available). Then create a Speech resource in the Azure portal. After that, go to Speech Studio (speech.microsoft.com/portal), configure your Azure Speech resource, and explore the available project types including Real-time speech to text, Batch speech to text, Custom speech, Pronunciation assessment, Speech Translation, Voice Gallery, Custom voice, Audio Content Creation, and Custom Keyword. You can try speech to text and text to speech in the Microsoft Foundry portal without signing up or writing code.