Advanced AI voice performance controls

Last updated: April 16, 2026

This article covers three ways to fine-tune how an AI voice performs your script: inline prompts for quick direction, Director Mode for iterative clip-level refinement, and Parrot Mode for cloning your own delivery style.

Note that Director Mode and Parrot Mode are features available to our Pro and Enterprise users.

Inline prompts

Inline prompts let you add voice direction directly inside your script text using square brackets. The AI reads your instructions and adjusts its delivery on that specific line - changing emotion, pace, emphasis, or even adding sounds like a laugh or sigh.

Note that inline prompts work only for voices using the "Google Gemini TTS" mode. You can filter for these in the Voice search bar.

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How to use inline prompts:

  1. Open the script for any production.

  2. Inside the script text, add your direction in square brackets. For example:

  • [excited] And the winner is Wondercraft!

  • [slow, whispering] This is where it gets interesting.

  • [laugh] I can't believe that actually worked.

  1. Click Generate to hear the result.

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What you can prompt:

  • Emotion: [excited], [angry], [sad], [calm], [cheerful]

  • Pace: [say this faster], [slow down], [speak quickly]

  • Sounds: [laugh], [sigh], [chuckle], [gasp]

  • Emphasis: [emphasize "Wondercraft"], [stress the last word]

  • Accent/style: [British accent], [speak like a news anchor]

Inline prompts are the fastest way to adjust delivery without leaving the script editor. For more complex, iterative refinements, use Director Mode.

Director Mode

Director Mode gives you a dedicated interface for iterating on the delivery of a single clip through written voice direction. Instead of accepting the default take, you provide instructions, listen to the result, and refine until it matches your vision.

Director Mode is best for single short clip edits, e.g. a short radio ad, rather than a long audiobook. Multiple generations using the same prompt may not yield the same, consistent result.

  1. Select the paragraph you want to direct.

  2. Click the Director Mode button on that clip.

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  3. Enter your voice direction in plain language:

    "Make the word 'Wondercraft' super exciting"

    "Slow down this sentence and add warmth"

    "Sound more like a professional news anchor"

  4. Review the generated take.

  5. If it's not right, provide additional direction:

    "Add a pause after 'Wondercraft'"

    "Even slower, more gravitas"

    "Sound more conversational, less formal"

  6. Once you approve a take, the audio integrates directly into your timeline.

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Director Mode best practices

  • Keep clips short: around 30 words works best. Shorter clips produce more natural-sounding results and are easier to iterate on.

  • Leave accent instructions in: Director Mode automatically converts all voices to an American English voice. If you want a different accent, add in there "Speak in a British English accent."

  • Be specific: "more energetic" is good; "speak at 1.2x speed with a rising inflection on the last three words" is better.

  • Focus on moments: Director Mode excels at refining specific moments: a product name emphasis, a dramatic pause, a tone shift. Don't use it to rewrite entire sections.

  • Iterate in steps: make one change at a time rather than stacking multiple directions in a single prompt.

Parrot Mode

Parrot Mode lets you record yourself reading the script, then the AI generates audio in an AI voice that mimics your intonation, rhythm, and accent. The result sounds like you - but cleaner and more consistent than a raw recording.

Parrot Mode is best for single short clip edits, e.g. a short radio ad, rather than a long audiobook.

  1. Select the clip you want to apply Parrot Mode to.

  2. Toggle Parrot Mode on in the clip settings.

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  3. Upload or record a sample - either upload an audio file of yourself reading the text, or record directly in the browser.

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  4. Click Apply sample to segment to preview the AI-generated version using your voice and delivery style.

  5. If you like the preview, click Save. If not, click Previous to re-record.

  6. The generated audio appears on the timeline.

Parrot Mode best practices

  • Use a quality microphone: clean, clear audio gives the AI a stronger reference to work with.

  • Match the script: read the exact text that's in the clip for the most accurate result.