Can a Sume avatar speak my own recording? Voice types explained
Avatar 1.0 talking video takes a script or per-scene voice blocks of type text or silence. What the docs list, what they do not, and how to plan a pause.
The Avatar 1.0 talking-video docs describe speech as written text: a top-level script, or ordered video_inputs where each scene's voice block is either type: "text" or type: "silence". They do not document an audio-file input for this route, so plan on text in and a spoken avatar out (Generate avatar video).
If your workflow depends on a specific recording, check the live OpenAPI before you build around it, and do not assume the route accepts one.
What each voice type means
| Voice type | Required | Not allowed |
|---|---|---|
| text | script or input_text (one of them), duration | both script and input_text |
| silence | duration | script, input_text |
A scene list with a pause
The pause is a real scene with a duration, so it counts toward the 4 to 60 second window.
{
"avatar_handle": "product_host",
"quality": "plus",
"video_inputs": [
{ "id": "hook", "voice": { "type": "text", "script": "Wait, one selfie became a whole video?", "duration": 3 } },
{ "id": "beat", "voice": { "type": "silence", "duration": 2 } },
{ "id": "cta", "voice": { "type": "text", "input_text": "Pick a template and drop in your photo.", "duration": 4 } }
]
}Cost of that plan
Nine seconds in total, billed at the tier rate with no product image.
| Tier | 9 s |
|---|---|
| standard | $1.656 |
| plus | $2.205 |
| max | $4.95 |
Other constraints
The current execution supports one resolved avatar for each final video, and the scene backgrounds are expected to resolve to one shared scene. Total planned duration must stay in the 4 to 60 second window.
Sources
Related posts
More in Sume Avatar 1.0
- Will an AI video model lip-sync a voice-over added afterwards?
No: Sume's docs say video models do not lip-sync to generated speech or a later voice-over. A talking face needs a still plus audio, or an avatar video.
- Face-swap clip on YouTube: label needed? Sume's beta caps at 15 s
YouTube asks for a label when a real person appears to say or do something they did not. Sume's face swap beta takes about 4 to 15 seconds; $3.68 max at plus.
- Face swap or avatar video? Pick by whether you already have footage
Sume's face swap Beta applies an avatar face to your own 4-15 second video; Avatar Video renders a new clip from a script, up to 60 seconds. How to choose.
- Five 20-word avatar sentences make five 8-second clips, not three
Why five 20-word sentences plan as five 8-second clips (40 s) in Avatar 1.0, and how pairing shorter sentences saves clips.
Written by Sume