Guides
How to Use SSML for Better Audio
SSML (Speech Synthesis Markup Language) gives you fine-grained control over how text is spoken. EchoLive's visual SSML editor makes it accessible, with no XML writing required.
- Breaks: add pauses between sentences, sections, or for dramatic effect
- Emphasis: stress key words for clarity and impact
- Prosody: control rate, pitch, and volume per phrase
- Say-as: format dates, numbers, and abbreviations correctly
- Phonemes: specify exact pronunciation for names and terms
Plain text-to-speech is often good enough, but for production audio, SSML is the difference between "auto-generated" and "professionally narrated." EchoLive makes SSML accessible through a visual builder.
Open any segment in the Studio and click the SSML editor. A visual interface lets you select text and apply: breaks (with custom duration), emphasis levels, prosody changes (rate/pitch/volume for a selection), say-as formatting (interpret numbers, dates, or abbreviations), and phoneme overrides.
You can also switch to raw SSML mode for manual editing. This is useful for complex nested structures or when copying SSML from other sources. Preview the result by generating and playing the segment, then adjust and regenerate until it sounds right.
Pro tip: start with breaks and emphasis. They give you 80% of the improvement with 20% of the effort. Add prosody adjustments for energy changes between intro/body/conclusion. Use phonemes only for stubborn mispronunciations.