Available voices and tone control
On this page
ChatGPT Voice offers several voices, each with its own sonic personality. But the voice is only half the equation: you control tone, pace, and style during the conversation through simple spoken instructions. The same voice can explain a topic like a professor, then summarize it like a pitch.
Choose your voice
To change voices, go to Settings > Voice, then Voice. The OpenAI Help Center lists nine base voices, each described by its character: Arbor, Breeze, Cove, Ember, Juniper, Maple, Sol, Spruce, and Vale, ranging from “calm and composed” to “playful and curious.” The Live option adds language-specific voices, including two French voices, Aube and Rivage. The list displayed may vary by region and account. Changing voices during a call starts a new call within the same conversation.
Take a few minutes to test them out: a composed, articulate voice works better for technical explanations, while a warmer voice suits brainstorming. Your choice applies to your voice conversations and remains editable at any time.
Set the language
If the voice struggles to detect the language you are speaking, select your usual language in Settings > Voice > Language: ChatGPT will understand your speech better. You can also ask it to speak another language during a conversation, which opens the door to the language practice covered in the next lesson.
Shape tone during conversation
The Help Center specifies that ChatGPT’s predefined personalities do not apply to Live. However, you can request a different tone, pace, or response style at any time:
| Lever | Example instructions |
|---|---|
| Pace | ”Speak more slowly, I’m taking notes” · “Be concise and get straight to the point” |
| Register | ”Respond in a formal and professional manner” · “Be casual, like between colleagues” |
| Energy | ”Be enthusiastic and encouraging” · “Stay calm and composed” · “Be direct and factual” |
There is no precise setting for reading speed: “faster” or “slower” remain approximate instructions. Try this: ask for an explanation of a concept with a “university professor tone,” then ask for the same explanation with a “friendly conversation tone,” and compare the results.
Save your preferences
Repeating your instructions every time you call eventually gets tedious. State them right at the start of the voice conversation in a single sentence: “During this exchange, be concise, limit responses to three sentences max, and keep a professional tone.” You can also indicate your general preferences in Custom Instructions; since predefined personalities do not apply to Live, simply check the result and restate the instruction if needed.
Your turn
Find your combination. Listen to three different voices in Settings > Voice and pick one. Then start a conversation, ask for an explanation of a topic from your field, and vary two levers from the table: pace and register. Note the combination that feels most comfortable for your professional use cases.
Official sources: ChatGPT Voice · ChatGPT Custom Instructions (OpenAI Help Center)
Key takeaways
- Select voices in Settings > Voice; Live offers two French voices, Aube and Rivage
- Set the language in Settings > Voice > Language; you can also change it on demand during a call
- Control tone, pace, and register through explicit instructions during the conversation
- Predefined personalities do not apply to Live, and speed cannot be adjusted precisely
- State your preferences at the start of the call and verify their effect