LiveKit docs › Models › TTS › Deepgram --- # Deepgram TTS > How to use Deepgram TTS with LiveKit Agents. - **[Use in Agent Builder](https://cloud.livekit.io/projects/p_/agents/builder/new?tts=deepgram%2Faura-2)**: Create a new agent in your browser using deepgram/aura-2 ## Overview Deepgram text-to-speech is available in LiveKit Agents through [LiveKit Inference](https://docs.livekit.io/agents/models/inference.md) and the [Deepgram plugin](#plugin). With LiveKit Inference, your agent runs on LiveKit's infrastructure to minimize latency. No separate provider API key is required, and usage and rate limits are managed through LiveKit Cloud. Use the plugin instead if you want to manage your own billing and rate limits. Pricing for LiveKit Inference is available on the [pricing page](https://livekit.com/pricing/inference#tts). ## LiveKit Inference Use [LiveKit Inference](https://docs.livekit.io/agents/models/inference.md) to access Deepgram TTS without a separate Deepgram API key. | Model ID | Languages | | -------- | --------- | | `deepgram/aura` | `en`, `en-US`, `en-IE`, `en-GB` | | `deepgram/aura-2` | `en`, `en-US`, `en-PH`, `en-GB`, `en-AU`, `es`, `es-CO`, `es-MX`, `es-ES`, `es-419`, `es-AR`, `nl`, `nl-NL`, `fr`, `fr-FR`, `de`, `de-DE`, `it`, `it-IT`, `ja`, `ja-JP` | ### Usage To use Deepgram, use the `TTS` class from the `inference` module: **Python**: ```python from livekit.agents import AgentSession, inference session = AgentSession( tts=inference.TTS( model="deepgram/aura-2", voice="athena", language="en" ), # ... stt, llm, vad, turn_handling, etc. ) ``` --- **Node.js**: ```typescript import { AgentSession, inference } from '@livekit/agents'; session = new AgentSession({ tts: new inference.TTS({ model: "deepgram/aura-2", voice: "athena", language: "en" }), // ... stt, llm, vad, turnHandling, etc. }); ``` ### Parameters - **`model`** _(string)_: The model ID from the [models list](#inference). - **`voice`** _(string)_: See [voices](#voices) for guidance on selecting a voice. - **`language`** _(LanguageCode)_ (optional): [Language code](https://docs.livekit.io/agents/models/tts.md#language-codes) for the input text. If not set, the model default applies. - **`extra_kwargs`** _(dict)_ (optional): Additional parameters to pass to the Deepgram TTS API. See [model parameters](#model-parameters) for supported fields. In Node.js this parameter is called `modelOptions`. #### Model parameters Pass the following parameters inside `extra_kwargs` (Python) or `modelOptions` (Node.js): | Parameter | Type | Default | Notes | | mip_opt_out | `bool` | `False` | Opt out of the [Deepgram Model Improvement Program](https://dpgr.am/deepgram-mip). | ### Voices LiveKit Inference supports Deepgram Aura voices. You can explore the available voices in the [Deepgram voice library](https://developers.deepgram.com/docs/tts-models), and use the voice by copying its name into your LiveKit agent session. The following is a small sample of the Deepgram voices available in LiveKit Inference. | Provider | Name | Description | Language | ID | | -------- | ---- | ----------- | -------- | -------- | | Deepgram | Apollo | Comfortable, casual male | `en-US` | `deepgram/aura-2:apollo` | | Deepgram | Athena | Smooth, professional female | `en-US` | `deepgram/aura-2:athena` | | Deepgram | Odysseus | Calm, professional male | `en-US` | `deepgram/aura-2:odysseus` | | Deepgram | Theia | Expressive, polite female | `en-AU` | `deepgram/aura-2:theia` | ### String descriptors As a shortcut, you can also pass a descriptor with the [model ID](#inference) and voice directly to the `tts` argument in your `AgentSession`: **Python**: ```python from livekit.agents import AgentSession session = AgentSession( tts="deepgram/aura-2:athena", # ... stt, llm, vad, turn_handling, etc. ) ``` --- **Node.js**: ```typescript import { AgentSession } from '@livekit/agents'; session = new AgentSession({ tts: "deepgram/aura-2:athena", // ... stt, llm, vad, turnHandling, etc. }); ``` ## Plugin LiveKit's plugin support for Deepgram lets you connect directly to Deepgram's TTS API with your own API key. Available in: - [x] Node.js - [x] Python ### Installation Install the plugin: **Python**: ```shell uv add "livekit-agents[deepgram]~=1.5" ``` --- **Node.js**: ```shell pnpm add @livekit/agents-plugin-deepgram@1.x ``` ### Authentication The Deepgram plugin requires a [Deepgram API key](https://console.deepgram.com/). Set `DEEPGRAM_API_KEY` in your `.env` file. ### Usage Use Deepgram TTS within an `AgentSession` or as a standalone speech generator. For example, you can use this TTS in the [Voice AI quickstart](https://docs.livekit.io/agents/start/voice-ai.md). **Python**: ```python from livekit.plugins import deepgram session = AgentSession( tts=deepgram.TTS( model="aura-2-asteria-en", ) # ... llm, stt, etc. ) ``` --- **Node.js**: ```typescript import * as deepgram from '@livekit/agents-plugin-deepgram'; const session = new voice.AgentSession({ tts: deepgram.TTS( model: "aura-2-asteria-en", ), // ... llm, stt, etc. }); ``` ### Parameters This section describes some of the available parameters. See the [plugin reference](https://docs.livekit.io/reference/python/livekit/plugins/deepgram/index.html.md#livekit.plugins.deepgram.TTS) for a complete list of all available parameters. - **`model`** _(string)_ (optional) - Default: `aura-2-asteria-en`: ID of the model to use for generation. To learn more, see [supported models](https://developers.deepgram.com/docs/tts-models). ## Prompting Deepgram supports filler words and natural pauses through prompting. To learn more, see [Text to Speech Prompting](https://developers.deepgram.com/docs/text-to-speech-prompting). ## Additional resources The following resources provide more information about using Deepgram with LiveKit Agents. - **[Python package](https://pypi.org/project/livekit-plugins-deepgram/)**: The `livekit-plugins-deepgram` package on PyPI. - **[Plugin reference](https://docs.livekit.io/reference/python/livekit/plugins/deepgram/index.html.md#livekit.plugins.deepgram.TTS)**: Reference for the Deepgram TTS plugin. - **[GitHub repo](https://github.com/livekit/agents/tree/main/livekit-plugins/livekit-plugins-deepgram)**: View the source or contribute to the LiveKit Deepgram TTS plugin. - **[Deepgram docs](https://developers.deepgram.com/docs)**: Deepgram's full docs site. - **[Voice AI quickstart](https://docs.livekit.io/agents/start/voice-ai.md)**: Get started with LiveKit Agents and Deepgram. - **[Deepgram STT](https://docs.livekit.io/agents/models/stt/deepgram.md)**: Guide to the Deepgram STT plugin with LiveKit Agents. --- This document was rendered at 2026-06-07T11:35:11.917Z. For the latest version of this document, see [https://docs.livekit.io/agents/models/tts/deepgram.md](https://docs.livekit.io/agents/models/tts/deepgram.md). To explore all LiveKit documentation, see [llms.txt](https://docs.livekit.io/llms.txt).