Audio Tags

Audio tags let you insert expressive cues (like laughs, pauses, whispers, and more) directly into your episode script. When audio is generated, these tags are converted into natural-sounding vocal effects.

Audio tags appear as inline chips within speech blocks and are triggered with a / slash command.

Inserting an Audio Tag

1. Click into any speech block in the script editor.
2. Type / to open the audio tag picker.
3. Browse the categorized list or start typing to filter tags.
4. Select a tag using Enter or by clicking it.

The tag is inserted as a styled chip inline with your text. For example:

"I just found out we hit a million downloads [laughs]. I honestly can't believe it."

Available Preset Tags

The expressive presets are organized into three categories:

Reactions

• laughs: A light chuckle or laugh
• sighs: An exhale expressing emotion
• gasps: A sharp intake of breath
• clears throat: A brief throat clear

Emotions

• excited: Energetic, upbeat tone
• nervous: Hesitant, uneasy delivery
• calm: Relaxed, steady voice
• frustrated: Tense, irritated tone
• sarcastic: Dry, ironic delivery

Delivery

• pauses: A brief silence
• hesitates: Stumbling, uncertain speech
• dramatic: Intense, theatrical delivery
• whispers: Soft, hushed voice

Custom Tags

Not seeing the right tag? You can create your own:

1. Type / to open the picker.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the list or type a tag name that doesn't match any preset.
3. Enter your custom tag text in the Custom tag input field.
4. Press Enter to insert it.

Custom tags follow the same rules as presets: they're converted to vocal effects during audio generation. Keep custom tags short and descriptive for best results (e.g., chuckles nervously, takes a deep breath).

Editing and Removing Tags

• Click a tag chip in the editor to re-open the picker and replace it with a different tag.
• Backspace or Delete over a tag chip to remove it, just like deleting any other character.

How Tags Work During Audio Generation

When you generate episode audio:

• Each [tag] in the script is converted to a sound effect directive.
• The AI voice renders the tag as a natural vocal expression blended into the surrounding speech.
• Tags do not appear in captions, transcripts, or video subtitles. They're stripped from all user-facing text outputs.

Turning Off Audio Tags

If you'd rather generate scripts without any audio tags or emotion cues, you can disable them at the podcast level:

1. Open your podcast and click Edit Podcast.
2. Step through the wizard to the final Details step.
3. Expand Additional Settings.
4. Toggle Enhanced Emotion off.
5. Click Save.

When Enhanced Emotion is off, newly generated episode scripts will not include [laughs], [pauses], or any other audio tags. The setting applies to all future episodes for that podcast. Existing scripts are not modified. You can turn it back on at any time from the same step.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do audio tags use extra credits?

No. Audio tags are part of the speech generation and don't consume additional credits beyond the normal audio generation cost.

Can I use audio tags with any voice?

Audio tags work best with Horizon voices. If your host uses a Classic voice, audio tags are silently stripped during generation. Your episode still generates without errors, but the tags won't produce vocal effects.

Will audio tags show up in my captions or transcript?

No. Audio tags are automatically stripped from captions, SRT files, clip transcripts, and all other text outputs. They only affect the audio.

Can I add audio tags to music blocks?

No. Audio tags can only be inserted inside speech blocks. The slash command is scoped to speak nodes only.

What happens if I type a custom tag the AI doesn't understand?

The AI voice will do its best to interpret the tag. For best results, use clear, short descriptions of sounds or delivery styles. If a custom tag doesn't produce the effect you want, try rephrasing it or use one of the presets.

How do I turn off audio tags entirely?

Open your podcast, click Edit Podcast, go to the final Details step, expand Additional Settings, and toggle Enhanced Emotion off. New episode scripts for that podcast will be generated without any audio tags.