ElevenLabs Sound Effects

Generate sound effects from text descriptions via inference.sh CLI.

Quick Start

Requires inference.sh CLI (belt). Install instructions

belt login

# Generate a sound effect
belt app run elevenlabs/sound-effects --input '{"text": "Thunder rumbling in the distance"}'

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
text	string	Description of the sound effect (max 1000 chars)
duration_seconds	number	Duration 0.5-22 seconds (optional, auto if omitted)
prompt_influence	number	0-1, how literal to interpret prompt (default: 0.3)

Examples

Cinematic Effects

# Epic trailer hit
belt app run elevenlabs/sound-effects --input '{"text": "Cinematic braam, deep bass impact"}'

# Suspense drone
belt app run elevenlabs/sound-effects --input '{
  "text": "Dark atmospheric drone, tension building, horror",
  "duration_seconds": 10
}'

# Whoosh transition
belt app run elevenlabs/sound-effects --input '{
  "text": "Fast cinematic whoosh transition",
  "duration_seconds": 1.5
}'

Nature & Environment

# Rain
belt app run elevenlabs/sound-effects --input '{
  "text": "Heavy rain on a tin roof with occasional thunder",
  "duration_seconds": 15
}'

# Forest ambience
belt app run elevenlabs/sound-effects --input '{
  "text": "Forest ambience with birds chirping and gentle wind",
  "duration_seconds": 20
}'

# Ocean waves
belt app run elevenlabs/sound-effects --input '{
  "text": "Ocean waves crashing on a beach, calming",
  "duration_seconds": 15
}'

Game Audio

# Power-up
belt app run elevenlabs/sound-effects --input '{
  "text": "Retro game power-up sound, ascending tones",
  "duration_seconds": 1
}'

# Explosion
belt app run elevenlabs/sound-effects --input '{
  "text": "Sci-fi laser explosion, futuristic",
  "duration_seconds": 3
}'

# UI click
belt app run elevenlabs/sound-effects --input '{
  "text": "Soft UI button click, subtle and clean",
  "duration_seconds": 0.5
}'

Everyday Sounds

# Doorbell
belt app run elevenlabs/sound-effects --input '{"text": "Classic doorbell ring"}'

# Typing
belt app run elevenlabs/sound-effects --input '{
  "text": "Mechanical keyboard typing, fast, clicky",
  "duration_seconds": 5
}'

# Notification
belt app run elevenlabs/sound-effects --input '{
  "text": "Pleasant notification chime, positive",
  "duration_seconds": 1
}'

Prompt Influence

Control how literally the model interprets your description:

Value	Effect	Best For
0.0	Very loose interpretation	Creative, surprising results
0.3	Balanced (default)	General purpose
0.7	Close to description	Specific sound needs
1.0	Very literal	Exact sound reproduction

# Loose interpretation - creative result
belt app run elevenlabs/sound-effects --input '{
  "text": "Magical fairy dust sparkle",
  "prompt_influence": 0.1
}'

# Literal interpretation - precise result
belt app run elevenlabs/sound-effects --input '{
  "text": "Single gunshot, pistol, indoor range",
  "prompt_influence": 0.8
}'

Prompt Tips

Be specific: "Heavy rain on metal roof" > "rain sound"

Include context: "Footsteps on gravel, slow walking pace" > "footsteps"

Describe mood: "Eerie wind howling through abandoned building" > "wind"

Specify material: "Glass shattering on concrete floor" > "breaking glass"

Workflow: Add SFX to Video

# 1. Generate sound effect
belt app run elevenlabs/sound-effects --input '{
  "text": "Dramatic reveal swoosh with bass drop",
  "duration_seconds": 2
}' > sfx.json

# 2. Merge with video
belt app run infsh/media-merger --input '{
  "media": ["video.mp4", "<sfx-url>"]
}'

Use Cases

• Video Production: Transitions, impacts, ambience
• Game Development: UI sounds, effects, environments
• Podcasts: Stingers, transitions, atmosphere
• Film/Animation: Foley, ambience, scoring elements
• Presentations: Attention-grabbing sound cues
• Social Media: Short-form content audio

Related Skills

# ElevenLabs music generation
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@elevenlabs-music

# ElevenLabs TTS (combine voice with effects)
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@elevenlabs-tts

# AI music generation (Diffrythm, Tencent)
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@ai-music-generation

# Full platform skill (all 250+ apps)
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@infsh-cli

Browse all audio apps: belt app list --category audio