AudioGen

Sound Effects API — Text to SFX

Last updated Oct 7, 2026 · By ModelsLab Engineering

The ModelsLab sound effects API turns a text prompt into a sound effect. It runs Stable Audio Open 1.0 on our own GPUs and costs $0.001 per second of audio ($0.0047 minimum), so a 10-second effect is $0.01. Clips are 3 to 15 seconds in mp3, wav or flac, and take about 13 seconds to generate. POST your prompt to /api/v6/voice/sfx.

Get API key See pricing

$0.001 per second of audio
Stable Audio Open 1.0
No per-effect charge on the $149 plan

What the Sound Effects API Does

Text In, Sound Effect Out

Send a plain-English description — “glass bottle shattering on a concrete floor” — and the API returns an audio file of that sound. The model is Stable Audio Open 1.0 from Stability AI, run on ModelsLab’s own GPUs with 80 diffusion steps at 44.1 kHz stereo. You choose the length (3 to 15 seconds) and the format (mp3, wav or flac).

Billing is per second of audio: $0.001 a second with a $0.0047 minimum per effect, drawn from your plan. On the $149/month Open Source Unlimited plan there is no per-effect charge at all, which makes it a flat price for teams that generate sound libraries in bulk.

ElevenLabs Sound Effects is on the same API key too, through /api/v7/voice/sound-generation with model_id eleven_sound_effect at $0.06 per generation. Request errors logged per endpoint are on the API status page.

Stable Audio Open 1.0 over plain HTTP — no SDK to install
$0.001 per second, $0.0047 minimum; a 10-second effect is $0.01
3 to 15 second clips in mp3, wav or flac, 44.1 kHz stereo
About 13 seconds of GPU time per effect
File URL in the response, fetch by id, or webhook delivery

Hear the Model

Generated on this endpoint on October 6, 2026 with duration 5, mp3 at 192k. Unedited: what you hear is what the API returned.

Door creak

Prompt: “Heavy wooden door creaking open slowly in a stone hallway”

Download the mp3

Thunderstorm

Prompt: “Thunderstorm with heavy rain and a close lightning strike”

Download the mp3

Laser shots

Prompt: “Sci-fi laser gun firing three quick shots”

Download the mp3

Glass shatter

Prompt: “Glass bottle shattering on a concrete floor”

Download the mp3

Sound effects API quick start

One POST with a prompt. cURL, Python and JavaScript.

cURL — one sound effect

bash

1curl -X POST 'https://modelslab.com/api/v6/voice/sfx' \
2  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
3  -d '{
4    "key": "YOUR_MODELSLAB_API_KEY",
5    "prompt": "Heavy wooden door creaking open slowly in a stone hallway",
6    "duration": 5,
7    "output_format": "mp3"
8  }'

Python — generate, then fetch if still rendering

Python

1import time
2import requests
3
4KEY = "YOUR_MODELSLAB_API_KEY"
5
6result = requests.post(
7    "https://modelslab.com/api/v6/voice/sfx",
8    json={
9        "key": KEY,
10        "prompt": "Glass bottle shattering on a concrete floor",
11        "duration": 5,
12        "output_format": "wav",
13    },
14    timeout=60,
15).json()
16
17# With a clear GPU queue the file comes back in this response. Otherwise the
18# status is "processing": keep the fetch URL and poll it until the status changes.
19fetch_url = result.get("fetch_result")
20for _ in range(60):
21    if result.get("status") != "processing":
22        break
23    time.sleep(10)
24    result = requests.post(fetch_url, json={"key": KEY}, timeout=60).json()
25
26if result.get("status") == "success":
27    print(result["output"][0])
28else:
29    print("Not ready:", result.get("status"), result.get("message"))

JavaScript — with a webhook

JavaScript

1const response = await fetch('https://modelslab.com/api/v6/voice/sfx', {
2  method: 'POST',
3  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
4  body: JSON.stringify({
5    key: 'YOUR_MODELSLAB_API_KEY',
6    prompt: 'Sci-fi laser gun firing three quick shots',
7    duration: 3,
8    // The finished file is POSTed here as well as returned or fetched.
9    webhook: 'https://your-app.example.com/hooks/sfx',
10    track_id: 'level-4-laser',
11  }),
12});
13
14console.log(await response.json());

Specs and Limits

Everything an integration needs to know before the first call.

Spec	ModelsLab sound effects API
Endpoint	POST /api/v6/voice/sfx
Model	Stable Audio Open 1.0 (Stability AI), 80 steps
Price	$0.001 per second of audio, $0.0047 minimum per effect
10-second effect	$0.01 (no per-effect charge on the $149 plan)
Clip length	3 to 15 seconds, whole seconds, default 8
Formats	mp3 (default), wav, flac
Bitrate	128k, 192k or 320k (default 320k)
Audio	44.1 kHz, stereo
Typical speed	About 13 s per effect (12.9–13.3 s measured)
Input	Text prompt only
Delivery	File URL in the response, fetch by id, or webhook

Read from the running endpoint on October 6, 2026. Speed is GPU time per effect from the worker logs; add network time and any queue wait.

Request and Response

The full contract of POST /api/v6/voice/sfx.

Field	Type	Meaning
key	string (required)	Your ModelsLab API key
prompt	string (required)	The sound to generate, in plain English
duration	integer (optional)	Seconds of audio, 3 to 15; default 8
output_format	string (optional)	mp3, wav or flac; default mp3
bitrate	string (optional)	128k, 192k or 320k; default 320k
webhook	URL (optional)	Where to POST the result when it is ready
track_id	string (optional)	Your own reference, echoed back
output	response	Array with the URL of the audio file
id, fetch_result	response	Returned with status processing; POST the fetch URL to get the file

The key goes in the JSON body. A response with status success carries the file URL in output. A response with status processing carries id, fetch_result and future_links; POST to fetch_result with your key, or wait for the webhook.

What Sound Effects Cost

One ModelsLab subscription covers sound effects, speech, image and video.

Plan	Price / month	Sound effects	Parallel requests	Also covers
Basic	$21	$0.001 per second from included usage	5	Image, video, speech and LLM APIs
Standard	$47	$0.001 per second from included usage	10	Image, video, speech and LLM APIs
Open Source Unlimited	$149	No per-effect charge on Stable Audio Open	15	Every open-weight model ModelsLab self-hosts

Plan prices from the live plans table. On Basic and Standard, each effect draws $0.001 per second of audio, with a $0.0047 minimum, from the plan's included usage.

Sound Effects API Providers Compared

Fourteen text-to-sound-effects offers, sorted by what one 10-second effect costs.

Provider	Model	Listed price	10-second effect	Max length
Pika (dev.pika.art)	Pika SFX	$0.0002 / second + $10/month membership	$0.002	20 s
Replicate	MMAudio (zsxkib/mmaudio)	≈ $0.0049 / run (L40S GPU time)	≈ $0.0049	Not published
ModelsLab	Stable Audio Open 1.0	$0.001 / second, $0.0047 minimum; none on the $149 plan	$0.01	15 s
fal	MMAudio V2	$0.001 / second	$0.01	30 s
fal	Sonilo v1.1	$0.0018 / second	$0.018	180 s
ElevenLabs	Sound Effects v2 (eleven_text_to_sound_v2)	$0.12 / minute of audio	$0.02	30 s
fal	ElevenLabs Sound Effects V2	$0.002 / second	$0.02	22 s
fal	Stable Audio 3 Small SFX	$0.0206 / audio	$0.0206	120 s
WaveSpeed	Kling text-to-audio	$0.035 / run	$0.035 (max 10 s)	10 s
Segmind	ElevenLabs sound generation	$0.05 / generation	$0.05	Not published
ModelsLab	ElevenLabs Sound Effects (eleven_sound_effect)	$0.06 / generation	$0.06	Not published
WaveSpeed	Mirelo SFX 1.6	$0.01 / second	$0.10	60 s
Stability AI	Stable Audio 2.5	20 credits ($0.20) / generation	$0.20	190 s
fal	Stable Audio 2.5	$0.20 / audio	$0.20	190 s

Every price read on the provider's own page on October 6, 2026, in the unit the provider publishes. ElevenLabs lists Sound Effects at $0.12 per minute on its API pricing page, while its FAQ says sound effects are billed per generation and its docs say 40 credits per second when a duration is set. Replicate bills GPU time, so its cost per run varies. Pika's $10/month membership is charged on top of usage.

Which sound effects API should you use?

Per second, Pika SFX is the cheapest offer we found at $0.0002, but it adds a $10/month membership. MMAudio V2 on fal and this endpoint both cost $0.001 a second; ElevenLabs costs $0.12 a minute, which is $0.002 a second. At volume the arithmetic changes: above about 14,900 ten-second effects a month, the $149 Open Source Unlimited plan costs less than any $0.001-per-second API.

Price is not the whole answer. ElevenLabs Sound Effects v2 allows 30-second clips and loops. MMAudio can generate audio from a video as well as from text. Stable Audio 2.5 and Sonilo run past two minutes. This endpoint is text only and stops at 15 seconds — use it for libraries of short effects, game one-shots and app sounds, and pick one of the others when length, video sync or the last bit of realism matters.

Sound effects price sources

Every competitor price and limit on this page, with the date we read it.

ElevenLabs API pricing — Sound Effects $0.12 per minute; FAQ "billed per generation", read 2026-10-06
ElevenLabs sound effects docs — 40 credits per second with a duration, formats, read 2026-10-06
ElevenLabs sound effects API reference — duration 0.5–30 s, eleven_text_to_sound_v2, read 2026-10-06
Pika SFX pricing — $0.0002 per second, read 2026-10-06
Pika API pricing — $10/month membership fee, read 2026-10-06
fal MMAudio V2 text-to-audio — $0.001 per second, read 2026-10-06
fal ElevenLabs Sound Effects V2 — $0.002 per second, read 2026-10-06
fal Sonilo v1.1 text-to-sound-effects — $0.0018 per second, read 2026-10-06
fal Stable Audio 3 Small SFX — $0.0206 per audio, read 2026-10-06
fal Stable Audio 2.5 — $0.20 per audio, read 2026-10-06
WaveSpeed Mirelo SFX 1.6 — $0.01 per generated second, read 2026-10-06
WaveSpeed Kling text-to-audio — $0.035 per run, read 2026-10-06
Stability AI pricing — Stable Audio 2.5 = 20 credits, 1 credit = $0.01, read 2026-10-06
Replicate MMAudio — about $0.0049 per run on L40S, read 2026-10-06
Segmind sound generation pricing — $0.05 per generation, read 2026-10-06
Stable Audio Open 1.0 model card — Stability AI Community License

Generate a Sound Effect in 3 Steps

From API key to an audio file.

STEP 01

Step 1: Get Your API Key

Create a ModelsLab account, subscribe to a plan from $21/month, and copy your key from the dashboard.

STEP 02

Step 2: POST a Prompt

Send key and prompt to /api/v6/voice/sfx. Add duration (3 to 15 seconds) and output_format (mp3, wav or flac) when the defaults do not fit.

STEP 03

Step 3: Download the Audio

With a clear GPU queue, the response carries the file URL in output. Otherwise POST to fetch_result with your key until the status changes, or pass a webhook and receive the file when it is ready.

Get API Key

Sound effects API guides

Sound effects API pricing

Price per second and per 10-second effect across 14 offers.

Best sound effects API 2026

ElevenLabs, Pika, MMAudio, Stable Audio and ModelsLab compared.

ElevenLabs sound effects alternative

What switching costs, what you gain and what you lose.

API status

Request errors logged per endpoint, last seven days.

Why Generate Sound Effects Here

Key advantages that set us apart

Stable Audio Open 1.0 on our own GPUs

$0.001 per second of audio, $0.0047 minimum

No per-effect charge on the $149 plan

3 to 15 second clips in mp3, wav or flac

ElevenLabs Sound Effects on the same key

One key for sound, speech, image, video and LLMs

Plans from $21/month

Our Popular Use Cases

What teams build with the sound effects API:

Generate footsteps, impacts, pickups and UI sounds in bulk, then keep the best variation of each.

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15 parallel generations

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Sound effects API pricing
Price per second across 14 offers.
Best sound effects API
ElevenLabs, Pika, MMAudio and ModelsLab compared.
ElevenLabs sound effects alternative
Half the per-second rate, and what you give up.
Cheapest AI API
Image, video and speech prices side by side.
Unlimited AI API
Every self-hosted open-source model for $149/mo.

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View Docs

POST https://modelslab.com/api/v6/voice/sfx with your `key` and a `prompt`. Optional fields: `duration` (a whole number of seconds from 3 to 15, default 8), `output_format` (mp3, wav or flac, default mp3), `bitrate` (128k, 192k or 320k, default 320k), `webhook` and `track_id`. The response carries the audio URL in `output`, or an `id` to fetch from /api/v6/voice/fetch/{id} while the clip is still rendering.

Stable Audio Open 1.0 from Stability AI, running on ModelsLab’s own GPUs with 80 diffusion steps and 44.1 kHz stereo output. ElevenLabs Sound Effects is also available on the same API key through POST /api/v7/voice/sound-generation with model_id eleven_sound_effect.

$0.001 per second of audio, with a minimum of $0.0047 per effect, drawn from the usage included in your plan: a 10-second effect costs $0.01. Plans start at $21/month. On the $149/month Open Source Unlimited plan, Stable Audio Open effects carry no per-effect charge. ElevenLabs Sound Effects (eleven_sound_effect) costs $0.06 per generation.

About 13 seconds of GPU time per effect, whatever its length: the worker logged 12.9 to 13.3 seconds across 20 effects on October 6, 2026. When the GPU queue is clear, the API call returns the finished file. When it is not, the response has status processing, an id and the future file URL: POST to the fetch URL with your key until status is success, failed or error, or pass a webhook.

3 to 15 seconds per request, in whole seconds. For longer ambience, generate overlapping clips and crossfade them, or use a model built for long audio such as Stable Audio 2.5, which runs up to 190 seconds on Stability AI’s API.

ModelsLab charges no royalties or licence fees on the audio you generate. Stable Audio Open 1.0 is released by Stability AI under the Stability AI Community License; read it for the terms that apply to your own use.

modelslab.com/status lists every API endpoint, including /api/v6/voice/sfx, with the request errors logged over the last seven days. It does not yet count effects that time out in the GPU queue, so check your own responses for status failed or error as well.

No. The endpoint turns text into audio. For foley synced to footage, use a video-to-audio model such as MMAudio, Mirelo SFX or Hunyuan Video Foley.