# 21 Choose a voice and try audio

> **Review scope:** Linked public documentation checked October 30, 2026. Examples are proposed checks, not recorded OD results; use your account's current controls.

[Tutorial index](README.md)

You will distinguish a character's written personality from their audible voice, preview an available voice, and try a short spoken interaction if your account exposes it. Mira is our 30-year-old adult archivist; her scene is the archive, and her ordinary outfit is a navy jacket.

## Voice narration and calls

A **voice** is the sound used for generated speech. **Narration** plays written material as audio. A **voice call** is a real-time spoken exchange with the AI character. Changing a voice does not automatically rewrite motives, vocabulary, or personality.

OD's public character builder describes voice selection, and its Chat page advertises real-time voice calls. These pages do not expose a complete logged-in call dialog, so this guide uses the controls actually visible to you rather than inventing a universal phone toolbar. [Character builder](https://main.ourdream.ai/create), [Chat](https://ourdream.ai/chat)

Have a signed-in account, audio output such as headphones, and microphone access if you intend to speak. Read any displayed charge first. Public cost pages differ on call rates; do not calculate your budget from an old figure. Check the current offer in the account before starting paid audio. [Cost guide](https://help.ourdream.ai/en/articles/10808513)

## Select and check the audio voice

1. Open **My AI**, choose Mira, open the three-dot menu, and select **Edit**. This navigation is described in the hosted community FAQ. [Editor navigation](https://help.ourdream.ai/en/articles/8993665)
2. Find the character's voice setting. Record the currently selected name so you can restore it. Choose an available voice that suits the intended delivery; if a preview control is offered, listen before committing.
3. If a community-voice browser is offered, inspect its filters and access requirement. The October 24 announcement describes language, gender, and accent filters and states that using community voices requires Premium. Do not assume an older fixed voice count is current. [Community voices](https://ourdream.ai/updates/feature-friday-12)
4. Complete the editor's actual save/update flow, then reopen the voice setting to check the stored selection. A chat message saying that the voice changed is not a substitute for that check.

For the written behavior, a separate original example belongs in **Additional Personality Details**, not in a voice-name field:

```text
Mira speaks precisely and warmly. She explains unfamiliar archive terms
in everyday language and asks one clear question at a time. When unsure,
she says what she needs to check rather than inventing an answer.
```

Keep unrelated existing personality facts. This is an optional writing example, not a requirement to replace an established character.

## Try a short audio interaction

5. Return to Mira's chat. Send this as an ordinary message:

```text
Please greet me at the archive and explain where a visitor can ask for a map.
```

If that reply offers an audio-playback control, use it and listen. Playback of one reply is narration or an audio message; it does not prove that a live call has started.

6. To try a call, use the voice-call control only if your chat exposes it. Read the selected character and current charge. If the control is absent or access is unavailable, stop at this checkpoint instead of assuming a text command starts a call.
7. If the browser requests microphone permission and you want to speak, allow access for this site. Say: **“Mira, what is the first thing a new visitor should do?”** Pause for the response. Finish using the visible end-call control and confirm that the session has closed. Do not assume muting the microphone ends a paid call. Note the elapsed time and any usage or charge the account shows; if the result is unclear, inspect the session/account status before starting another call.

## Check and troubleshoot

Listen for comprehensibility, pronunciation, volume, and unwanted overlap. Record the voice name separately from the chat model. This exercise does not connect a telephone number or install phone integration.

- **No community voice or call control:** check the access requirement shown at that exact step; it may differ from ordinary text chat.
- **No audible sound:** check the device output, browser/site mute, and playback state before changing Mira's writing.
- **The voice sounds right but the wording is wrong:** revise the character's written behavior separately. A different voice is not a demonstrated repair for personality drift.