OpenMontage sound-effects

Generate sound effects from text descriptions using ElevenLabs. Use when creating sound effects, generating audio textures, producing ambient sounds, cinematic impacts, UI sounds, or any audio that isn't speech. Supports looping, duration control, and prompt influence tuning.

install

source · Clone the upstream repo

git clone https://github.com/calesthio/OpenMontage

Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/

T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/calesthio/OpenMontage "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/.claude/skills/sound-effects" ~/.claude/skills/calesthio-openmontage-sound-effects-9da7f4 && rm -rf "$T"

manifest: .claude/skills/sound-effects/SKILL.md

source content

ElevenLabs Sound Effects

Generate sound effects from text descriptions — supports looping, custom duration, and prompt adherence control.

Setup: See Installation Guide. For JavaScript, use
@elevenlabs/*
packages only.

Quick Start

Python

from elevenlabs import ElevenLabs

client = ElevenLabs()

audio = client.text_to_sound_effects.convert(
    text="Thunder rumbling in the distance with light rain",
)

with open("thunder.mp3", "wb") as f:
    for chunk in audio:
        f.write(chunk)

JavaScript

import { ElevenLabsClient } from "@elevenlabs/elevenlabs-js";
import { createWriteStream } from "fs";

const client = new ElevenLabsClient();
const audio = await client.textToSoundEffects.convert({
  text: "Thunder rumbling in the distance with light rain",
});
audio.pipe(createWriteStream("thunder.mp3"));

cURL

curl -X POST "https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/sound-generation" \
  -H "xi-api-key: $ELEVENLABS_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"text": "Thunder rumbling in the distance with light rain"}' \
  --output thunder.mp3

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`text`	string (required)	—	Description of the desired sound effect
`model_id`	string	`eleven_text_to_sound_v2`	Model to use
`duration_seconds`	number \| null	null (auto)	Duration 0.5–30s; auto-calculated if null
`prompt_influence`	number \| null	0.3	How closely to follow the prompt (0–1)
`loop`	boolean	false	Generate a seamlessly looping sound (v2 model only)

Examples with Parameters

# Looping ambient sound, 10 seconds
audio = client.text_to_sound_effects.convert(
    text="Gentle forest ambiance with birds chirping",
    duration_seconds=10.0,
    prompt_influence=0.5,
    loop=True,
)

# Short UI sound, high prompt adherence
audio = client.text_to_sound_effects.convert(
    text="Soft notification chime",
    duration_seconds=1.0,
    prompt_influence=0.8,
)

Output Formats

Pass

output_format

as a query parameter (cURL) or SDK parameter:

Format	Description
`mp3_44100_128`	MP3 44.1kHz 128kbps (default)
`pcm_44100`	Raw uncompressed CD quality
`opus_48000_128`	Opus 48kHz 128kbps — efficient compressed
`ulaw_8000`	μ-law 8kHz — telephony

Full list:

mp3_22050_32

mp3_24000_48

mp3_44100_32

mp3_44100_64

mp3_44100_96

mp3_44100_128

mp3_44100_192

pcm_8000

pcm_16000

pcm_22050

pcm_24000

pcm_32000

pcm_44100

pcm_48000

ulaw_8000

alaw_8000

opus_48000_32

opus_48000_64

opus_48000_96

opus_48000_128

opus_48000_192

Prompt Tips

Be specific: "Heavy rain on a tin roof" > "Rain"
Combine elements: "Footsteps on gravel with distant traffic"
Specify style: "Cinematic braam, horror" or "8-bit retro jump sound"
Mention mood/context: "Eerie wind howling through an abandoned building"

Error Handling

try:
    audio = client.text_to_sound_effects.convert(text="Explosion")
except Exception as e:
    print(f"API error: {e}")

Common errors:

401: Invalid API key
422: Invalid parameters (check duration range, prompt_influence range)
429: Rate limit exceeded

References

Installation Guide