Audio

Summaries aren't just read aloud. They're rewritten as audio scripts by the same AI provider you use for summarizing, using a configurable audio mode that controls the persona and structure. The script adapts to your cognitive traits and tone setting. The result sounds like a natural spoken piece, not a screen reader.

How audio works

Three things happen when you press a:

1. Your summary is sent to the AI provider (same one used for summarizing).
2. The AI rewrites it as a spoken script using your chosen audio mode — each mode has a distinct persona, structure, and delivery style.
3. The script is sent to a TTS voice (Edge TTS or OpenAI) for synthesis and playback.

Audio modes

Audio modes control how the script is structured and delivered:

Mode	Persona	Best for
podcast (default)	Conversational host with hooks and transitions	General listening
briefing	Analyst delivering concise, numbered facts	Daily catch-ups
lecture	Patient teacher building understanding progressively	Deep learning
storyteller	Narrator weaving a compelling narrative	Story-driven content
study-buddy	Study partner with quizzes and mnemonics	Exam prep, retention
calm	Gentle, soothing narrator	Relaxed / bedtime listening

tldr config set audio-mode briefing           # Change default
tldr --audio-mode lecture "https://..."        # Override for one run

Built-in presets bundle an audio mode with matching style, tone, and voice settings — see Presets.

Cognitive traits

The rewrite also adapts to your cognitive traits. These work with any audio mode:

Trait	How the audio script changes
ADHD	Leads with a hook. High energy. Mini-takeaway per segment.
Dyslexia	Short punchy sentences. Key terms repeated naturally.
Autism	Direct and precise. No idioms or implied meanings.
ESL	Common vocabulary. Specialized terms explained inline.
Visual thinker	Spatial language. Word pictures. Narrative structure.

Traits stack — enable multiple with tldr preset edit. Your tone setting (casual, professional, academic, eli5) also shapes the script.

Listening to a summary

1. Summary appears. A bordered Audio panel shows [a] listen · [w] save + audio.
2. Press a. A spinner shows "Generating audio..." then audio plays.
3. Press s to stop playback.
4. Press a again. Cached audio replays instantly — no re-generation.

Saving with audio

Why save audio? Listen later — on a commute, at the gym, or to revisit without regenerating.

Press w instead of Enter. Saves both summary.md and audio.mp3. Press Enter to save the summary only.

After saving, you stay on the result view — you can still copy, chat, re-listen, or re-summarize. The footer shows "Saved" and [q] exits with a single tap (no confirmation needed since nothing will be lost).

TTS Providers

tldr supports two TTS providers:

Provider	Cost	Quality	Setup
Edge TTS (default)	Free	Good (Microsoft Neural voices)	None
OpenAI TTS	Paid (per-character)	High quality	Requires OPENAI_API_KEY

# Switch TTS provider
tldr config set tts-provider openai
tldr config set tts-provider edge-tts   # back to default

You can also change the TTS provider in the preset editor (tldr preset edit / /config).

TTS Model

When using OpenAI TTS, you can choose which model to use:

tldr config set tts-model tts-1-hd

Model	Cost	Notes
tts-1 (default)	~$0.01/summary	Faster, lower cost
tts-1-hd	~$0.02/summary	Higher audio quality
gpt-4o-mini-tts	~$0.01/summary	Newest, supports instructions

Voices

Each TTS provider has its own set of voices.

Edge TTS voices:

Voice	ID	Style
Jenny (default)	en-US-JennyNeural	Friendly, warm
Guy	en-US-GuyNeural	Professional, clear
Aria	en-US-AriaNeural	Positive, conversational
Sonia	en-GB-SoniaNeural	Clear, British
Natasha	en-AU-NatashaNeural	Bright, Australian

OpenAI TTS voices:

Voice	ID	Style
Alloy (default)	alloy	Neutral, balanced
Echo	echo	Warm, engaging
Fable	fable	Expressive, British
Onyx	onyx	Deep, authoritative
Nova	nova	Friendly, upbeat
Shimmer	shimmer	Clear, gentle

# Set voice via CLI
tldr config set voice en-US-GuyNeural       # edge-tts voice
tldr config set voice nova                   # openai voice

When you switch TTS providers, the voice automatically resets to the new provider's default if your current voice doesn't belong to the new provider.

Speed, Pitch & Volume

# Set via preset editor
tldr preset edit

# Or via CLI
tldr config set tts-speed 1.25        # 25% faster
tldr config set pitch low             # deeper, warmer voice
tldr config set pitch high            # brighter, more energetic
tldr config set volume loud           # more presence
tldr config set volume quiet          # softer

Speed works with both providers. Pitch and volume presets only apply to Edge TTS — they are silently ignored when using OpenAI TTS.

Session output

Audio files are saved alongside summaries in the session output directory:

~/Documents/tldr/
  2026-02-14-how-llms-work/
    summary.md
    audio.mp3

Change the output directory:

tldr config set output-dir ~/summaries

Keyboard shortcuts

Key	Action
a	Generate and play audio
s	Stop audio playback
Enter	Save summary
w	Save with audio
q	Exit (single-tap after save, double-tap to discard unsaved)