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ReferenceVoicevoice.answer()

voice.answer()

The answer() method is used in real-time voice providers to trigger the AI to generate a response. This method is particularly useful in speech-to-speech conversations where you need to explicitly signal the AI to respond after receiving user input.

Usage Example

import { OpenAIRealtimeVoice } from "@mastra/voice-openai-realtime";
import Speaker from "@mastra/node-speaker";
 
const speaker = new Speaker({
  sampleRate: 24100,  // Audio sample rate in Hz - standard for high-quality audio on MacBook Pro
  channels: 1,        // Mono audio output (as opposed to stereo which would be 2)
  bitDepth: 16,       // Bit depth for audio quality - CD quality standard (16-bit resolution)
});
 
// Initialize a real-time voice provider
const voice = new OpenAIRealtimeVoice({
  realtimeConfig: {
    model: "gpt-4o",
    apiKey: process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY,
  },
  speaker: "alloy", // Default voice
});
// Connect to the real-time service
await voice.connect();
// Register event listener for responses
voice.on("speaker", (stream) => {
  // Handle audio response
  stream.pipe(speaker);
});
// Send user audio input
const microphoneStream = getMicrophoneStream();
await voice.send(microphoneStream);
// Trigger the AI to respond
await voice.answer();
// With custom options (provider-specific)
await voice.answer({
  options: {
    content: "Hello, how can I help you today?",
    voice: "nova",
  },
});

Parameters

options?:

Record<string, unknown>
Provider-specific options for the response

Return Value

Returns a Promise<void> that resolves when the response has been triggered.

Provider-Specific Options

Each real-time voice provider may support different options for the answer() method:

OpenAI Realtime

options.content?:

string
Text content to use for the response instead of generating one

options.voice?:

string
Voice ID to use for this specific response

Using with CompositeVoice

When using CompositeVoice, the answer() method delegates to the configured real-time provider:

import { CompositeVoice } from "@mastra/core/voice";
import { OpenAIRealtimeVoice } from "@mastra/voice-openai-realtime";
const realtimeVoice = new OpenAIRealtimeVoice();
const voice = new CompositeVoice({
  realtimeProvider: realtimeVoice,
});
// Connect to the real-time service
await voice.connect();
// This will use the OpenAIRealtimeVoice provider
await voice.answer();

Notes

  • This method is only implemented by real-time voice providers that support speech-to-speech capabilities
  • If called on a voice provider that doesn’t support this functionality, it will log a warning and resolve immediately
  • The response audio will typically be emitted through the ‘speaking’ event rather than returned directly
  • For providers that support it, you can use this method to send a specific response instead of having the AI generate one
  • This method is commonly used in conjunction with send() to create a conversational flow
voice.send()voice.on()