# MiniMax Speech 2.8 HD

> Run MiniMax Speech 2.8 HD by minimax online or via API. $0.0001/char, no setup.

**URL:** https://inference.sh/apps/minimax/speech-2-8-hd
**Last updated:** 2026-08-04

---

MiniMax Speech 2.8 HD — high-quality text-to-speech. 40 languages, 9 emotions, custom voices. Direct MiniMax API.

- app: `minimax/speech-2-8-hd`
- maker: [minimax](https://inference.sh/apps/minimax.md)
- category: [audio](https://inference.sh/apps/category/audio.md)
- input → output: text → speech
- tasks: [text to speech](https://inference.sh/apps/tag/text-to-speech.md)
- price: $0.0001/char
- runs via: api, javascript and python sdk, belt cli, mcp

## speech-2-8-hd API Guide

### About
minimax speech 2.8 hd — high-quality text-to-speech. 40 languages, 9 emotions, custom voices. direct minimax api.

### Get an API Key
Create one in [settings → api keys](https://app.inference.sh/settings/keys). The examples read it from `INFERENCE_API_KEY`.

```bash
export INFERENCE_API_KEY="inf_your_key"
```

### 1. Calling the API

#### Install the Client

```bash
pip install inferencesh
```

#### Run and Get Result
Submit a request and wait for the final result.

```python
import os
from inferencesh import inference

client = inference(api_key=os.environ["INFERENCE_API_KEY"])

## version @3mf91pe1 pinned
result = client.run({
        "app": "minimax/speech-2-8-hd@3mf91pe1",
        "input": {
            "text": "Hello, welcome to our platform. How can I help you today?"
        }
    })

print(result["output"])
```

#### Stream Live Updates
Get real-time progress updates as the task runs.

```python
import os
from inferencesh import inference

client = inference(api_key=os.environ["INFERENCE_API_KEY"])

## version @3mf91pe1 pinned
## stream=True yields updates as they arrive
for update in client.run({
        "app": "minimax/speech-2-8-hd@3mf91pe1",
        "input": {
            "text": "Hello, welcome to our platform. How can I help you today?"
        }
    }, stream=True):
    if update.get("progress"):
        print(f"progress: {update['progress']}%")
    if update.get("output"):
        print(f"output: {update['output']}")
```

#### Run in the Background
Start the task and get its id back right away, then check on it with `GET /tasks/{id}`. It is done when `status` is 10 (completed), 11 (failed) or 12 (cancelled).

```python
import os
from inferencesh import inference, TaskStatus

client = inference(api_key=os.environ["INFERENCE_API_KEY"])

## returns as soon as the task is created
task = client.run({
        "app": "minimax/speech-2-8-hd@3mf91pe1",
        "input": {
            "text": "Hello, welcome to our platform. How can I help you today?"
        }
    }, wait=False)

## later: read its current state
state = client.tasks.get(task["id"]).data
if state["status"] == TaskStatus.COMPLETED:
    print(state["output"])
```

### 2. Files

#### Automatic Upload

```python
## local file paths are automatically uploaded
result = client.run({
    "app": "minimax/speech-2-8-hd@3mf91pe1",
    "input": {
        "image": "/path/to/local/image.png",  # detected & uploaded
        "audio": "https://example.com/audio.mp3",  # url passed through
    }
})
```

#### Manual Upload

```python
## upload and get a hosted URL
file = client.files.upload("/path/to/file.png")
print(file.uri)  # https://cloud.inference.sh/...
```

### 3. Schema

#### Input
- **text** (string) *required*: Text to convert to speech. Max 10,000 characters.
- **voice_id** (string): Voice ID — system voice name or custom cloned voice ID.
- **speed** (number): Speech speed (0.5-2.0).
- **emotion** (string): Emotion style for the speech.
- **format** (string): Output audio format.
- **language_boost** (string): Language boost — 'auto' for auto-detect, or specify language code.

#### Output
- **audio** (string): The generated audio file.

## other audio apps

- [Fish Audio Drama 3](https://inference.sh/apps/fish-audio/drama-3.md): $50.00/1M UTF-8 bytes
- [Eleven Flash v2.5](https://inference.sh/apps/elevenlabs/eleven-flash-v2-5.md): $0.04/1K characters
- [Eleven Multilingual v2](https://inference.sh/apps/elevenlabs/eleven-multilingual-v2.md): $0.08/1K characters
- [Eleven v3](https://inference.sh/apps/elevenlabs/eleven-v3.md): $0.08/1K characters
- [Eleven v4 Turbo](https://inference.sh/apps/elevenlabs/eleven-v4-turbo.md): $0.04/1K characters

## faq

### how much does MiniMax Speech 2.8 HD cost?

$0.0001/char. you pay per run from your inference shell credits. no subscription is required.

### how do I run MiniMax Speech 2.8 HD via api?

call minimax/speech-2-8-hd with the javascript or python sdk, the rest api, or `belt app run minimax/speech-2-8-hd` from a terminal. the api reference on this page lists every input.

### who makes MiniMax Speech 2.8 HD?

MiniMax Speech 2.8 HD is made by minimax and runs on inference shell. every minimax app is listed at https://inference.sh/apps/minimax.

### can my agent use MiniMax Speech 2.8 HD?

yes. agents call it as a tool through the inference shell mcp server (https://api.inference.sh/mcp), the belt cli or the sdk, and pay per run like you do.

### what are the alternatives to MiniMax Speech 2.8 HD?

other audio apps on inference shell include Fish Audio Drama 3, Eleven Flash v2.5, Eleven Multilingual v2, Eleven v3. they run through the same api, so switching is a one-line change.