v0.6.0

HelixDB/helix-dbv0.6.0Mar 28, 2026by KoljaB

AI Summary

Adds support for seven new Text-to-Speech engines including FasterQwen, MiniMax, and CAMB AI, alongside new WebSocket streaming capabilities and improved engine usability options.

Key Highlights

Added 7 new TTS engines (FasterQwen, Cartesia, MiniMax, ModelsLab, CAMB, NeuTTS, PocketTTS)
Implemented WebSocket streaming for real-time TTS with multi-user support
Enhanced engine usability with volume control, audio device selection, and API key parameters
Fixed voice retrieval errors and audio format detection issues

New Features

FasterQwenEngine (Faster Qwen3 TTS)
CartesiaEngine (WebSocket API)
MiniMaxEngine (T2A v2 API)
ModelsLabEngine (30+ voices)
CambEngine (MARS models, 140+ languages)
NeuTTSEngine (On-device with cloning)
PocketTTSEngine (CPU-optimized)
WebSocket Streaming endpoint
Language parameter for ZipvoiceEngine
mpv_audio_device option
Adjustable volume parameter (0.0–1.0)

Full Release Notes

# RealtimeTTS v0.6.0

### Features

- **New TTS Engines**
  - **Faster Qwen3 TTS**: Added `FasterQwenEngine` engine. See tests/faster_qwen_emotions.py and tests/faster_qwen_test.py for details how to implement. Demo video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOKcUpJlrXQ
  - **Cartesia**: Added engine for Cartesia speech synthesis via WebSocket API. ([#348])
  - **MiniMax Cloud TTS**: Added `MiniMaxEngine` for MiniMax T2A v2 API with 2 models (`speech-2.8-hd`, `speech-2.8-turbo`), 12 voice presets, and runtime parameter control. ([#369])
  - **ModelsLab TTS**: Added `ModelsLabEngine` supporting 30+ voices in 9 languages, speed and emotion control, and lazy loading. ([#368])
  - **CAMB AI MARS TTS**: Added `CambEngine` and `CambVoice` for CAMB AI's MARS models, supporting 140+ languages and streaming output. ([#367])
  - **NeuTTS**: Added `NeuTTSEngine` for on-device TTS with voice cloning (3s reference audio, CPU/CUDA/MPS support). ([#359])
  - **PocketTTS**: Added `PocketTTSEngine` for CPU-optimized TTS (Kyutai Labs, 8 voices, voice cloning, low latency). ([#358])

- **WebSocket Streaming**
  - Real-time TTS streaming via WebSocket endpoint with multi-user support, bidirectional audio, and enhanced web UI. Includes Python demo client. ([#356])

### Improvements

- **Engine Usability**
  - Allow `OpenAIEngine` to accept API key as parameter (fallback to env var). ([#361])
  - Add language parameter to `ZipvoiceEngine` for output and prompt speech. ([#362])
  - Add `mpv_audio_device` option to `AudioConfiguration`/`TextToAudioStream` for MPV playback device selection. ([#327])
  - Add adjustable volume parameter (0.0–1.0) to `TextToAudioStream`. ([#335])
  - PiperEngine: Streamline synthesis and add samplerate detection from model config for better quality with larger models. ([#346], [#347])
  - Conditional logging: Only print "SYNTHESIS FINISHED" if logging is enabled. ([#332])

- **General**
  - Install `portaudio` for MacOS. ([#328])

### Fixes

- Correct typo in `requirements.txt` for `pypinyin` version. ([#355])
- Fix missing comma in `__all__` that affected engine exports. ([#367])
- Add audio format detection/conversion for non-Kokoro TTS engines. ([#356])
- Fix voice retrieval errors and improve engine initialization logic. ([#356])

### Other

- Updated documentation for new engines, playback options, and WebSocket usage.
- Added/updated test files and demo scripts for new engines.
- No breaking changes; all updates are backward compatible.

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**PRs:**
[#369], [#368], [#367], [#362], [#361], [#359], [#358], [#356], [#355], [#348], [#347], [#346], [#335], [#332], [#328], [#327]