> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.nineninesix.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

> Get up and running with the Nineninesix TTS API in under 5 minutes.

## 1. Create an Account

Sign up at [nineninesix.ai/signup](https://nineninesix.ai/signup). A default organization and project are created for you automatically.

## 2. Generate an API Key

1. Go to [API Keys](https://nineninesix.ai/api-keys) in your dashboard
2. Click **Create API Key**
3. Copy the key — it starts with `sk_996_` and is only shown once

## 3. Add Credits

The API is pay-as-you-go. Head to [Billing](https://nineninesix.ai/billing) and top up (minimum $5 — $5 buys 1,000,000 characters). 1 credit = 1 character of input.

## 4. Make Your First Request

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash curl theme={null}
  curl -N https://api.nineninesix.ai/tts/bytes \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_996_your_api_key" \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d '{
      "model_id": "gepard-1.0",
      "transcript": "Welcome to Nineninesix!",
      "voice": { "mode": "id", "id": "<voice-id>" },
      "output_format": { "container": "wav", "encoding": "pcm_s16le", "sample_rate": 22050 }
    }' --output welcome.wav
  ```

  ```python Python theme={null}
  from cartesia import Cartesia

  client = Cartesia(
      api_key="sk_996_your_api_key",
      base_url="https://api.nineninesix.ai",
  )

  audio = client.tts.bytes(
      model_id="gepard-1.0",
      transcript="Welcome to Nineninesix!",
      voice={"mode": "id", "id": "<voice-id>"},
      output_format={"container": "wav", "encoding": "pcm_s16le", "sample_rate": 22050},
  )

  with open("welcome.wav", "wb") as f:
      f.write(audio)
  ```

  ```typescript Node.js theme={null}
  import { Cartesia } from "@cartesia/cartesia-js";

  const client = new Cartesia({
    apiKey: "sk_996_your_api_key",
    baseURL: "https://api.nineninesix.ai",
  });

  const res = await client.tts.generate({
    model_id: "gepard-1.0",
    transcript: "Welcome to Nineninesix!",
    voice: { mode: "id", id: "<voice-id>" },
    output_format: { container: "wav", encoding: "pcm_s16le", sample_rate: 22050 },
  });

  const buffer = Buffer.from(await res.arrayBuffer());
  await fs.promises.writeFile("welcome.wav", buffer);
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## 5. Find a Voice

List available voices with `GET /voices`, or browse them in the [Playground](https://nineninesix.ai/playground). Use a voice's `id` in the `voice` field.

## Next Steps

* Explore the [TTS Playground](https://nineninesix.ai/playground) in your dashboard
* Read the full [API Reference](/api-reference/speech)
* Stream in real time with the [WebSocket Streaming](/api-reference/tts/websocket) endpoint