Quick answer: which model for which job
| You need… | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sound for a silent video, in one step | Pika Soundtrack | Music, voiceover and motion-aware effects together |
| A full song with vocals | MiniMax Music 3.0 or Pika Music | Both take lyrics |
| Music shaped by a reference track or voice | Pika Music | Accepts voice and music references |
| A long track (over five minutes) | Pika Music | Up to 6 minutes |
| A single sound effect | Pika SFX | Up to 20 seconds of stereo sound |
| Long narration on a budget | Pika Speech | “Fastest, most cost-efficient”; 15,000 characters per request |
| One voice across several languages | ElevenLabs Multilingual v2 | 29 languages; upload a sample to keep the voice |
| Hungarian, Norwegian or Vietnamese speech | ElevenLabs Turbo v2.5 | 32 languages |
These are starting points based on each model’s Pika page. Try your own script or brief on two models before committing.
Model by model
Pika Soundtrack
Video to sound“Pika Soundtrack gives any footage native music, voiceover, and motion-aware sound effects. Even without direction, it just gets the vibe.”
Use for: scoring a finished Pika video in one step.
Pika Music
Music · references“Create the perfect track, up to 6 minutes long. The Pika Music model accepts four input modalities: text, lyrics, voice references, and music references—individually or in combination.”
Use for: longer tracks, and music guided by reference audio.
MiniMax Music 3.0
Music · songs“A high-performance music generation model that produces songs up to five minutes long. Add lyrics to create a song with vocals, and describe the instrumentation, vibe, and song structure.”
Use for: complete, arranged songs from a written brief.
Pika SFX
Sound effects“Clean, prompt-faithful sound effects, instantly usable in videos, games, and editing workflows… up to 20 seconds of stereo sound.”
Use for: individual effects to place exactly where you want them.
Pika Speech
Speech · presets“For narration and character reads, Pika Speech is the fastest, most cost-efficient text-to-speech model on the market.”
76 voice presets “named for the read,” 15,000 characters per request, 48 kHz audio, and “a minute of speech generates in about a second.” It doesn’t sing.
ElevenLabs Multilingual v2
Speech · 29 languages“A text-to-speech model with support for 29 languages. Especially useful for content localization, you can upload an audio sample to maintain the speaker’s voice characteristics across all languages.”
Use for: expressive reads and localising one voice.
ElevenLabs Turbo v2.5
Speech · 32 languages“A high-speed, high-quality text-to-speech model with support for 32 languages.”
Use for: fast reads and the three extra languages. ElevenLabs now lists it among its deprecated models.
Quotes are from each model’s Pika page, checked September 24, 2026. The Turbo v2.5 status note is from ElevenLabs’ documentation. “Use for” suggestions are our own.
Side by side
| Model | Type | Length / size | Inputs | Languages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pika Soundtrack | Video → audio | Not listed | Your video, optional direction | Not listed |
| Pika Music | Music | Up to 6 minutes | Text, lyrics, voice and music references | Not listed |
| MiniMax Music 3.0 | Music | Up to five minutes | Description, optional lyrics | Not listed |
| Pika SFX | Sound effects | Up to 20 seconds, stereo | Text prompt | — |
| Pika Speech | Speech | 15,000 characters per request; 48 kHz | Script, 76 voice presets | Not listed |
| ElevenLabs Multilingual v2 | Speech | Not listed | Script, optional voice sample | 29 |
| ElevenLabs Turbo v2.5 | Speech | Not listed | Script | 32 |
“Not listed” means the model’s Pika page didn’t state it. Prices aren’t listed on these pages; the app shows the cost before you generate. See Pika pricing.
Use cases: which models to combine
| Project | Models | How |
|---|---|---|
| Short film | Soundtrack, or MiniMax Music + SFX + Speech | Quick: Soundtrack. Full control: score, effects and dialogue as separate layers |
| Product ad | Pika Music + Pika SFX | A short music bed with effects landing on the reveal |
| Shorts and Reels | Pika Speech + Pika Music | Fast narration over a light instrumental |
| Explainers and e-learning | Pika Speech or Multilingual v2 | Long scripts in one pass; Multilingual v2 for several languages |
| Localised campaigns | Multilingual v2 or Turbo v2.5 | One voice across languages; Turbo for Hungarian, Norwegian, Vietnamese |
| Travel videos | Soundtrack, or Pika Music + Pika SFX | Ambience and a mood track that suits the place |
| Songs and music videos | MiniMax Music 3.0 or Pika Music | Write lyrics with section labels; then make the video |
| Games and apps | Pika SFX | Pika says its effects are usable in “videos, games, and editing workflows” |
Combinations are our suggestions.
Layering sound: a simple mix
- Lock the picture first so timings don’t change.
- Record or generate the voice and place it first; everything else fits around it.
- Add music and lower it whenever someone speaks.
- Place effects exactly on the actions they belong to.
- Listen on headphones and a phone speaker before exporting.
Prefer one step? Pika Soundtrack creates music, voiceover and effects for the whole clip at once.
Rights and consent
- Voice samples: only upload your own voice or one you have clear permission to use.
- No impersonation: don’t make real people appear to say things they didn’t.
- Original lyrics and music: don’t copy existing songs or use references you don’t have rights to.
- Disclosure: follow platform rules on AI-generated audio; see our Shorts guide.
- Commercial use: Pika’s pricing page lists a commercial license on the Creator and Fancy plans.
Audio model FAQs
How many audio models does Pika offer?
Seven are listed on Pika’s homepage: Pika Music, Pika Soundtrack, Pika SFX, MiniMax Music 3.0, Pika Speech, ElevenLabs Multilingual v2 and ElevenLabs Turbo v2.5.
Which model makes the longest music?
Pika Music, up to 6 minutes. MiniMax Music 3.0 goes up to five.
Which speech model supports the most languages?
ElevenLabs Turbo v2.5, with 32. Multilingual v2 supports 29.
Can any of them sing?
The music models can, when you add lyrics. Pika Speech’s page says it doesn’t sing.
Is there a model that does everything for a video?
Pika Soundtrack adds music, voiceover and sound effects to footage in one step.
Is this the official Pika website?
No. pikaais.com is an independent informational guide. Generation, accounts and purchases take place on Pika’s official services.
Give one video a full sound mix
Take a finished clip, add a short narration with Pika Speech, a music bed with Pika Music and one or two effects with Pika SFX, then compare with a one-step Soundtrack version.
Open Pika Soundtrack ↗Next: AI audio hub · Image models · Video models
Sources: Pika pages for Pika Soundtrack, Pika Music, MiniMax Music 3.0, Pika SFX, Pika Speech, ElevenLabs Multilingual v2 and ElevenLabs Turbo v2.5; Pika homepage; ElevenLabs documentation; and Pika pricing, checked September 24, 2026. Image: Pika. Recommendations are our own.