Direct the performance, not just the voice.
Simple inline cues shape how every line is delivered - and stay completely out of the spoken dialogue.
Anyone who has heard early text-to-speech knows the problem: flat delivery, or worse, stage directions read aloud as if they were dialogue. Writers think in performance terms - a line lands differently whispered than shouted - and a platform for narrative audio has to speak that language.
Meldio's answer is the performance directive: a cue written inline, in the same asterisk-parenthesis convention writers already use. The direction is interpreted, not spoken. The voice changes; the words stay clean.
Performance cues help listeners hear the intended emotional arc before actors are ever cast.
19 built-in directives, four registers.
Delivery pulled inward: secrets, fatigue, uncertainty, distance.
Delivery pushed outward: confrontation, urgency, resentment.
Vulnerability made audible: grief, fear, appeal.
Color and character: humor, irony, energy, warmth, surprise.
Performance cues are optional and character-specific. Additional performance directives can be added as Meldio evolves. If it's written, Meldio can help make it heard.
Emotional range is the product.
A deposition rehearsal needs a witness who sounds nervous, then firm. A sales objection needs a prospect who audibly softens. A bedtime story needs tender. Every solution Meldio serves depends on delivery, and directives are how your script carries it.
Join the Waitlist
Meldio is currently in private beta with limited access. Join the waitlist and we'll notify you personally when a spot opens.
We admit users in small batches. You'll hear from us directly.