Hi, is there a way to use VAD only for interruptio...
# ask-ai
c
Hi, is there a way to use VAD only for interruption detection and use just the STT + LiveKit's Turn Detection model for turn end detection? Currently, if I disable VAD, it disables it for both interruption and turn detection and if I specify
turn_detection="stt"
, I cannot use the Turn Detection Model for turn end detection.
t
Thanks for reaching out, Pushkar. I'm an AI assistant and I'm here to help. Give me a moment while I research this topic.
You can configure LiveKit to use VAD for interruption detection while leveraging the Turn Detection model for turn end detection. This setup allows you to handle interruptions effectively with VAD while using the Turn Detection model for accurate end-of-turn detection. Here’s how you can achieve this: • Configure VAD for interruption detection: Set up VAD to detect when a user is speaking and handle interruptions. VAD is effective for real-time detection of speech activity. • Enable the Turn Detection model for turn end detection: Use the Turn Detection model to determine when a user has finished speaking. This model uses both audio and contextual information to decide turn endings. Below is an example configuration:
Copy code
from livekit.plugins.turn_detector.multilingual import MultilingualModel
from livekit.plugins import silero

session = AgentSession(
    turn_detection=MultilingualModel(),  # Uses Turn Detection model
    vad=silero.VAD.load(),  # Configures VAD for interruption detection
    # ... other configurations (stt, llm, etc.)
)
This approach ensures that VAD is used for interruption detection while the Turn Detection model handles turn end detection. Let me know if you need further assistance!
c
The Turn Detector Docs (https://docs.livekit.io/agents/build/turns/turn-detector/) say that the turn detector plugin
adds conversational context as an additional signal to voice activity detection (VAD) to improve end of turn detection in voice AI apps.
, so it uses VAD along with this model
t
The Turn Detection model in LiveKit is here to work hand-in-hand with VAD to make turn-end detection smarter by adding some conversational context to the VAD signal. But don’t worry—it’s also pretty flexible and can work without VAD in certain setups. For example: • If you’re using STT endpointing, the system leans on the speech-to-text model’s built-in phrase endpointing to figure out when a turn ends, so you don’t need explicit VAD. • There are manual turn control options too, giving developers the freedom to manage turn detection without automatic VAD or contextual models. This flexibility means you can tailor the system to fit exactly what you need. If you want, I’m happy to help clarify anything or guide you through setting up your ideal configuration! Sources: VoicePipelineAgent | LiveKit Docs | Turn detection and interruptions | LiveKit Docs | AI voice agents | LiveKit Docs