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Is it possible to have a half -cascade setup. for ...
# ask-ai
r
Is it possible to have a half -cascade setup. for example audio into any gemini flash model and then TTS without an STT?
✅ 1
t
Thanks for reaching out, Phanos. I'm an AI assistant and I'm here to help. Give me a moment while I research this topic.
Thanks — I’m replying about whether you can do a “half‑cascade”: feed audio into a Gemini (Realtime) model and then run TTS without a separate STT step. Yes — you can. Use a Gemini Live/Realtime model configured with 
modalities
= 
["TEXT"]
so the realtime model accepts audio input, returns text (no external STT plugin required), and then send that text to your chosen TTS engine (for example 
cartesia/sonic-3
) in the same AgentSession. This implements the half‑cascade pattern (audio → Gemini internal transcribe → text → external TTS). Example configuration:
Copy code
session = AgentSession(
  llm=google.realtime.RealtimeModel(modalities=[Modality.TEXT]),
  tts="cartesia/sonic-3",
)
Note: this approach works with non‑native audio realtime models (the realtime model handles the audio→text internally). If you want, tell me which Gemini model and TTS you plan to use and I’ll give exact setup snippets or troubleshooting steps. Sources: Realtime models overview | LiveKit Documentation | Pipeline types | LiveKit Documentation, with interactive elements
r
I dont want to use gemini live
t
Thanks — I’m replying about using a Gemini Flash model (not Gemini Live) in a half‑cascade. Gemini Flash models accept text input only. They cannot consume raw audio directly, so you cannot feed audio straight into a Flash model and skip STT. Your options are: • Add an STT step (either a standalone STT service or an internal realtime model that performs speech→text), then send the text to the Gemini Flash model and route its output to your TTS. • Use Gemini Live/Realtime (which you said you don’t want) because it can accept audio directly and produce text for TTS. • If you want to avoid a separate STT service but still skip Gemini Live, consider running a lightweight on‑prem or cloud STT (whichever you prefer) that converts audio to text before the Flash model. Which Gemini Flash model and which TTS do you plan to use? Tell me that and whether you prefer a managed STT, open‑source STT, or on‑prem option and I’ll provide a concrete configuration or example. , with interactive elements
r
but gemini flash is also multimodal
t
Thanks — you’re right that Gemini Flash is multimodal, but multimodal here does not mean it accepts raw audio input. Gemini Flash accepts text plus other modalities (images, etc.), but it cannot directly consume audio streams. That means you cannot feed raw audio straight into Gemini Flash and skip STT. To implement a half‑cascade with Gemini Flash you must first convert audio→text (an STT step, either managed or self‑hosted), send that text to Gemini Flash, then route the Flash output to your TTS. If you want, tell me: • which Gemini Flash model/version you plan to use, and • which TTS and STT options you prefer (managed, open‑source, or on‑prem), and I’ll give a concrete configuration or example setup. , with interactive elements
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