Stable Audio 3 Medium vs Stable Audio 2.5

Stable Audio 3 Medium and Stable Audio 2.5 side by side: specs, capabilities, parameters, and live pricing from the EmpirioLabs catalog.

Stability AI Audio Generation

Stable Audio 3 Medium vs Stable Audio 2.5 at a glance

Stable Audio 3 Medium and Stable Audio 2.5 are both Stability AI models in the Audio Generation category, available through the EmpirioLabs API.

Key differences

  • Stable Audio 3 Medium is the newer release (May 20, 2026); Stable Audio 2.5 was released on Sep 10, 2025.
  • Capabilities listed only for Stable Audio 3 Medium: seed control.

Stable Audio 3 Medium vs Stable Audio 2.5: specs

SpecStable Audio 3 MediumStable Audio 2.5
Model IDstable-audio-3-mediumstable-audio-2-5
AuthorStability AIStability AI
ReleasedMay 20, 2026Sep 10, 2025
Input
Text
Text
Output
Audio
Audio
Endpoints
POST /v1/audio/generations
POST /v1/audio/generations
Capabilities
music generation text to audio sound effects seed control
music generation text to audio sound effects

Stable Audio 3 Medium vs Stable Audio 2.5: API pricing

Live rates from the EmpirioLabs catalog for both models. Each rate card always matches what the API charges.

Stable Audio 3 Medium vs Stable Audio 2.5: API parameters

Request parameters each model lists on EmpirioLabs, with the allowed values or range where one applies. A dash marks a parameter the model does not list.

ParameterStable Audio 3 MediumStable Audio 2.5
promptstringstring
audio_duration1 to 380 Default: 30-
num_inference_steps4 to 8 Default: 8-
seed0 to 2147483647number
formatmp3, wav, flac, ogg Default: mp3-
response_formaturl, b64_json Default: url-
return_base64boolean Default: false-
mode-text-to-audio, audio-to-audio, audio-inpaint Default: text-to-audio
output_format-mp3, wav Default: mp3
duration-1 to 190 Default: 190
steps-4 to 8 Default: 8
cfg_scale-1 to 25 Default: 1
strength-0.01 to 1 Default: 1
mask_start-0 to 190 Default: 30
mask_end-0 to 190 Default: 190
random_seed-boolean Default: true

Stable Audio 3 Medium vs Stable Audio 2.5: limits and notes

Stable Audio 3 Medium

Generates music and sound effects from text: 44.1 kHz stereo, from 1 to 380 seconds per clip. Powered by Stability AI.

Input

  • A text prompt describing the music or sound: genre, instruments, mood, tempo, or the effect.
  • audio_duration sets the length in seconds, from 1 to 380. The default is 30.
  • num_inference_steps from 4 to 8. The default is 8.
  • seed repeats a result. Negative prompts, lyrics and audio inputs are not supported.

Output

  • MP3 by default, or WAV, FLAC or Ogg with format.
  • A signed URL by default, or base64 with response_format set to b64_json.

Billing

  • Billed per clip, whatever its length. A request that fails is not billed.

Weights

  • FP16.

Stable Audio 2.5

Adds audio-inpaint mode (regenerate a time window) on top of Stable Audio 2.0.

Mode requirements

  • Audio-to-audio and audio-inpaint both require BOTH a prompt and an uploaded audio file
  • Audio-to-audio uses the reference audio for style/conditioning, NOT for voice cloning

How to call Stable Audio 3 Medium and Stable Audio 2.5

Stable Audio 3 Medium runs through POST /v1/audio/generations. The request returns a job_id right away; poll GET /v1/jobs/{job_id} until the job completes and read the output URLs from the result. Both models are called through the same endpoint. Set model to stable-audio-3-medium or stable-audio-2-5. Get an API key from the EmpirioLabs dashboard.

cURL: submit the job
curl https://api.empiriolabs.ai/v1/audio/generations \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $EMPIRIOLABS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "stable-audio-3-medium",
    "prompt": "Describe what you want Stable Audio 3 Medium to generate."
  }'

Stable Audio 3 Medium vs Stable Audio 2.5: tests and guides

Prompt tests and comparison runs that cover both models.

Stable Audio 3 Medium vs Stable Audio 2.5: common questions

What is the difference between Stable Audio 3 Medium and Stable Audio 2.5?

Stable Audio 3 Medium is the newer release (May 20, 2026); Stable Audio 2.5 was released on Sep 10, 2025. Capabilities listed only for Stable Audio 3 Medium: seed control. The specs, rate cards, and parameters on this page come from the live EmpirioLabs catalog.

Which is newer, Stable Audio 3 Medium or Stable Audio 2.5?

Stable Audio 3 Medium is the newer release (May 20, 2026); Stable Audio 2.5 was released on Sep 10, 2025.

Which has the lower rate, Stable Audio 3 Medium or Stable Audio 2.5?

The two models are priced on different units or tiers, so compare the live rate cards on this page. They always match what the API charges.

Can I switch between Stable Audio 3 Medium and Stable Audio 2.5 without rebuilding my integration?

Yes. Both models use POST /v1/audio/generations with the same EmpirioLabs API key, so most integrations switch by changing the model value. Check the parameters table on this page first if you rely on a model-specific parameter.

Can I try Stable Audio 3 Medium and Stable Audio 2.5 in the browser before integrating?

Yes. Open each model in the EmpirioLabs playground and run the same prompt on both, with the parameters the API exposes.

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