Skip to content

Setup Azure Keys

Connect your own Azure account to Kaizen Speech Studio to unlock unlimited Text-to-Speech, Speech-to-Text, and AI Video Dubbing. This guide walks you through every step.

PRO License Required

Azure keys can only be saved with a PRO license. If you haven't upgraded yet, get a PRO license here.

What You'll Get

By linking your Azure account, these features become unlimited (within your Azure free tier quota):

Feature Azure Resource Needed Keys You'll Enter in the App
Text-to-Speech Azure Speech Service Secret Key + Region
Speech-to-Text Azure Speech Service Secret Key + Region
AI Video Dubbing Azure Speech Service + Blob Storage Secret Key + Region + Storage Name + Connection String
Text Translation (phasing out) Azure Translator Secret Key
Improve Text / Ask AI (phasing out) Azure OpenAI Endpoint + Secret Key + Model

Free Tier Quotas

Azure offers generous free monthly quotas for many services:

  • Speech Service: 500,000 characters/month for TTS, 5 hours/month for STT
  • Translator: 2 million characters/month
  • Blob Storage: 5 GB (LRS)
  • Azure OpenAI: Varies by model and region

If you stay within these limits, you will not be billed.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

  1. Kaizen Speech Studio installed with a PRO license activated
  2. An Azure account — create one free at portal.azure.com

Credit Card Required

Azure requires a valid, active credit card for account verification, even for free tier usage. You will not be charged unless you exceed the free quotas.

Monitor Your Azure Usage

Kaizen Speech Studio does not monitor or track your Azure usage or billing. You must check your usage at portal.azure.com to ensure you stay within free limits. If you exceed the free quota, Azure may charge your credit card.

If in doubt, contact Azure Support or email us at [email protected] — we'll help you with your query.

Where to Enter Keys in the App

In Kaizen Speech Studio, you'll see four panels for entering Azure keys:

  • Azure Speech Services (top-left) — for Text-to-Speech, Speech-to-Text, and AI Dubbing
  • Azure Translation (top-right) — for Text Translation
  • Azure Blob Storage (bottom-left) — for AI Dubbing file storage
  • Azure OpenAI (bottom-right) — for Improve Text and Ask AI

For each panel:

  1. Paste the required keys into the fields
  2. Check the "Enable — use this key" checkbox
  3. Click the "Save Details" button at the bottom

Changes take effect immediately

After saving, the keys are active right away. If you experience any issues, close and reopen the application.

Step 1: Create a Resource Group

A Resource Group is a container in Azure that holds all your resources together, making it easy to manage and track usage.

  1. Go to portal.azure.com and sign in
  2. Search for "Resource groups" in the top search bar
  3. Click "+ Create"
  4. Fill in the details:
    • Subscription: Select your subscription
    • Resource group name: Choose a memorable name, e.g. kaizenSpeechStudioMar2026
    • Region: Select East US (recommended)
  5. Click "Review + create", then "Create"

Create Resource Group

Step 2: Create Azure Speech Service

This is the most important resource — it powers Text-to-Speech, Speech-to-Text, and AI Dubbing.

2a. Create the Resource

  1. In the Azure portal, search for "Speech service" in the top search bar
  2. Select "Speech services" from the results

Search Speech Services

  1. Click "+ Create"
  2. Fill in the details:
    • Subscription: Select your subscription
    • Resource group: Select the one you created (e.g. kaizenSpeechStudioMar2026)
    • Region: East US (recommended — same as resource group)
    • Name: Choose any name, e.g. kaizenSpStudMar2026SpeechService
    • Pricing tier: Select Standard S0

Create Speech Service

  1. Click "Review + create", then "Create"
  2. Wait for deployment to complete (usually takes less than a minute)

2b. Get Your Keys

  1. Once created, go to your Speech Service resource
  2. In the left sidebar, under "Resource Management", click "Keys and Endpoint"
  3. Copy either KEY 1 or KEY 2 (both work the same)
  4. Note the Location/Region value (e.g. eastus)

Speech Service Keys and Endpoint

2c. Enter Keys in the App

  1. Open Kaizen Speech Studio
  2. In the Azure Speech Services panel:
    • Paste the key into the "Secret Key" field
    • Enter the region into the "Region" field (e.g. eastus)
  3. Check the "Enable — use this key" checkbox
  4. Click "Save Details"

Done!

Text-to-Speech, Speech-to-Text, and AI Dubbing are now connected to your Azure account.

Step 3: Create Azure Translator

Feature Being Phased Out

Text Translation is being phased out in future versions. You can skip this step if you don't need translation.

3a. Create the Resource

  1. In the Azure portal, search for "Translator"
  2. Select "Translators" from the results

Search Translator

  1. Click "+ Create"
  2. Fill in the details:
    • Subscription: Select your subscription
    • Resource group: Select your existing group (e.g. kaizenSpeechStudioMar2026)
    • Region: East US
    • Name: e.g. kaizenSpStudMar2026Translator
    • Pricing tier: Standard
  3. Click "Review + create", then "Create"

3b. Get Your Key

  1. Go to the Translator resource
  2. Under "Resource Management" → "Keys and Endpoint"
  3. Copy either KEY 1 or KEY 2

Translator Keys and Endpoint

3c. Enter Key in the App

  1. In the Azure Translation panel in Kaizen Speech Studio:
    • Paste the key into the "Secret Key" field
  2. Check the "Enable — use this key" checkbox
  3. Click "Save Details"

Step 4: Create Azure Blob Storage

Required for AI Video Dubbing

Blob Storage is used to temporarily store video files during the AI dubbing process. If you don't use AI Dubbing, you can skip this step.

4a. Create the Resource

  1. In the Azure portal, search for "Storage accounts"
  2. Click "+ Create"
  3. Fill in the details:
    • Subscription: Select your subscription
    • Resource group: Select your existing group
    • Storage account name: e.g. kaizenstoragmar2026 (lowercase letters and numbers only)
    • Region: East US
    • Performance: Standard
    • Redundancy: LRS (Locally-redundant storage) — cheapest option
  4. Click "Review + create", then "Create"

4b. Get Your Connection String

  1. Go to the Storage Account resource
  2. In the left sidebar, under "Security + networking", click "Access keys"
  3. Click "Show" next to key1
  4. Copy the Storage account name and the Connection string

4c. Enter in the App

  1. In the Azure Blob Storage panel in Kaizen Speech Studio:
    • Paste the storage account name into the "Name" field
    • Paste the connection string into the "Conn. String" field
  2. Check the "Enable — use this key" checkbox
  3. Click "Save Details"

Step 5: Create Azure OpenAI

Feature Being Phased Out

Improve Text and Ask AI are being phased out in future versions. You can skip this step if you don't need these features.

5a. Create the Resource

  1. In the Azure portal, search for "Azure OpenAI"
  2. Click "+ Create"
  3. Fill in the details:
    • Subscription: Select your subscription
    • Resource group: Select your existing group
    • Region: East US
    • Name: e.g. kaizenOpenAIMar2026
    • Pricing tier: Standard S0
  4. Click "Review + create", then "Create"

Azure OpenAI Access

Azure OpenAI may require approval from Microsoft. If you see an access request form, fill it out and wait for approval (usually within 1-2 business days).

5b. Deploy a Model

  1. Once the resource is created, go to Azure AI Foundry
  2. Select your OpenAI resource
  3. Go to "Deployments" → "+ Create deployment"
  4. Select a model (e.g. gpt-4o) and deploy it
  5. Note the deployment name you chose

5c. Get Your Keys

  1. Go back to your Azure OpenAI resource in the portal
  2. Under "Resource Management" → "Keys and Endpoint"
  3. Copy the Endpoint URL and either KEY 1 or KEY 2

5d. Enter in the App

  1. In the Azure OpenAI panel in Kaizen Speech Studio:
    • Paste the endpoint into the "Endpoint" field
    • Paste the key into the "Secret Key" field
    • Enter the deployment name into the "Model" field
  2. Check the "Enable — use this key" checkbox
  3. Click "Save Details"

Quick Reference: What Goes Where

App Panel Field Where to Find in Azure
Azure Speech Services Secret Key Speech Service → Keys and Endpoint → KEY 1
Azure Speech Services Region Speech Service → Keys and Endpoint → Location/Region
Azure Translation Secret Key Translator → Keys and Endpoint → KEY 1
Azure Blob Storage Name Storage Account → Overview → Storage account name
Azure Blob Storage Conn. String Storage Account → Access keys → Connection string
Azure OpenAI Endpoint OpenAI resource → Keys and Endpoint → Endpoint
Azure OpenAI Secret Key OpenAI resource → Keys and Endpoint → KEY 1
Azure OpenAI Model The deployment name you chose in Azure AI Foundry

Important Reminders

Don't Forget These Steps

  1. Check the "Enable — use this key" checkbox for each panel — keys won't work without it
  2. Click "Save Details" at the bottom — unsaved changes will be lost
  3. Monitor your Azure usage at portal.azure.com — Kaizen Speech Studio does not track your Azure billing
  4. If you stay within Azure free tier limits, you will not be charged

Troubleshooting

Keys not working after saving?

  • Make sure the "Enable — use this key" checkbox is checked
  • Verify you clicked "Save Details"
  • Close and reopen Kaizen Speech Studio
  • Double-check that you copied the full key without extra spaces

"Upgrade to PRO" message when trying to save?

Azure resource creation fails?

  • Make sure your credit card is valid and active on your Azure account
  • Try a different region if East US is unavailable
  • Contact Azure Support for account-specific issues

Unexpected charges on Azure?

Next Steps

Need help? Contact us at [email protected] or book a free demo session.