NotebookLM Audio Podcast Experience Review: Current Limitations

I’ve been using NotebookLM for several months, and the audio overview/voice podcast feature is one I use frequently. Here’s a summary of some current limitations I’ve discovered.

Voice Tone/Speed

Currently doesn’t support prompt-based control of speech narration speed, and you can’t choose between male/female voice tones. For example, if you set the output language to Chinese, both male and female voices are fixed.

Interaction Mode

PodcastLM’s interaction mode allows you to participate in conversations between two hosts, but it currently doesn’t support Chinese. If the output podcast is in Chinese, the interaction mode button won’t be visible.

Podcast Output Language is Global Setting

This means if I change the output language, any new podcast output from any notebook will use that language.

Final Thoughts

Checking the official documentation, I see NotebookLM has some features coming soon. I can only hope they’re released early. If purchasing becomes necessary, as long as it’s good enough, it might be worth considering.