Don't just listen. Join the conversation.

Hey Host! transforms passive podcast listening into an active, two-way dialogue. Imagine pausing an episode just to ask the host a question—and actually getting an answer in their own voice.

Watch the Demo Video

We all love podcasts, but they are a one-way street. Hey Host! changes the game:

• Talk Back: Just say "Hey Host!" to interrupt. Ask your favorite host about anything.
• Intelligent Responses: Powered by DeepSeek and ElevenLabs, the host replies with their real personality and voice.
• Voice Control: No hands needed.
  • "Rewind" to catch that last point.
  • "Forward" to skip the ads.
  • "Save that" to instantly clip a memorable moment.
• Smart Clipping: Automatically save and title the best parts of the conversation.

We built a high-performance audio pipeline to make this happen:

1. Wake Word: Uses Porcupine for instant, privacy-focused "Hey Host!" detection.
2. Speech-to-Text: Faster-Whisper processes your speech in real-time.
3. The Brain: DeepSeek generates context-aware, persona-driven responses.
4. The Voice: ElevenLabs clones the host's voice for hyper-realistic audio.
5. Frontend: Built with Next.js 14, React, and Tailwind.

• Node.js & npm
• Python 3.10+
• API Keys (DeepSeek, ElevenLabs)

cd backend
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # or venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

Create .env in backend/:

DEEPSEEK_API_KEY=your_key
EL_API_KEY=your_key
PORT=5001

Run: python server.py

npm install
npm run dev

Visit http://localhost:3000.

Winner - Grand Prize (First Place) at SB Hacks XII

-- Nathan So - Quinn Godfredsen - Joshua Lee --