What this section covers
Turn detection
Decide when the user has actually finished a turn so the agent replies at the right moment.
VAD and interruptions
Detect whether speech is present and let the user barge in while the agent is talking.
De-noise
Remove background noise before audio reaches the pipeline so every stage works from clean input.
Turn Detection and VAD
VAD and turn detection answer two different questions, and work best paired, with VAD as the first-pass speech detector and the turn detector deciding when the turn is over:- VAD: is anyone speaking? Fast and lightweight, but tracks silence only, not meaning.
- Turn Detection: is the user actually done? A semantic model shifts from raw audio analysis to Natural Language Understanding (NLU), reading words and context to tell a real endpoint from a thinking pause.
Interruptions
Real conversations aren’t strictly turn by turn. When a user cuts in, interruption handling lets the agent stop and listen, using VAD or STT to confirm they genuinely want the turn.Noise Cancellation
Background noise such as typing, fans, or street sound lowers transcription accuracy and confuses turn detection. De-noise strips it from the incoming audio in real time, so STT, VAD, and the turn detector all work from a clean signal.What’s Next
Turn Detection
Set up semantic turn detection first.
VAD and Interruptions
Add VAD and handle user interruptions.
De-noise
Remove background noise before the pipeline.