diff --git a/bark/generation.py b/bark/generation.py
index e4a6b2c..a704820 100644
--- a/bark/generation.py
+++ b/bark/generation.py
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ def _grab_best_device(use_gpu=True):
 
 def _get_ckpt_path(model_type, use_small=False):
     key = model_type
-    if use_small:
+    if use_small or USE_SMALL_MODELS:
         key += "_small"
     return os.path.join(CACHE_DIR, REMOTE_MODEL_PATHS[key]["file_name"])