Free & Open-Source Dubbing and Rythmo Band Studio
The open studio for rythmo bands and dubbing.
Dub your videos with a true fluid rythmo band.Free, open source and 100% offline: no account, no cloud, no subscription.
Free forever. No subscription, no account, 100% local-first.
Up to 4 rythmo bands and 4 microphones recorded at once.
Major UI overhaul, heading towards final v1.0.
App Preview
Engineered for studio fluidity.
60 FPS scrolling rythmo band, syllables locked to the time grid, and frame-by-frame navigation.
Native DubInstante interface on Linux and Windows. Hardware-accelerated OpenGL rendering.
Core Capabilities
What matters, zero fluff.
Each tool solves a real, practical challenge in dubbing workflows, from lip sync to master exports.
Dynamic Rythmo Band (1 to 4 tracks)
Scroll synchronized text directly before voice actors. Each syllable arrives precisely at the sync bar with customizable studio fonts and colors.
Direct Multi-track Recording (up to 4 mics)
Simultaneous capture of up to 4 microphones and tracks in uncompressed WAV. Independent audio input routing, gain calibration, and visual styling per track.
Native C++17 & OpenGL Engine
No heavy web wrappers, no Electron bloat. Video playback through Qt Multimedia and FFmpeg, a rythmo band rendered at 60 FPS, and frame-by-frame navigation.
Built-in FFmpeg Export
Mix your takes with the source video: H.264 + AAC by default; H.265, ProRes, 24-bit PCM or video stream copy without re-encoding in expert mode. FFmpeg ships with the app.
Target Audience
From indie creators to recording studios.
Whatever your starting point, here is what DubInstante changes for you.
Beginners
« I’m new to dubbing and don’t know where to start. »
A real rythmo band, ready to use: open a video and perform. No setup.
YouTube creators & podcasters
« I want to dub my videos without a subscription or watermark. »
Clean FFmpeg video export, no account, no cloud. Your footage never leaves your machine.
Translators & adaptors
« I need to fit my script to the picture, word by word. »
Playback speed from 1% to 400% to analyse the pace and fine-tune every line.
Film & sound students
« I can’t afford a professional suite. »
Free, open source (EUPL-1.2) and an open .dbi format that stays readable for life. A tool to learn with.
Indie studios
« I need reliable multi-mic recording, with no licence or dongle. »
Up to 4 mics recorded at once, 100% offline, on Linux and Windows.
The Third Choice
Why Pay Up to $279 / mo or Suffer Broken Tools?
In dubbing, you were stuck between two extremes: paying recurring corporate subscriptions, or struggling with abandoned 2000s software. DubInstante was built to provide the studio standard with total freedom.
Big Corpo Suites
- Steep recurring costs from $39/mo (Writer) up to $279/mo (VoiceQ Pro).
- Dongle or online license iLok or Noblurway dongle (USB or software), or an always-on connection.
- OS lock-in exclusively locked to either macOS or Windows only.
- Closed formats your translation projects remain trapped in proprietary files.
- Monthly rental on a rental plan, access to the software ends when you stop paying.
DubInstante
- Zero financial barrier no subscriptions, no cloud accounts, zero hardware DRM.
- Native 60 FPS rythmo band frame-accurate smooth scrolling powered by C++ and OpenGL.
- Multi-track studio recording up to 4 microphones at once, takes locked to the timecode.
- Modern video engine native support for MP4, MKV, ProRes, H.264/H.265 and 4K (FFmpeg).
- 100% Local & Offline your client rushes and vocal takes remain strictly on your drive.
- True cross-platform runs natively on Windows and Linux (macOS on hold, Android being rebuilt).
Broken Freeware & Hacks
- Watermark-free costs extra web tools like Voxdub keep watermark-free export for the Pro plan (€99/yr).
- Stuck in the 2000s tools like Cappella, not updated since 2008.
- Severe audio drift audio and video fall out of sync after 2 minutes in VLC + Audacity.
- Unsupported codecs frequent crashes on modern MP4, MKV, and ProRes video files.
- Exhausting manual workarounds hours lost animating subtitle keyframes inside Premiere or DaVinci.
Prices and features verified in 2026 for indicative comparison (VoiceQ Pro, Mosaic Studio, Synchronos).
Philosophy & Independence
A common good for the dubbing community.
Professional dubbing tools shouldn't be locked behind multi-thousand dollar licenses, hardware dongles, or vendor lock-in subscriptions. DubInstante is free software under the EUPL-1.2 license: use it, inspect it, adapt it, and share it freely under European copyleft terms.
100% local-first. No internet required, no sign-up, zero telemetry. Your projects, voices, and video footage never leave your hard drive.
The code belongs to the community. No restrictive patents, zero features locked behind paywalls.
Runs completely offline. Your raw footage and voice takes stay on your local disk.
Zero trackers, zero cookies, zero background telemetry. Absolute privacy respected.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is DubInstante?
DubInstante is free, open-source software for video dubbing with a rythmo band. It scrolls the dialogue in sync with the picture, records up to 4 microphones as WAV and exports the dubbed video with FFmpeg. It runs offline, with no account and no subscription.
What is a rythmo band?
A rythmo band is a strip of text that scrolls under the picture in sync with the video. The actor reads each syllable as it crosses the sync bar, which lines the voice up with the lip movements. It is the dubbing method used in French studios.
Is DubInstante really free?
Yes. DubInstante is free and open source under the EUPL-1.2 licence: no subscription, no account, no watermark on exports, no paid feature. The source code is public on GitHub.
Which operating systems does DubInstante run on?
DubInstante v0.12.0 is available for Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit) and for Linux as an AppImage: Ubuntu 22.04+, Debian 12+, Mint 21+, as well as Arch, EndeavourOS and Manjaro. The macOS version is on hold until an Apple developer licence is obtained, and the Android app is being rewritten for v0.13.
Does DubInstante work offline?
Yes, entirely. Videos, scripts and recordings stay on your computer: DubInstante sends nothing to a server, requires no account and contains no telemetry.
How many actors can be recorded at the same time?
Up to four. DubInstante handles 1 to 4 rythmo bands and records up to 4 microphones at once, each on its own track as uncompressed WAV, with a microphone and gain setting per track.
Which video formats are supported?
DubInstante opens MP4, MKV, MOV, AVI, M4V, WebM and MXF files. Export goes through FFmpeg, which ships with the app: H.264 and AAC by default; in expert mode, H.265, ProRes, VP9, 24-bit PCM audio or video stream copy without re-encoding, to MP4, MKV, MOV or AVI.
How does DubInstante compare with VoiceQ, Mosaic or Synchronos?
VoiceQ, Mosaic and Synchronos are paid proprietary products (from $39 to $279 per month, or €3,650 excl. VAT to buy Mosaic Studio), tied to macOS or to Windows. DubInstante is free, open source and runs on Windows and Linux. On the other hand, it does not integrate with Pro Tools or broadcast hardware (SDI, LTC, RS422).
Who is DubInstante for?
Voice actors, dialogue adapters, film and sound students, video creators and small studios who want a real rythmo band without an expensive licence. DubInstante is in public beta (v0.12.0), on its way to version 1.0.
Heading towards v1.0
Join the public Beta.
Early access — active open-source development. Help shape the software: test workflows, report bugs, and contribute on GitHub.