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* fix(landing): use qwen_custom_voice in API example (instruct is CustomVoice-only) The curl snippet showed engine: "qwen" alongside an instruct field, but base Qwen3-TTS has no instruct path — that's a Qwen CustomVoice feature. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <[email protected]> * fix(landing): use a realistic UUID for profile_id in API example Profile IDs are str(uuid.uuid4()), not slugs (see backend/services/profiles.py:175). Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <[email protected]> * feat(landing): add polished /download page — no more dumping users on GitHub Users were clicking download, landing on the GitHub releases page, and filing confused comments along the lines of "I ended up on some blog site called GitHub." We now route every download CTA through a dedicated /download page that auto-triggers the platform-specific download and gives users a polished post-click experience with donate + docs + AI help prompts. - New /download page: - Big app logo + "Your download has started" messaging. - Auto-detects platform from ?platform=X or navigator.userAgent. - Programmatically clicks a hidden anchor to trigger the file download without leaving the page. - Platform-specific buttons as a visible fallback for "download not working" / manual-pick. - Personal donate spiel + Buy Me a Coffee button. - Resources grid: docs, DeepWiki ("got questions? ask AI"), GitHub. - Landing page download section cards now link to /download?platform=X instead of the asset URL directly. - /download/[platform] (used by README/docs links) now redirects to the /download page rather than straight to the asset or to GitHub on error. - Drops unused downloadLinks state from the landing page. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <[email protected]> * fix(landing): use official platform brand icons via simple-icons The hand-rolled Linux SVG path wasn't actually Tux — it was a symmetric placeholder shape. Apple/Windows were close but not canonical either. - Apple + Linux: pulled from @icons-pack/react-simple-icons (SiApple, SiLinux). - Windows: simple-icons drops the Microsoft mark over trademark policy, so the Windows 11 flag is inlined from Microsoft's public brand guidance. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <[email protected]> * fix(landing): route Download CTAs to /download page, not the section anchor Hero CTA, navbar link, and footer link were all scrolling to #download (the section at the bottom of the page) instead of going to the new /download page that triggers the actual download. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <[email protected]> * chore(landing): run dev server on Node instead of Bun runtime Bun runtime + Next 16 Turbopack dev server intermittently trips a JavaScriptCore allocator panic ('pas panic: deallocation did fail ... Alloc bit not set') after a few requests. Dropping --bun keeps Bun as the package manager but runs next dev on Node, which is stable. Build + start keep --bun since one-shot invocations don't exhibit the allocator drift. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <[email protected]> * fix(landing): route Linux users to /linux-install instead of attempting download No prebuilt Linux binary exists yet (see /linux-install for build-from-source instructions). The /download page previously treated Linux like the other platforms — auto-triggering a non-existent AppImage and offering a dead manual button. - /download page: if platform resolves to 'linux' via ?platform or UA detect, window.location.replace('/linux-install') — never try to auto-download. - Manual Linux card: label changed to "Build from source" and links to /linux-install (no download attribute, no asset URL). - /download/linux pretty URL: 307s straight to /linux-install. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <[email protected]> * docs: consolidate troubleshooting into the MDX docs site + status updates - Delete docs/TROUBLESHOOTING.md; the canonical troubleshooting guide now lives under docs/content/docs/overview/troubleshooting.mdx so it's served from docs.voicebox.sh alongside the rest of the docs. - CONTRIBUTING.md + README.md: repoint "Troubleshooting" references to the new MDX path. README gets a top-level callout so users hit the guide before filing an issue. - PROJECT_STATUS.md: refresh issue/PR counts, document the flash-attn warning (cosmetic on all platforms; CUDA-only, fallback is PyTorch SDPA which is near-FA2 on Ampere+) with per-platform context + community Windows wheels + SageAttention/xformers alternatives, add WebAudio audio-session bug note (tracked separately in PR #486), and expand the Qwen 0.6B→1.7B MLX fallback explanation for triage. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <[email protected]> * fix(landing): address PR #487 review feedback - Preserve canonical camelCase platform aliases (macArm, macIntel) in the /download/[platform] redirect so those URLs don't lose their platform param. - Add accessible title + role="img" to the inline Windows SVG so it passes Biome's a11y rule and announces to screen readers. - On /api/releases fetch failure, show an explicit error state with a single intentional link to GitHub releases — no more silent GitHub fallback or disabled-button UX lie. Keeps normies off GitHub unless they opt in. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <[email protected]> --------- Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <[email protected]>
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Voicebox
The open-source voice synthesis studio.
Clone voices. Generate speech. Apply effects. Build voice-powered apps.
All running locally on your machine.
voicebox.sh • Docs • Download • Features • API • Troubleshooting
Click the image above to watch the demo video on voicebox.sh
What is Voicebox?
Voicebox is a local-first voice cloning studio — a free and open-source alternative to ElevenLabs. Clone voices from a few seconds of audio or pick from 50+ preset voices, generate speech in 23 languages across 7 TTS engines, apply post-processing effects, and compose multi-voice projects with a timeline editor.
- Complete privacy — models and voice data stay on your machine
- 7 TTS engines — Qwen3-TTS, Qwen CustomVoice, LuxTTS, Chatterbox Multilingual, Chatterbox Turbo, HumeAI TADA, and Kokoro
- Cloning and preset voices — zero-shot cloning from a reference sample, or curated preset voices via Kokoro (50 voices) and Qwen CustomVoice (9 voices)
- 23 languages — from English to Arabic, Japanese, Hindi, Swahili, and more
- Post-processing effects — pitch shift, reverb, delay, chorus, compression, and filters
- Expressive speech — paralinguistic tags like
[laugh],[sigh],[gasp]via Chatterbox Turbo; natural-language delivery control via Qwen CustomVoice - Unlimited length — auto-chunking with crossfade for scripts, articles, and chapters
- Stories editor — multi-track timeline for conversations, podcasts, and narratives
- API-first — REST API for integrating voice synthesis into your own projects
- Native performance — built with Tauri (Rust), not Electron
- Runs everywhere — macOS (MLX/Metal), Windows (CUDA), Linux, AMD ROCm, Intel Arc, Docker
Download
| Platform | Download |
|---|---|
| macOS (Apple Silicon) | Download DMG |
| macOS (Intel) | Download DMG |
| Windows | Download MSI |
| Docker | docker compose up |
Linux — Pre-built binaries are not yet available. See voicebox.sh/linux-install for build-from-source instructions.
Having trouble? See the Troubleshooting Guide for common install, generation, model-download, and GPU issues.
Features
Multi-Engine Voice Cloning
Seven TTS engines with different strengths, switchable per-generation:
| Engine | Languages | Strengths |
|---|---|---|
| Qwen3-TTS (0.6B / 1.7B) | 10 | High-quality multilingual cloning, delivery instructions ("speak slowly", "whisper") |
| Qwen CustomVoice | 10 | 9 curated preset voices with natural-language delivery control — no reference audio required |
| LuxTTS | English | Lightweight (~1GB VRAM), 48kHz output, 150x realtime on CPU |
| Chatterbox Multilingual | 23 | Broadest language coverage — Arabic, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Swahili, Swedish, Turkish and more |
| Chatterbox Turbo | English | Fast 350M model with paralinguistic emotion/sound tags |
| TADA (1B / 3B) | 10 | HumeAI speech-language model — 700s+ coherent audio, text-acoustic dual alignment |
| Kokoro | 8 | 50 curated preset voices, tiny 82M model, fast CPU inference |
Emotions & Paralinguistic Tags
Only Chatterbox Turbo interprets paralinguistic tags like [laugh] and
[sigh]. Qwen3-TTS, LuxTTS, Chatterbox Multilingual, and HumeAI TADA read them
literally as text.
With Chatterbox Turbo selected, type / in the text input to open the tag
inserter and add expressive tags inline with speech:
[laugh] [chuckle] [gasp] [cough] [sigh] [groan] [sniff] [shush] [clear throat]
Post-Processing Effects
8 audio effects powered by Spotify's pedalboard library. Apply after generation, preview in real time, build reusable presets.
| Effect | Description |
|---|---|
| Pitch Shift | Up or down by up to 12 semitones |
| Reverb | Configurable room size, damping, wet/dry mix |
| Delay | Echo with adjustable time, feedback, and mix |
| Chorus / Flanger | Modulated delay for metallic or lush textures |
| Compressor | Dynamic range compression |
| Gain | Volume adjustment (-40 to +40 dB) |
| High-Pass Filter | Remove low frequencies |
| Low-Pass Filter | Remove high frequencies |
Ships with 4 built-in presets (Robotic, Radio, Echo Chamber, Deep Voice) and supports custom presets. Effects can be assigned per-profile as defaults.
Unlimited Generation Length
Text is automatically split at sentence boundaries and each chunk is generated independently, then crossfaded together. Works with all engines.
- Configurable auto-chunking limit (100–5,000 chars)
- Crossfade slider (0–200ms) for smooth transitions
- Max text length: 50,000 characters
- Smart splitting respects abbreviations, CJK punctuation, and
[tags]
Generation Versions
Every generation supports multiple versions with provenance tracking:
- Original — clean TTS output, always preserved
- Effects versions — apply different effects chains from any source version
- Takes — regenerate with a new seed for variation
- Source tracking — each version records its lineage
- Favorites — star generations for quick access
Async Generation Queue
Generation is non-blocking. Submit and immediately start typing the next one.
- Serial execution queue prevents GPU contention
- Real-time SSE status streaming
- Failed generations can be retried
- Stale generations from crashes auto-recover on startup
Voice Profile Management
- Create profiles from audio files or record directly in-app
- Import/export profiles to share or back up
- Multi-sample support for higher quality cloning
- Per-profile default effects chains
- Organize with descriptions and language tags
Stories Editor
Multi-voice timeline editor for conversations, podcasts, and narratives.
- Multi-track composition with drag-and-drop
- Inline audio trimming and splitting
- Auto-playback with synchronized playhead
- Version pinning per track clip
Recording & Transcription
- In-app recording with waveform visualization
- System audio capture (macOS and Windows)
- Automatic transcription powered by Whisper (including Whisper Turbo)
- Export recordings in multiple formats
Model Management
- Per-model unload to free GPU memory without deleting downloads
- Custom models directory via
VOICEBOX_MODELS_DIR - Model folder migration with progress tracking
- Download cancel/clear UI
GPU Support
| Platform | Backend | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| macOS (Apple Silicon) | MLX (Metal) | 4-5x faster via Neural Engine |
| Windows / Linux (NVIDIA) | PyTorch (CUDA) | Auto-downloads CUDA binary from within the app |
| Linux (AMD) | PyTorch (ROCm) | Auto-configures HSA_OVERRIDE_GFX_VERSION |
| Windows (any GPU) | DirectML | Universal Windows GPU support |
| Intel Arc | IPEX/XPU | Intel discrete GPU acceleration |
| Any | CPU | Works everywhere, just slower |
API
Voicebox exposes a full REST API for integrating voice synthesis into your own apps.
# Generate speech
curl -X POST http://localhost:17493/generate \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"text": "Hello world", "profile_id": "abc123", "language": "en"}'
# List voice profiles
curl http://localhost:17493/profiles
# Create a profile
curl -X POST http://localhost:17493/profiles \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"name": "My Voice", "language": "en"}'
Use cases: game dialogue, podcast production, accessibility tools, voice assistants, content automation.
Full API documentation available at http://localhost:17493/docs.
Tech Stack
| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| Desktop App | Tauri (Rust) |
| Frontend | React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS |
| State | Zustand, React Query |
| Backend | FastAPI (Python) |
| TTS Engines | Qwen3-TTS, Qwen CustomVoice, LuxTTS, Chatterbox, Chatterbox Turbo, TADA, Kokoro |
| Effects | Pedalboard (Spotify) |
| Transcription | Whisper / Whisper Turbo (PyTorch or MLX) |
| Inference | MLX (Apple Silicon) / PyTorch (CUDA/ROCm/XPU/CPU) |
| Database | SQLite |
| Audio | WaveSurfer.js, librosa |
Roadmap
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Real-time Streaming | Stream audio as it generates, word by word |
| Voice Design | Create new voices from text descriptions |
| More Models | XTTS, Bark, and other open-source voice models |
| Plugin Architecture | Extend with custom models and effects |
| Mobile Companion | Control Voicebox from your phone |
For the full engineering status, open-issue triage, and prioritized work queue, see docs/PROJECT_STATUS.md — a living document that tracks what's shipped, what's in-flight, candidate TTS engines under evaluation, and why we've accepted or backlogged specific integrations.
Development
See CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed setup and contribution guidelines.
Quick Start
git clone https://github.com/jamiepine/voicebox.git
cd voicebox
just setup # creates Python venv, installs all deps
just dev # starts backend + desktop app
Install just: brew install just or cargo install just. Run just --list to see all commands.
Prerequisites: Bun, Rust, Python 3.11+, Tauri Prerequisites, and Xcode on macOS.
Building Locally
just build # Build CPU server binary + Tauri app
just build-local # (Windows) Build CPU + CUDA server binaries + Tauri app
Adding New Voice Models
The multi-engine architecture makes adding new TTS engines straightforward. A step-by-step guide covers the full process: dependency research, backend protocol implementation, frontend wiring, and PyInstaller bundling.
The guide is optimized for AI coding agents. An agent skill can pick up a model name and handle the entire integration autonomously — you just test the build locally.
Project Structure
voicebox/
├── app/ # Shared React frontend
├── tauri/ # Desktop app (Tauri + Rust)
├── web/ # Web deployment
├── backend/ # Python FastAPI server
├── landing/ # Marketing website
└── scripts/ # Build & release scripts
Contributing
Contributions welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.
- Fork the repo
- Create a feature branch
- Make your changes
- Submit a PR
Security
Found a security vulnerability? Please report it responsibly. See SECURITY.md for details.
License
MIT License — see LICENSE for details.