Script editor: edit text and change hosts

The script editor is the script panel of an episode in the Studio. It opens after the first playable line, as described in Watch it generate. For the other tools in this section, see Podcasts and Episodes.

How the script is organized

The script is split into chapters. Each chapter has a numbered label ("Chapter 1") and a title you can click and rename (an empty title shows "Untitled Chapter"). Chapters hold speech blocks, the individual lines of dialogue. Each block shows a host name above its text and, on hover, a Regenerate Audio button.

Edits save automatically about a second after you stop typing, and pending changes are saved if you leave the page. Chapters cannot be reordered here. To change the order of audio, use the timeline editor.

Speech blocks

Click into a block and edit the text like a document. To change who speaks, click the host name above the block and pick from the searchable list of your characters that have a voice. The change applies to that block only. A block with no host shows No host in red.

Editing a block's text, or changing its host, when it already has audio marks the audio as out of sync. Regenerate Audio then stays visible without hovering, so you can redo that one block instead of the whole episode. It appears only once a block has a host. Details are in out-of-sync detection.

Dimmed blocks

A block is dimmed (60% opacity) when its audio no longer matches its text, or when it has no audio yet. Regenerate it to clear the dimming.

While a block's audio is regenerating, that block is locked: its text and host cannot change until the run finishes. The rest of the script stays editable.

Lines that need audio

A dimmed block with no audio yet shows a highlighted Generate Audio button, whether it's a new line or one the last narration run could not voice (for example, the voice provider refused the wording). Click it to try again; if the provider refuses the wording again, edit it or switch the host first. See Episode generation failed if many lines are affected.

A dimmed block that already has audio, because its text, host, or a pronunciation rule changed since it was voiced, shows Regenerate Audio instead, and hovering the button names which of those changed.

While any line needs audio, a banner above the script says how many lines need audio before this version can be rendered or published, with a Review lines button that jumps to the first one. Rendering, publishing, and starting a new download wait until every line has audio. A render you saved earlier stays available under Previous Renders in the download dialog.

Toolbar and menus

The Pronunciation Guide button at the top right of the script opens the Pronunciation Guide, for fixing words that are read wrongly.

The Import / Export menu is not in the script toolbar. It is the three-dot menu in the episode actions area of the workspace. It offers:

• Import Script: see Use your own script. It is disabled while the editor is locked for a render.
• Export Script: saves the script as a .txt file. See Downloading transcripts and captions.
• Delete Episode.

Editing while an episode renders

Downloading, publishing, and re-rendering a share link each start a render, and a render reads the script as saved. While one runs, the script shows "Editing disabled while rendering", the editor is read-only, and the timeline is locked too. Edits still waiting to save are saved first. Editing resumes on its own when the render finishes.

Generating or regenerating audio does not lock the script. Only the block being regenerated is locked.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I rearrange chapters in the script editor?

No. The script editor edits text within chapters and blocks. To reorder audio segments, drag them in the timeline editor.

Why can't I edit my script right now?

An episode render from Download, Publish, or a share re-render is in progress. The editor is read-only until it finishes, and editing resumes automatically. If only one block is locked, its audio is regenerating.

What does a dimmed block mean?

The block's audio is out of sync with its text, or it has no audio yet. Click Regenerate Audio on the block.