What Is Offline-First?
SoundWorks is designed to work without an internet connection. The core features — AI voice synthesis, transcription, audio conversion, video processing, and all editing tools — run entirely on your hardware using local models and local processing. Cloud features (cloud TTS, translation, AI rephrasing) are optional additions, not requirements.
Why Does Offline Matter?
Data sovereignty. Your text, audio, and video never leave your machine. Client scripts, unreleased music, confidential business content, personal recordings — nothing is uploaded to any server during processing.
No subscription dependency. When a cloud service goes down, changes its pricing, or discontinues your plan, your tools stop working. SoundWorks’ core features have no external dependencies. They work today, tomorrow, and years from now regardless of any company’s business decisions.
Air-gapped environments. Use SoundWorks in secure facilities, recording studios without network access, or locations with unreliable internet. The application functions identically with or without connectivity.
Predictable performance. No network latency, no API rate limits, no throttling. Processing speed depends only on your hardware, not on server load or internet bandwidth.
What Works Offline
| Feature | Offline | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Local TTS (Silero, IndexTTS2, Qwen3, VibeVoice) | Yes | Fully local AI models |
| Whisper Transcription | Yes | Local GPU/CPU processing |
| Audio Conversion & Mastering | Yes | All FFmpeg-based processing |
| Video Editing (Cut, Merge, Reverse, Speed) | Yes | All FFmpeg-based processing |
| Slide-to-Video | Yes | Local video generation |
| Subtitle Studio | Yes | Local file processing |
| Replacement Rules | Yes | Local text processing |
| Image Similarity Finder | Yes | Local image analysis |
| QR Code Generator | Yes | Local generation |
What Requires Internet
Cloud TTS (OpenAI, ElevenLabs, AWS Polly, etc.), AI Rephraser (ChatGPT/Claude), translation services (DeepL, Azure), URL Shortener, and Video Downloader require internet access. These are clearly marked as cloud features in the interface.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to download AI models separately? Local TTS models are downloaded once on first use or during the installation process. After that, they are cached on your machine and work without internet.
Can I use SoundWorks on a completely air-gapped machine? Yes. Install the application and pre-download the models you need on a connected machine, then transfer everything to the air-gapped system. All offline features will work.
Does SoundWorks phone home or send telemetry? SoundWorks checks for application updates on startup (which can be disabled). No usage telemetry, no analytics, and no data collection during operation.
What about license validation? SoundWorks is free. There is no license check that requires internet connectivity.