Dubbing Glossary: Rythmo Band, M&E, Timecode, ADR, and Lip-Sync Terms

Usage can vary by country, studio, and delivery format, so always confirm the conventions of your project before a session. Some terms below (VI, BI, VF, VO, VOST) come from French-speaking dubbing and are given with their English equivalents.

Adaptation

Adaptation rewrites a dialogue so it sounds natural in the target language while respecting the meaning, the speech rate, and, when needed, the visible mouth movements. It is not a word-for-word translation.

ADR (post-synchronization)

ADR (automated dialogue replacement) is the re-recording of dialogue after the shoot or the original take. It can be used to replace faulty sound, create a language version, or redo a line.

Rythmo band and dubbing band

A dubbing band is the support that helps synchronize text, picture, and voice. A rythmo band is one form of it, where the text scrolls along with the picture. The difference between the two terms is covered in our definition of the dubbing band, and you can create a rythmo band online from your own video.

International version (VI), BI, and M&E

An international version (VI, from the French "version internationale") normally contains the music and effects without the voices to be replaced. M&E stands for Music & Effects and is often used in the same sense. "BI" can mean an international track (bande internationale): ask for the exact composition of the track, because deliverables are not always identical.

Loop, spotting, and sync mark

A loop is a segment replayed to record or fix a line. Spotting (called "détection" in French dubbing) identifies and cuts up the dialogue, its speakers, and its timings. Automatic spotting should always be proofread. A sync mark is an identifiable point (the start of a word, a gesture, a silence, or a shot change) that helps place the voice.

Labials and lip-sync

Labials are the visible lip movements, especially for certain sounds like M, B, or P. Lip-sync aims for consistency between those movements and the recorded speech. A natural adaptation and a good performance matter just as much as timing.

Timecode and frame rate

A timecode marks time in a format such as HH:MM:SS:FF. The last two digits count frames, and how they are read depends on the project's frame rate (24, 25, 30 fps, or another rate), not on one universal format.

Role, original version, dubbed version, and subtitled version

A role is the voice assigned to a person. In French-speaking markets, VF (version française) means a French dubbed version, VO (version originale) the original version, and VOST an original version with subtitles. In English, you would say dubbed version, original version, and subtitled version. To see these ideas in a real workflow, read the rythmo band guide.