Hosting a dubbing party with friends

What you need

The gear comes down to what everyone already has.

• One device per player with a mic: phone, tablet or computer, in a modern browser. Nothing to install.
• For a night in the same place, a big screen (TV or projector) plugged into the host’s computer to watch the results together.
• Earphones for each player if you’re recording at the same time in the same room; otherwise one person’s mic picks up the other’s voice.
• A free account per player to join the multiplayer room, created in a few seconds.
• A decent connection: the game loads each scene once, then everything happens on the device.

Choosing the format for the number of players

With two or three players, co-op with turns is the simplest: everyone takes a character and answers the other live. Arguments and couple dialogues work really well.

With four to six, alternate co-op (four characters at most per scene) and VS, where everyone dubs the same scene on their own before comparing. VS shows off people’s styles: one does a voice, another rewrites the story, a third sings.

Above six, VS becomes the main format: up to twelve players per room. Plan short scenes (ten to twenty seconds) so listening to all the versions doesn’t drag, and name a host who starts the scenes and runs the votes.

Preparing the list of scenes

Get about ten packs ready in advance rather than searching during the evening. Mix things up: two or three iconic scenes everyone recognises, dialogue scenes with one or two voices to start, and four-character scenes for the group moments.

Start easy: a short scene, one character, clear dialogue. Build up to fast scenes and songs. Save one spectacular “final” scene to close the night.

If you have your own videos (a sketch filmed with friends, a holiday video, an old family film), Creator mode turns them into a pack in a few minutes. These are often the scenes that work best, because everyone knows the “actors”. Only use videos you hold the rights to or that the people filmed have agreed to.

How a typical night runs

Two hours is plenty. Beyond that, voices get tired and so does the laughter.

1. Setup (ten minutes): everyone joins the room with the five-character code, tests their mic and puts their earphones on.
2. Warm-up round (fifteen minutes): two easy co-op scenes, no score or vote. Just to hear everyone’s voices.
3. Round 1, co-op (thirty minutes): four or five scenes with several characters, changing teams every scene.
4. Break (ten minutes): some water, and a good moment to watch the best dubs published on the site for ideas.
5. Round 2, VS (forty minutes): everyone dubs the same scene, then you listen to every version and vote. Three or four scenes.
6. Final (fifteen minutes): the top two or three from the vote face off on the spectacular scene saved for last.

Rules that make people laugh

Constraints turn a scene you’ve already seen into a playground. Draw them at random before each take: dub while singing, with an imposed accent, without ever saying “yes” or “no”, telling a completely different story from the picture, imitating someone in the room (with their permission), or speaking only in questions.

For the vote, avoid marks out of ten. Go for categories instead: funniest, most in sync, most absurd, best voice. Everyone wins something, and the final ranking doesn’t crush anyone.

Remotely

The same night works remotely: TryToAct’s multiplayer room doesn’t need everyone in the same place. Open a voice call alongside it (Discord, for example) for the reactions and the votes, mute the call during the takes, and let the host start the scenes. You listen to the versions together at the end of each scene, just like in person.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the maximum number of players?

A room holds up to twelve players in VS and four characters per scene in co-op. For a bigger group, open two rooms and hold a joint final.

Does everyone need an account?

Yes, to join a multiplayer room. Signing up is free and takes a few seconds.

Can we keep the dubs from the night?

Each player decides whether to publish their dubs. Nothing is shared without their say-so.