CapsQual

CapsQual (formerly CapsGAT) is an open source cross-platform workstation for editing and reformatting subtitle files (.SRT, .VTT, .JSON, .TSV, .TXT) into qualitative interview transcripts based on different conventions such as the minimal version of GAT2 (Gesprächsanalytisches Transkriptionssystem 2), TiQ (Talk in Qualitative Research) and those suggested by Kuckartz and Dresing & Pehl. The GUI enables users to assign speakers to segments quickly using keyboard shortcuts. Audio files can be imported and synced to the transcript. This is meant to reduce window-switching and simplify the formatting process. (Currently all audio features require VLC Player to be installed). CapsQual features essential transcript-editing functionality such as segment splitting and merging, customizable symbols, overlapping speech, pauses, comments and more.

However, it is not meant as a replacement for dedicated manual transcription software (for full-fledged, professional transcription software, check out EXMARaLDA), nor as an all-in-one automated transcription worksuite (for AI-powered transcription with automatic diarization check out noScribe), but as a complementary formatting tool to be used with transcription AI models such as Whisper AI or CapsWriter, aimed at those who wish to efficiently tidy up their automatically transcribed interview-data in a user-friendly, intuitive environment. Projects can be loaded or saved. Transcripts can be exported as .HTML, .DOCX, .TXT or .SRT files.

Installation

System Requirements

• Windows: 7 or later (64‑bit recommended)
• macOS: 10.13 (High Sierra) or later (Intel and Apple Silicon supported)
• Linux: any modern distribution (e.g., Ubuntu 20.04+)
• RAM: 512 MB minimum, 2 GB recommended
• Disk space: 150 MB for the application, plus space for your projects

For audio features:

• VLC media player (download from videolan.org or run apt install vlc in Linux or brew install vlc in macOS)

Installation guide

Note: Version 1.6.2 has been used as an example in this installation guide. Please replace "1.6.2" with whichever version you are going to install.

Windows

1. Download the Windows installer CapsQual_1.6.2_Setup.exe or the portable executable: CapsQual_1.6.2.exe.
2. If you downloaded the installer, double‑click and follow the on‑screen instructions.
3. If you downloaded the portable version, simply unzip the file in any folder and double‑click CapsQual_1.6.2.exe to run. A system warning may show up, since this software does not contain any official certificates. You may ignore this at your own discretion.
4. (Optional) Install VLC for audio features.

To run from source:

rem 1. Install Python 3.9+ from python.org (check "Add Python to PATH")
rem 2. Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/anouarg88/CapsQual.git
cd CapsQual
rem 3. Create a virtual environment
python -m venv venv
venv\Scripts\activate
rem 4. Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt
rem 5. Run
python main.py

macOS

Two versions are provided:

• CapsQual-macOS-Intel for Intel‑based Macs (2019 and earlier)
• CapsQual-macOS-AppleSilicon for Macs with Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3)

1. Download the appropriate .zip file.
2. Open the downloaded file and drag CapsQual_1.6.2.app to your Applications folder.
3. The first time you run the app, macOS may warn you that it is from an unidentified developer.
   To bypass this, right‑click (or Ctrl‑click) the app and select Open, then click Open again.
4. (Optional) Install VLC for audio features.

To run from source:

# 1. Install Python 3.9+ (via Homebrew)
brew install python
# 2. Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/anouarg88/CapsQual.git
cd CapsQual
# 3. Create a virtual environment
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
# 4. Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt
# 5. (Optional) VLC for audio features.
brew install vlc
# 6. Run
python3 main.py

Linux (Debian/Ubuntu 22.04 or newer)

1. Download CapsQual_1.6.2-linux.tar.gz.
2. Open a terminal in the download folder and unfold the archive:

   tar -xzf CapsQual_1.6.2-linux.tar.gz

3. Make the extracted file executable:

   chmod +x CapsQual_1.6.2

4. Run the program:

   ./CapsQual_1.6.2

5. (Optional) Install VLC using your package manager (e.g., sudo apt install vlc on Debian/Ubuntu) for audio features.

To run from source (also required for Ubuntu < 22.04):

# 1. Install system dependencies
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y python3-venv python3-pyqt5 vlc
# 2. Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/anouarg88/CapsQual.git
cd CapsQual
# 3. Create a virtual environment
python3 -m venv venv --system-site-packages
source venv/bin/activate
# 4. Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt
# 5. Run
python3 main.py

If pip is not installed, run sudo apt install python3-pip first.

If you encounter difficulties installing CapsQual, feel free to open an issue.

Usage

Quick-start guide

1. Import audio & subtitles. After installation, Import your files by dragging them onto the CapsQual window, using the menu bar or clicking the Load Audio button. If subtitle files are in the same folder as the audio file, CapsQual will offer to import them automatically.

2. Assign speakers. Use the number keys (1, 2, 3, …) or buttons in the top-right corner to assign speakers to the selected segments. Add/remove speakers with the + / − buttons and rename speakers using the text fields.

3. Auto-process transcript. Use Modify transcript to strip punctuation or convert everything to lowercase. CapsQual can also convert silent segments into pause symbols.

4. Review & annotate. Review the transcript sequentially and split (Space), merge (Del) and edit (E/F2) segments where necessary. Drag the position markers in the waveform viewer or edit timestamps directly (T) to adjust the start and end time of each segment if necessary. Use the Symbols button (*) to insert pauses, overlaps, comments and other transcription symbols.

5. Finalize and export. Press the Export button or Ctrl + Enter to open the export dialog. Choose transcript conventions, customize line-wrapping, timestamps and other options and export as HTML, DOCX, TXT, or SRT.

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CLI Usage

CapsQual can also be used from the command line for headless conversion (Run from one directory level above CapsQual):

# Convert an SRT file to GAT2 transcript
python -m CapsQual transcript.srt

# Launch the GUI
python -m CapsQual -g

# TiQ format with auto-diarization (speaker names before colons)
python -m CapsQual input.srt -f tiq --speaker="$:"

# Export as HTML
python -m CapsQual input.srt -o transcript.html

# Customize layout
python -m CapsQual input.srt -f dresing_pehl --blank-lines

Supported input formats: .srt, .vtt, .txt, .tsv, .json
Output formats: GAT2 (default), TiQ, Dresing & Pehl
Export types: .txt (default), .html, .docx

For a full list of options, run python -m CapsQual --help.

For more info on how to use CapsQual, see the CapsQual User Manual.

Citation

If you use this software, please cite it as below:

Gadermann, A. (2026). CapsQual: Subtitle-to-Transcript Workstation (Version 1.6.2). Computer software. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21769829

Alternatively, please cite the documentation as below:

Gadermann, A. (2026). CapsQual: GUI Tool for Turning ASR Output into Qualitative Transcripts. Digital Collection of Paderborn University Library (Digitale Sammlungen der Universitätsbibliothek Paderborn). https://doi.org/10.17619/UNIPB/1-2687

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CapsQual was developed with the help of DeepSeek AI.