FretBeam
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Frequently asked questions

Plain answers about what Fret Beam does, the gear it works with, and how the packages, the trial, and billing work.

What it is

What does Fret Beam do?
Fret Beam turns what you play on guitar into tab on screen. You hit Record, play a lick, and about a second later the tab appears. It also creates chord charts, scale patterns, arpeggios, and chord progressions when you ask for them by voice or by typing. Everything is sized for OBS, so you can use it live in a lesson or record it into a course video. Loops, backing tracks, and a metronome are built in, and it runs on Mac and Windows.
Who is it for?
Online guitar teachers, course creators and influencers. If you teach on a video call or record lesson videos, and you spend time typing out tab, chord charts, or scale diagrams by hand, Fret Beam puts them on screen for you while you teach. It was built by Mike Deiure, a guitar teacher, for his own lessons.
Isn't AI-made tab wildly inaccurate?
The notes do not come from AI. Fret Beam's own engine listens to your guitar and writes the tab. AI is only used to understand what you say or type. Here is the honest limit: it will not get a fast, blistering run right every time. When a note is wrong, the fix is one button or one sentence. Say the fix out loud, or press Shift Position. You do not record it again. Fixing a stray note is faster than typing the whole lick, and you start from a clean draft instead of a blank screen.

Setup and gear

How much setup is it?
Hit Record, play the lick, and the tab appears on screen. You can also ask for a chord chart, a scale pattern, or a progression by name and it creates it. It works with the OBS you already teach and record with, and with gear you already own.
Do I need a fancy rig?
No. Works with any guitar modeler, floorboard, or USB audio interface; note-perfect with a Fishman TriplePlay hex pickup. Any of those gets you going. The hex-pickup path, in Ultimate, is how you get note-perfect tab. The one thing the app needs is a clean, dry guitar signal with no amp sim, reverb, or effects on it. Most modelers and floorboards already send a dry copy of your guitar over USB alongside the processed sound, and a plain interface or a clean mic signal works too.
How do I connect my audio interface or modeler?
Plug in the way you normally record. Then open Settings, go to Guitar input, and pick your interface or modeler by name. The Automatic option only finds devices named Helix, so any other device has to be picked by hand. If a second Signal menu appears, play and pick the channel the meter lights up on. That is your clean, dry signal. When the level meter reaches 8% or higher, the app is hearing your guitar. Fishman TriplePlay hex-pickup support is part of Ultimate. The Help center has the full steps.
Can I start Record without touching the computer?
Yes. You can start Record by voice, with a key, with a footswitch, or from your phone or tablet. Any Bluetooth MIDI pedal works, and so does a wired USB MIDI pedal. Set its buttons to momentary, and CC 20 starts and stops Record. Other buttons cover Clear Tab, Tap Tempo, Shift Position, Clean Up, Save, and more. The Fret Beam Remote is a web page the app serves to a phone or tablet on the same Wi-Fi. Scan the QR code in Settings to open it. The app stays open on your computer and the sound still comes from there. Footswitch control and the Remote are included in every package.

Using it with OBS and video calls

How does the tab get into OBS?
Add it as a Browser source. In OBS, go to Sources, click +, and choose Browser. Paste the address http://localhost:3002/tab/live and set the size to 1080 by 540 for a wide layout, or 1080 by 780 for a vertical one. Fret Beam has to be running, or the box shows up blank. You choose the tab look in the app (white, dark, see-through, or gradient), and OBS updates on its own. The source also carries the app's click, drums, and backing track into your recording.
Can I use it in a live Zoom lesson?
Yes. Put the tab in your OBS scene, then click Start Virtual Camera in OBS. In Zoom, pick OBS Virtual Camera as your camera and your audio interface as your microphone, and turn on Original Sound for Musicians. Your student sees your camera and the live tab together. It works the same way in Meet, Teams, and FaceTime. Zoom only hears your microphone, so the app's click and drums stay in your headphones unless you share your computer audio. The OBS Kit walks through this step by step.

Packages, trial and billing

What is in each package?
Every package includes: Chord, scale, arpeggio and progression charts; Tab Look; On-Screen Sizing for OBS. Basic also has: Included AI for voice and typed commands, no setup; Fret Beam Remote (second-device control); Output Editor; Footswitch and MIDI control. Basic covers up to 1 computer. Pro has everything in Basic, plus: Live guitar-to-tab recording; Edit a tab output by voice or typing; Metronome and drum grooves; Record your own loops; Tempo sync with your amp modeler; Lick Library: save and export tabs; Backing tracks. Pro covers up to 2 computers. Ultimate has everything in Pro, plus: Fishman TriplePlay hex-pickup support; OBS record control; Record vertical clips in the app, no OBS needed; Priority support. Ultimate covers up to 3 computers. The pricing page shows the full list for each package.
How does the free trial work?
Every package starts with 7 days free. A card is required to start, but nothing is charged during the trial. Cancel before the trial ends and you pay nothing. If you keep it, your first charge happens when the trial ends, and the plan renews automatically each month or year, whichever you chose.
Can I pay yearly instead of monthly?
Yes. Yearly billing gives you 2 months free. Basic is $29 a month or $290 a year. Pro is $49 a month or $490 a year. Ultimate is $79 a month or $790 a year. You get the same features either way.
Is this just another subscription?
It is a working tool for paid lessons, not a hobby app. What you pay for is the work it removes from every lesson and every video. The trial and cancel terms are stated plainly on the pricing page, and there is no auto-renew trap. You can run it for 7 days free before you are charged anything.
Can I justify the price?
Compare it to the work it removes, not to another app. If it saves you one hour of typing tab after lessons each week, or helps you land one extra student, it more than pays for itself. Basic starts at $29 a month if you want the on-screen charts without the live tab.
What happens when I cancel?
You can cancel anytime from your account. The app keeps working through the end of what you have paid for, then it locks. Subscribe again with the same key and it unlocks with everything where you left it. If you cancel during the free trial before any charge, the app locks when the trial ends.
What is the refund policy?
There is a 30-day money-back guarantee on your first subscription charge, monthly or yearly. Email support@fretbeam.com within 30 days of that charge and it is refunded in full. Renewal charges after that are not refundable by default, so cancel before a renewal if you do not want it. Refunds go back to the card or PayPal account you paid with. The Fret Beam OBS Kit has its own 30-day money-back guarantee. The full details are on the Refund Policy page.
Can I move up to a bigger package later?
Yes. Your membership key stays the same. If you pay by card, you pay the difference for the rest of the current billing period, then the new price from the next renewal. If you pay with PayPal, the new price starts with your next payment. If you are still in your free trial, the rest of the trial stays free. After the change, quit and reopen Fret Beam and the new features are on.

Mac and Windows

Will it run on my computer?
Fret Beam runs on Mac and Windows. On Mac: Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or later), macOS 13 Ventura or later. On Windows: Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit.
How many computers can I use it on?
It depends on the package. Basic covers up to 1 computer. Pro covers up to 2 computers. Ultimate covers up to 3 computers.

Voice, AI and privacy

How do voice commands work?
Hold Talk and say what you want, like "show a G major chord". The app listens through your microphone, and AI works out what you asked for. With an active membership this is included, with nothing to set up and no key to paste in. You can also type the same request in the Type it instead box. If a voice command comes out wrong, the cause is almost always the microphone. In Settings, pick the right mic and check that its level meter moves when you speak.
What happens to my voice recordings?
With the included AI, your voice clip or typed command goes to fretbeam.com and is passed to OpenAI only to turn it into text and understand the request. The audio and the text are not stored on our servers. They pass through and are discarded. We log only usage details, like how many requests were made, and never what you said or played. If you would rather use your own OpenAI key, you can paste it into Settings. It stays saved on your computer only.
Does it need an internet connection?
Recording tabs happens on your computer. Voice and typed commands are understood through OpenAI's online service, and the included AI needs an active membership. The app also checks your membership with fretbeam.com. A paid membership keeps working through stretches without a connection, and if it has been offline a long time, connecting to the internet once brings it up to date.

The OBS Kit

What is the OBS Kit?
The Fret Beam OBS Kit is a step-by-step kit that takes you from never having opened OBS to recording a real lesson in two formats at once: wide for YouTube and vertical for Shorts, Reels, and TikTok, with your live tab on screen. It includes the course (6 short modules and 5 appendices, as web pages or one PDF), an OBS scene file you import, frame overlay templates, and printable checklists. OBS and the Aitum Vertical plugin it uses are both free, and one camera is enough to start.
What is the difference between the free kit and the paid kit?
They share the same course, scene file, and templates. The free kit has a small Fret Beam mark on the frame overlays. The paid kit has no Fret Beam mark on the frame overlays. The paid kit is a one-time $97 purchase with no subscription and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Getting the free kit signs you up for Fret Beam emails, and you can unsubscribe any time.

Getting help

Where can I get help?
Start with the Help center, which covers connecting your guitar, adding the tab to OBS, voice, footswitches, the Remote, and troubleshooting. The Videos page shows setup and every part of the app on screen. If you still need help, use the contact form or email support@fretbeam.com.

Still have a question?

The Help center has step-by-step setup and troubleshooting articles. If you do not find your answer there, send us a message or email support@fretbeam.com.