Installing Fret Beam on a Mac

This is for teachers setting up Fret Beam on a Mac for the first time. It covers the download, moving the app into your Applications folder, the first launch, and entering your membership key. Setting up a Windows PC instead? See Installing Fret Beam on Windows.

Before you start, check that your Mac is an Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or later) running macOS 13 Ventura or later. The full list is in System requirements.

Download the app

1. Open the download page. Go to the download page. The link in your welcome email and the Download Fret Beam button on your account page both open it with your key already filled in.
2. Pick Mac. Under Which computer is this for?, choose Mac.
3. Check the key field. If it is empty, paste the key from your welcome email. It starts with FB-.
4. Click Download for Mac. The file that downloads is a disk image named FretBeam-<version>.dmg.

Install it

1. Open the disk image. Double-click the .dmg file in your Downloads folder. A window opens with the Fret Beam icon and an Applications folder.
2. Drag Fret Beam into Applications. Drop the Fret Beam icon onto the Applications folder in that window.
3. Open Fret Beam from your Applications folder.

The first launch

1. Allow the microphone. macOS asks whether Fret Beam can use the microphone and audio input. Click Allow. Without it, the app cannot hear your guitar or your voice.
2. Give it up to about 30 seconds. The first launch is slower on purpose, because the listening engine is warming up. Watch the USB guitar ready light at the top: amber means it is still warming up. Every launch after this one takes a second or two.
3. Enter your membership key. A Welcome to Fret Beam screen asks for your key. Click Enter my key, paste the key from your welcome email, and click Save. More detail is in Your membership key.
4. Pick your guitar input. Open Settings → Guitar input, choose your audio interface, and play until the level meter moves. The full walkthrough is Getting your guitar into Fret Beam.
5. Try one take. Press Record, play a short lick, then press Stop. The tab appears on screen.

Updates

To check for a new version yourself, open the Fret Beam menu at the top of the screen and choose Check for Updates…. Updates are offered while your membership is active or in its free trial.

If it does not work

• The light stays amber. Wait the full 30 seconds on the first launch. If it still has not turned green after that, quit and reopen the app.
• The light is red. The app cannot hear your guitar yet. Check Settings → Guitar input and see Troubleshooting.
• The key does not unlock the app. See Your membership key.