Basstab Pro User Guide

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Choose the version that fits your session

Both versions produce bass tablature and save it to your private library. Desktop is the complete practice workstation; web is the fastest way to obtain and review a tab without installing software.

Capability	Web preview	Desktop app
Process a song	Yes, in the cloud	Yes, locally on your computer
Free result	Permanent tab view	Tab, local audio playback, and local re-analysis
Audio playback	No	Yes, free
Unlocked song	Edit tab data, change tab layout, use tuner/insights/scales, and print	All web tools plus looping, mixer, spot re-analysis, playback-assisted editing, and encrypted stem sync
Audio location	Uploaded for processing, then deleted	Stays on your computer unless you explicitly sync encrypted stems
Offline use	No	Yes after first-run analysis setup; account and cloud features still need a connection

Song upgrade: one credit costs $2 and unlocks one song. Desktop analysis and playback remain free; upgrading unlocks the editing and advanced toolset. On web, upgrading enables tab editing and PDF printing, but never audio playback.

Create an account and manage credits

Web

An account is required to process songs and use the private cloud library. Choose Sign In, then Create Profile. Supply a username, password, email address, and accept the terms. Follow the email-verification link before signing in.

Desktop

You can analyze and play local songs without an account. Sign in when you want to upgrade a song, sync library data, buy credits, use cloud services, or move encrypted stems between desktop computers.

Buy and use credits

Open the account menu or choose Upgrade song/Unlock to print.
Select the number of credits. Each credit is $2.
Complete the secure Stripe checkout. Desktop opens checkout in your browser.
Return to Basstab Pro. Your balance refreshes and the pending song unlock completes.

The account menu also provides purchase history, email/profile editing, password changes, support, stem-vault controls on desktop, sign out, and account deletion.

Install the desktop app

Use the downloads on basstab.pro. Choose Apple Silicon for M-series Macs, Intel for older Macs, Windows x64 for standard 64-bit Windows PCs, or Linux x64.

macOS direct download

Download the correct DMG.
Open it and drag Basstab Pro to Applications.
Launch Basstab Pro from Applications.

Windows direct download

Download the x64 installer.
Run the installer and follow its prompts.
Open Basstab Pro from the Start menu.

Linux direct download

Download the x64 AppImage.
Mark it executable in file properties or run chmod +x Basstab-Pro*.AppImage.
Run the AppImage.

First-run analysis setup

Basstab Pro downloads an app-managed Python runtime, analysis dependencies, and the Demucs model. Choose Install Demucs and keep the app online until setup completes. These files are stored outside the app so later app upgrades preserve them.

Package-manager installation

# macOS with Homebrew
brew tap wadaley/basstab-pro
brew trust wadaley/basstab-pro
brew install --cask basstab-pro

# Windows with Scoop
scoop bucket add basstab-pro https://github.com/wadaley/scoop-basstab-pro
scoop install basstab-pro

Update Basstab Pro

The desktop app checks for updates shortly after launch. You can also open Tools > Check for App Updates. If a release is available, choose Download, quit the app, and install the new version over the existing one. Your Demucs models, local stems, and analysis logs are preserved.

Homebrew: run brew update, then brew upgrade --cask basstab-pro.
Scoop: run scoop update, then scoop update basstab-pro.
Linux AppImage: download the new AppImage, mark it executable, verify it launches, then remove the older file.

Processing profiles can refresh independently of the application binary, so transcription improvements may arrive without a full reinstall.

Process your first song

Choose or drop an audio file. Supported formats are MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, FLAC, OGG, AIFF, and AIF. Cloud files must be no larger than 500 MB and should be no longer than 20 minutes.
Confirm your rights. Check the copyright/permission confirmation before choosing a file.
Wait for analysis. Basstab Pro separates stems, detects key and tempo, transcribes bass notes, and lays them out as playable tablature. The progress checklist shows the current stage.
Review the result. The song opens in the workstation and is added to the signed-in library. On desktop, the original audio and generated stems remain local.

Desktop setup not ready? If the app shows “Demucs setup required,” choose Install Demucs. Local analysis cannot begin until the runtime, dependencies, and model finish installing.

Read the workstation

Track pill: select the song title to see available metadata such as artist, key, tempo, time signature, and duration.
Tab: each line represents a bass string; fret numbers show where to play. Bar labels and the moving playhead help locate the current passage.
Tuning and transpose: unlocked songs can change instrument/tuning and transpose the displayed notes. Custom tuning is available where shown.
Selection: drag across tab cells or the waveform to select a passage. Desktop selections enable looping and spot re-analysis.
Toolbar: available tools depend on version, song source, and unlock state. Hover a locked control to see what is required.

Practice with desktop playback

Playback is a free desktop feature. Use play/pause, seek, skip, and speed controls to work through the song. Select the original track, isolated bass, or backing mix when those local stems are available. Adjust song and bass levels from the mixer.

Loop a passage

Drag across tab cells or the waveform.
Choose the loop control in the toolbar.
Play the song; playback repeats the selected range.
Clear the loop from the loop bar when finished.

The web version intentionally contains no playback or playable audio, even after a song is unlocked.

Edit tablature on an unlocked song

Tab edits change structured note/placement data, not the original audio or encrypted stem files. They are saved locally and, when signed in, synchronized to the song’s cloud record so another device can show the corrected tab.

Edit or add a note: right-click a tab cell, or long-press it on a touch device. Choose a fret/string or use the pitch suggestion, then save.
Delete notes: open an existing note and choose Delete, or select a range and use the selection delete action.
Undo: use the tab undo control to reverse recent edits in the current session.
Reposition a pitch: choose an alternate string/fret when the same pitch is playable in more than one location.

On web, unlocked editing is intentionally limited to tab data. Features that need audio - playback, looping, mixer changes, note audition, and spot re-analysis - require the desktop app.

Use the advanced tools

Spot re-analysis

Desktop only. Select a troublesome passage, choose Spot, optionally enable a passage-specific override, run the analysis, compare the proposed notes, and apply the result.

Tuner

Shows the current instrument tuning and provides tuner/fretboard tools. The tab’s selected tuning is carried into the tuner.

Insights & Analysis

Review musical tips, bass analysis, deeper theory notes when available, and ask follow-up questions about the current song. AI results may continue generating briefly after the tab appears.

Scale Browser

Explore scales, notes, chord shapes, and fretboard positions related to the song’s detected key. Adjust the displayed scale and use the tuner from the same view.

Mixer and detection controls

Desktop audio tools adjust the practice mix. Developer or diagnostic controls may be hidden in production releases.

Re-analysis

Desktop local re-analysis is free. Use it when a source or profile improvement warrants a fresh transcription; existing song entitlements are retained.

Use your library and encrypted stem sync

Library

Open My Library from the navigation or account area, then select a song to reload its stored analysis and edits. Deleting a song removes its cloud library record; local desktop audio files are managed separately.

Stem Sync Vault (desktop, unlocked songs)

Sign in and open Stem Sync Vault.
Create a vault and choose a strong passphrase. Keep it safe: Basstab Pro does not receive it.
Load an unlocked desktop song and choose Save to cloud or Sync current song stems.
The desktop app encrypts stems before upload. Another signed-in desktop can unlock the vault, download the encrypted files, and decrypt them locally.
Use Restore from cloud only when you intend to replace the local copy with the synced version.

Passphrase warning: changing the vault passphrase re-wraps the vault key; it does not send the passphrase to Basstab Pro. Losing the passphrase may make synced stems unrecoverable, so retain the original local files.

Export or print a tab

Load an unlocked song and choose the PDF icon.
On desktop, Basstab Pro generates a Letter-size PDF in Downloads and opens it in your PDF viewer.
On web, the browser’s print preview opens. Select Save as PDF or a printer.

The export includes the current tab view and available song metadata. Make tuning, transpose, and tab edits before exporting.

Privacy, storage, and copyright

Web: audio is uploaded privately for processing and deleted after analysis. The account retains structured analysis, waveform data, metadata, and tab edits.
Desktop: analysis audio and stems stay local by default. Cloud library import sends structured analysis, not playable audio.
Stem sync: is optional, desktop-only, and available for unlocked songs. Stems are encrypted locally before upload.
Copyright: upload or process only recordings you own or have permission to use. The app’s private processing model does not replace your legal obligations.

Troubleshooting

Desktop says setup is required

Choose Install Demucs, keep the computer online, and wait for the model phase to finish. If setup fails, retry after confirming sufficient disk space and an unrestricted network connection.

A song will not process

Confirm the file is a supported audio format, is not empty, is within the 500 MB/20-minute cloud limit, and can play in another application. On web, refresh your sign-in and verify no earlier job is still running.

Desktop has a tab but no playable audio

A web-analyzed library song contains no audio. Choose the same source file on desktop to create local stems, or restore encrypted stems if you previously synced them from another desktop.

An advanced control is locked

Sign in and upgrade the current song. If the control requires live audio, use the desktop app and ensure local stems are available.

Payment completed but the balance did not refresh

Return to the original Basstab Pro window, remain signed into the same account, and use the checkout status/confirmation action if offered. Refreshing the page or reopening the app also reloads the balance.

Still need help?

Open the account menu and choose Support. Include the song name, platform, app version, and the exact error text, but do not send passwords or vault passphrases.