Models
The models are what write your charts. They run on your own device, so each one downloads once before its first chart. Fretformer 2 is the latest, and new projects start with it.
Which one
- Fretformer 2RecommendedWrites charts.952 MBwith Inpaint500 MB
- InpaintRedoes the parts you pick.Included665 MBwhen you first run it
- Fretformer 1The first model. Writes charts.693 MBNot available
- Fretformer 2 LiteExperimentalSkips stem separation, so it's faster but less accurate.555 MB555 MB
Fretformer 2 with Inpaint takes about 1.2 GB of storage either way. On desktop it's one download, and the files they share only download once. In the browser, Inpaint comes separately. Lite includes its own Inpaint.
Fretformer 2 follows the guitar more closely than Fretformer 1, and it marks solos and sections. Use Lite only when stem separation is too slow on your device.
How it works
A chart takes three steps, all on your device:
- Separate. The song is split into its instruments, so the guitar can be heard on its own.
- Find the beat. The beats and tempo changes become the chart's timing.
- Write the notes. The model listens and writes the chart for the difficulty you pick.
Separating is the slowest step. Lite skips it and listens to the whole mix, which is why it's faster and less accurate.
Download
Desktop: download a model from Settings → Models, or press Download and generate in Generate. Fretformer 2 is one 952 MB download with everything it needs, Inpaint included.
Browser: a model downloads the first time you use it: 500 MB for Fretformer 2. Inpaint is a separate 665 MB the first time you run it.
Models come from Hugging Face. After that, charts are made offline.
Picking a model
Each project writes its takes with one model. Two places decide which, and neither changes takes you've already made.
| Where | What it sets |
|---|---|
| Settings → Models | The model every new project starts with. Click a row to pick it. Out of the box, that's Fretformer 2. |
| The model menu in Generate | The model for this project's next takes, without touching other projects. It's at the top of the panel. |
A model you pick before it's downloaded still works: the button in Generate becomes Download and generate. In a browser that needs Lite, new projects start with Lite instead.
Inpaint
Inpaint comes with Fretformer 2. It rewrites the bars you pick and keeps the rest of the take, hearing the whole song so the new part fits.
Turn on Write whole charts (Beta) on its row in Settings to also use it in Generate for a whole chart, and to pick it for new projects. It's still experimental.
Lite
Lite is offered when your device can't separate stems in reasonable time. You can also download it from Settings → Models at any time.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Separation is slow | If separating a song over a minute long will take more than twice the song's length, Generate offers Lite. |
| Low-memory browser | In a browser with 2 GB of memory or less, or on a phone or tablet without graphics access, new projects start with Lite. |
Lite charts follow the melody less closely. If Fretformer 2 runs at all on your device, it's the better choice.
Where they're kept
Desktop: in the Model files folder, set in Settings → Folders. Fretformer 2 and Inpaint take about 1.2 GB there, more than the download, because each keeps its own copy of the files they share.
Browser: in the browser's storage for this site, about 1.2 GB once you've used both. Settings → Models shows how much is stored and has Remove all. A removed model downloads again the next time you use it.