Tablature editor for macOS
Write tab.
Hear your own tone.
Tonograph reads and writes .gp files, and plays what you wrote through a signal chain you build yourself. It runs entirely offline, with no account and no telemetry.
The free version does everything except write to disk.
Included with the app
Hear it first
3 original pieces ship with the app. Everything you hear was synthesised by the app itself — no sample libraries, no external plug-ins.
Amber Drift
E minor, 96 BPM. Lead, rhythm, bass and drums.
waveform + play Paper Lantern
D Mixolydian in Drop D, 3/4. A solo acoustic waltz.
waveform + play Indigo Hours
B Dorian, 76 BPM. Neo-soul with a quiet backing.
waveform + play
Written for Tonograph. Yours to use freely.
Four things it does well
A real editor
Keyboard-first editing, undo and redo on every operation, multiple tracks and voices, and standard notation beside the tab.
Resonance Engine
Your score plays through a chain you assemble: 22 pedal models across 10 categories, with a mixer for every track.
.gp compatibility
Reads gp3, gp4, gp5, gpx, gp, and writes .gp — so your library and the people you play with stay reachable.
Print-quality PDF
Vector output at A4 or Letter, with margins, scale, headers and page numbers.
Resonance Engine
Play the score with your own tone
Most notation apps hand playback to a fixed sound set. Tonograph sends it through a pedalboard you arrange yourself, so the phrase you just wrote comes back in the tone you actually play.
Real pedals, in order
Drag to reorder, bypass, and save presets. Overdrive, fuzz, modulation, delay, reverb, amp and cabinet.
Articulation reaches the sound
Palm mutes, dead notes, harmonics, slaps and taps change the tone, not just the volume.
Nothing to download
Every instrument is synthesised in the app. No sample packs, no external plug-ins.
Model Context Protocol
Write with AI, inside the app
Tonograph speaks MCP. Point an AI client such as Claude Desktop at it, and the model works on the score you have open — reading it, editing it, and looking at the rendered notation to check its own work.
The live score, not a copy
24 tools cover reading, editing, undo and redo. Changes land in the same undo history as your own.
It can see what it wrote
The model can request a rendered image of any range of bars and verify the notation itself.
You stay in control
Approval mode shows a diff of every change and waits for your yes. The server is off by default and listens only on your own machine.
“Add a two-bar turnaround in bar 31, same voicing as bar 15.” → getBarRange · setFret ×6 · getScoreImage → waiting for approval …
Included in the free version. Only saving and exporting are held back.
Light and dark, both native
A single window that follows your system appearance, with a unified title bar and translucent chrome.
Software you own
One-time purchase
Bought once on the Mac App Store. There is no subscription.
Fully offline
Every feature works with no network connection.
No account
There is nothing to sign up for and nothing to sign in to.
No telemetry
Tonograph collects nothing about you, your Mac or your scores.
Made by one person, in the open
Tonograph is built at Noop, LLC. by Kazuyuki Hayashi — who we are, and why this exists.
Free and paid
One rule decides everything: the free version does everything except write to disk.
| Feature | Free | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Open .gp files (gp3, gp4, gp5, gpx, gp) | Included | Included |
| Resonance Engine (22 pedal models, mixer) | Included | Included |
| AI (MCP) — reading and editing | Included | Included |
| Save (.tonograph) | Not included | Included |
| Export .gp | Not included | Included |
| Export PDF, and print | Not included | Included |
Questions
- What is the difference between the free and paid versions?
- The free version opens, edits and plays scores, and works with AI. It cannot save, export .gp, or export PDF. Nothing else is held back.
- Can I open my Guitar Pro files?
- Yes. Tonograph reads gp3, gp4, gp5, gpx, gp and writes .gp. It is not affiliated with Arobas Music.
- Does it need an internet connection?
- No. Every feature works offline, and the app sends nothing anywhere.
- Which Macs are supported?
- macOS 12.0 or later, on both Apple Silicon and Intel.
Start with the free version
Open your .gp files, play them through the Resonance Engine, and decide afterwards.