build 155
1 Load→
2 Trim→
3 Key & position→
4 Grab Tabs
Why an isolated track?
TAB-GRABBER’s mission is to find the “one” melody/solo line. When several instruments play together, their notes overlap and it can’t tell which one is the right one — so the tabs come out messy or wrong.
For the best results, feed it an isolated (solo) recording of a single wind-type instrument — harmonica, sax, trumpet and similar.
Full-band recording? Use our top tier separator — the same engine used by commercial and film studios. Its technology is the best in the industry, and significantly outperforms all other offerings — particularly for wind instruments like harmonica. Just hit ✂ Isolate instrument first and the isolated track loads back in automatically. Or run it through a separator of your choice and select the “Wind” stem — that’s where harmonica, sax and trumpet end up (there’s usually no dedicated “harmonica” stem) — then load that stem here.
Quick tips:
- Trim to just the solo section or the part you’re interested in.
- Set the correct harp key and position — before or after “grabbing”. Otherwise the program will have to guess at those details.
- To accurately assess the tabbing, compare with the “Playback Voice” on — it plays the actual tabs that are shown.
Isolating real instruments is always a moving target. Expect a few missed notes. Most recordings will work great; a few can be near impossible to capture with any degree of success. The quality of the recording and proper isolation is the biggest barrier.
Before you start
- One instrument, isolated. TAB-GRABBER tracks a single wind-type instrument. Full-band recording? Hit ✂ Isolate instrument first and the isolated track loads back in on its own.
- Trim first. Drag across the waveform to select just the part you want — grabs are cleaner and isolation is faster and cheaper (it is billed by the minute).
- Set the harp key and position. Before or after grabbing — without them the tabs land on the wrong holes.
- Grab once, then adjust. Most Fine-tune controls update the tabs instantly. When a change needs a fresh scan, the Grab Tabs button glows in the bar at the top — one click.
- Fix single notes. Right-click any tab (or turn on “✎ Fix a note”) to change it, delete it, or shift its octave — or type the exact tab you want.
- Check with your ears. “Play original + tabs” plays the real recording while each tab lights up. Tick “layer the tab tone over the original” to hear the tabs sound on top of the recording — a wrong note jumps straight out. Blend it with Tab volume.
- Expect a few misses. A rough draft of a clean solo is the goal — fix the odd octave jump or fast note, then export.
- Save and export your work. “Save Tabs” makes a text file, “Save Audio/Tabs” makes a player with the real audio in it — and “Export to Fab Tabs” carries your tabs into Fab Tabs, where you can transpose them to any harp key or position, see scale degrees, play along at any speed, and share licks online with Lick-Share.
Fine print: recordings you send for isolation are processed and deleted within 24 hours. Everything else — grabbing, playback, saving — happens on your own computer. Please only upload recordings you have the right to use.
Ask me!
My tabs are messy or full of wrong notes
Nine times out of ten the recording is not isolated enough. TAB-GRABBER tracks ONE wind-type instrument — if a band is playing behind it, hit ✂ Isolate instrument first. Amplified, distorted or roomy recordings are always harder than clean ones.
What does “Isolate instrument first” do?
It sends your selection to our top tier separator, pulls the wind instrument (harmonica, sax, trumpet) out of the band, and loads the isolated track straight back in — nothing to download or re-load yourself. Selecting just the solo first makes it faster and cheaper.
Why is the Grab Tabs button glowing?
A setting that changes what the scanner hears (the selection, Tuning ref, or Scanning speed) has changed since the last grab — the current tabs are stale. Hit the glowing button to rescan. The button in the bar at the top is the same button, always in reach.
The whole take is an octave off
Use the OCTAVES row above the tabs: “Tabs” shifts the written tabs (harmonica recordings often read an octave high — try −1). “Auto octave” in Fine-tune normally handles this on its own.
Single notes jump up an octave for a beat
Those are ghost harmonics. Set Note Check to Normal — it drops them. If they survive, pull Capture down one step. On amplified harp avoid Strong: it can delete real notes.
Fast licks or quick bends get missed
Set Scanning speed to Careful or Very careful (needs a Regrab) and keep Busy-Adaptive On — fast passages then accept shorter notes instead of swallowing them.
What is Pitch Verify?
After a grab it re-measures every note against the actual audio using harp physics — for example a natural note can never read sharp, so a “sharp 4+” is really a flat 4′ bend. It fixes bends that landed on the wrong note.
What are My Cal and Bend Physics? Why turn them off for horns?
They are harmonica-specific: My Cal verifies pitches against real harp tunings, Bend Physics applies harp bend rules. A sax playing slightly sharp is legitimate — these rules would fight it, so the Horns preset turns them off.
The Tuning ref changed by itself
After a grab the system measures the whole recording. If it runs 8 cents or more off pitch, the Tuning ref is corrected for you and Grab Tabs lights up — you will see “Track tuning has been corrected” with an undo link under the box. Nothing applies until you Regrab.
What files can I load?
mp3, wav, m4a, ogg, flac — plus mp4, mov and webm video (the audio is pulled out automatically).
How do I get these tabs into Fab Tabs?
Hit “⬇ Save .fabtab” in the play dock, then import that file in Fab Tabs. Colours, bends and held notes carry over.
What is the FAB- licence key box for?
Isolation credits are attached to your Fab Tabs licence key. Enter the key and the app shows your credit balance; each successful isolation uses credits based on the length you send.
Tabs sound right but sit too high or low when played back
The OCTAVES row has two controls: “Tabs” changes what is written, “Playback tone” changes only the sound. They move together while “linked” is ticked — untick it to set them separately.
Why does my file say “(isolated)”?
That is the separated track that came back from the isolation step — it replaced the full-band version in the app. The original file on your computer is untouched.
Can I fix one wrong note?
Yes. Right-click the tab (or turn on “✎ Fix a note” and click it). You can swap it for a nearby tab, type the exact tab you want, shift that one note an octave, or delete it. Fixes survive setting changes and go into every save; a fresh Regrab starts clean.
Can I change how tabs are written (6+ vs -6 vs 6d)?
Yes — the Tab format control in the sidebar has the same four formats as Fab Tabs: Conventional (6 / -6), Minimal (6+ / 6), Letters (6b / 6d) and +/- Symbols (+6 / -6). It changes the display and the saved files, and the app remembers your choice.
Do I have to enter my licence key every time?
No. A purchased copy comes with your licence already inside it, and a key you type is remembered by your browser — once is enough.
Are there upload limits?
Only for isolation: up to 30 MB and 5 minutes of audio per run, and up to 40 isolations a day per licence. Grabbing, playback and saving have no limits — they run entirely on your own computer.
What happens to recordings I upload?
Files go to the server only for isolation. They are processed and deleted within 24 hours, and nothing else ever leaves your computer. You are responsible for having the right to use the recordings you upload.
Do I need an internet connection?
Only for the Isolate step. Everything else — grabbing tabs, playback, fine-tuning, saving — works offline.
Is Fab Tabs included?
Tab-Grabber and Fab Tabs are separate programs. Tab-Grabber turns recordings into tabs and saves them as text or an audio player; if you also own Fab Tabs, the “Export to Fab Tabs” button carries your tabs across.