https://github.com/madisonrickert/abletab

AbleTab: view any Ableton Live MIDI clip as guitar tablature, pick a tuning, and export PDF or ASCII tab
https://github.com/madisonrickert/abletab

ableton ableton-extensions ableton-live guitar-tablature midi music-notation

Last synced: 6 days ago
JSON representation

AbleTab: view any Ableton Live MIDI clip as guitar tablature, pick a tuning, and export PDF or ASCII tab

• Host: GitHub
• URL: https://github.com/madisonrickert/abletab
• Owner: madisonrickert
• License: mit
• Created: 2026-06-10T00:34:01.000Z (13 days ago)
• Default Branch: main
• Last Pushed: 2026-06-10T20:07:39.000Z (12 days ago)
• Last Synced: 2026-06-10T20:19:53.342Z (12 days ago)
• Topics: ableton, ableton-extensions, ableton-live, guitar-tablature, midi, music-notation
• Language: TypeScript
• Homepage:
• Size: 3.61 MB
• Stars: 1
• Watchers: 0
• Forks: 0
• Open Issues: 0
• Metadata Files:
  • Readme: README.md
  • License: LICENSE

Awesome Lists containing this project

README

          
# AbleTab

[![CI](https://github.com/madisonrickert/abletab/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/madisonrickert/abletab/actions/workflows/ci.yml)

[![Latest release](https://img.shields.io/github/v/release/madisonrickert/abletab?label=release)](https://github.com/madisonrickert/abletab/releases/latest)

[![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/github/license/madisonrickert/abletab)](LICENSE)

[![Ableton Live Suite 12.4.5+](https://img.shields.io/badge/Ableton%20Live%20Suite-12.4.5%2B-black)](https://www.ableton.com/en/live/extensions)

[![Stars](https://img.shields.io/github/stars/madisonrickert/abletab?style=flat)](https://github.com/madisonrickert/abletab/stargazers)

View any MIDI clip in Ableton Live as stringed-instrument tablature. Pick an instrument preset or dial in a custom tuning, then export **PDF** or **ASCII tab**. Built on the [Ableton Live Extensions SDK](https://www.ableton.com/en/live/extensions) (beta).

![AbleTab: see any MIDI clip as guitar tab, pick a tuning or instrument, and export PDF or ASCII tab](docs/social-preview.png)

## Features

- **Smart tab conversion**: Renders a selected MIDI clip as monospace tablature. Fingerings are chosen by [tutts](https://github.com/madisonrickert/tutts), an HMM/Viterbi engine that picks the easiest playable path across the whole clip.

- **Instrument presets**: Standard Guitar, Drop D, DADGAD, Open G, 7-String Guitar, Bass, and Ukulele, plus a fully custom mode: 4 to 8 strings, any per-string tuning, configurable fret count.

- **Quantize**: Snap onsets to a 1/4 to 1/32 grid, or turn snapping off.

- **Octave shift with range detection**: When a part sits outside the instrument's range, an info bar offers the one-click octave shift that fits it best; or shift manually from the Tuning menu.

- **Export**: **PDF** and **ASCII tab** (`.txt`, wrapped at a column width you choose).

## Install

Download the latest **`.ablx`** from the [**Releases** page](https://github.com/madisonrickert/abletab/releases/latest), then:

1. In Ableton Live, open **Preferences → Extensions** (with Developer Mode **off**, so Live manages the extension).

2. Drag the `.ablx` onto that page.

3. Right-click any MIDI clip → **Extensions → Show Tab**.

Requires **Ableton Live Suite 12.4.5 or newer with Extensions** (currently in beta).

![The AbleTab window floating over a Live Set, showing a MIDI clip rendered as tablature](docs/screenshot-live.png)

### Limitations

- The time signature comes from the first scene of the Set (the SDK does not expose the clip's own scene or the global signature); clips in other signatures render with the first scene's barring.

- Tab is read-only: note edits happen in Live's piano roll.

## Build from source

This project depends on the Ableton Extensions SDK, which is not published to npm and is not bundled here. Obtain it from Ableton, then:

```bash

cp .env.example .env          # set ABLETON_SDK_PATH to your unpacked SDK

npm run setup                 # vendor the SDK tarballs + install

npm start                     # build + run in the Extensions CLI

```

| Command | Purpose |

|---|---|

| `npm test` | Pure unit tests (CI-safe; no SDK needed). |

| `npm run test:integration` | `tutts` pipeline + license-notice tests. |

| `npm run typecheck` | Type-check the Node side + the webview. |

| `npm run build` | Production build → `dist/extension.js`. |

| `npm run package` | Build the installable `.ablx` into `release/`. |

## Acknowledgements

Fingering algorithm is powered by [tutts](https://github.com/madisonrickert/tutts), a TypeScript port of [tuttut](https://github.com/natecdr/tuttut).

## Other extensions by the developer

AbleTab is my third extension. Go check out my others!

- [Sheet Music](https://github.com/madisonrickert/ableton-sheet-music-extension): View an Ableton Live MIDI clip as sheet music

- [AbleVSEP](https://github.com/madisonrickert/ablevsep): Separate any audio clip into stems with any of MVSEP's 100+ models, right inside Ableton Live