Windows VST3 plug-in for guitar and bass
Play your normal guitar. Hear it in maqam.
MicroFret listens to your guitar and retunes each note to the quarter tones of the scale you choose, live. On a regular guitar with regular frets.
14 days, everything unlocked. No card, no account.
Hear the same line twice
- 7 msLive mode, single notesStudio mode: about 30 ms, the most accurate result
- Chords retuned tooEvery note of a strummed chord
- 30 factory presetsPresets keep your amp chain too
- Guitar and bassSwitch Guitar/Bass in the plug-in
Before and after
Hear the difference
The same guitar line, twice. First as played in ordinary 12-note tuning, then through MicroFret set to maqam Rast. Headphones recommended.
Listen to the third and seventh notes of the scale: in Rast they sit a quarter tone lower than a normal guitar can play them. Switching while it plays keeps your place.
How it works
Three steps
Tune
Press TUNER and tune your guitar. Standard tuning, Drop D, DADGAD, open tunings and 7-string are built in. The tuner can read one string, or all open strings at once.
Pick a maqam and key
Choose the maqam and its tonic. The pitch map shows what changes on each fret, and the built-in guide shows the notes, the home note and how to play it.
Play
Fret as you always do. MicroFret retunes each note by the maqam’s offset as you play, and you can load your amp sim inside it. Hover any control for a tip.
Inside the plug-in
Made to be played
Who it is for
Three kinds of player
Maqam players
Play Arabic, Persian, Turkish or Iraqi music on a normal guitar, with the notes that sit between the frets.
Guitarists who want to start
Every maqam has a guide with its notes, its home note and a fretboard map. New to maqam? Start with the guide.
Bass players
Switch Guitar/Bass in the plug-in.
Features
What it does
Maqam library
Arabic, Persian and Iraqi maqamat, Turkish makams (53-comma), just intonation and equal divisions of the octave. Every maqam has its own guide.
Play modes
Notes, Chords, Snap and Practice. Chords retunes every note of a strummed chord; Snap pulls fretless playing to the maqam’s notes.
Live and Studio
Live: 7 ms for single notes, made for playing. Studio: about 30 ms, the most accurate result. Direction: Auto, Up or Down.
Make it yours
Edit any note in cents, start from 30 factory presets, compare with A/B, automate the maqam or switch it by MIDI. Presets keep your amp chain.
Practice tools
A tuner, a drone on the tonic and an ear trainer. Or give it a recording of one voice and it sets the pitch map from what it hears.
Open formats and hosts
Import and export Scala files, export a tuning file for Live 12 or share with MTS-ESP synths. Four slots for your amp sims. Hexaphonic pickups where the host allows.
All features and details
Maqam library
Arabic, Persian and Iraqi maqamat, Turkish makams (53-comma system), just intonation and equal divisions of the octave. Every maqam and dastgah has its own guide.
Notes, Chords, Snap, Practice
Notes for single-note lines. Chords retunes every note of a strummed chord. Snap pulls fretless playing to the maqam’s notes. Practice retunes nothing and shows how far you are from each note.
Live and Studio
Live mode is for playing: 7 ms for single notes. Studio mode takes about 30 ms and gives the most accurate result, for recorded tracks, where the host compensates for the delay.
Going up and coming down
Some maqamat change a note with the direction of the melody. Auto follows your playing, or you can force up or down.
Edit any note
Slide any note on the fingerboard pitch map by cents, type a value, or reset it. Save it as a preset.
Tuner, drone, ear trainer
A chromatic tuner, a drone on the tonic, and an ear trainer that plays a phrase and listens while you play it back.
Learn from a recording
Give it a recording of one voice or one melody instrument and it sets the pitch map from the notes it hears.
Scala and synths
Import and export .scl files. Export a tuning file for Live 12, or share the maqam with MTS-ESP synths (needs the free MTS-ESP library).
Amp sims inside
Four slots for your own amp sims and effects. Retuning always happens before the amp.
Presets, A/B, automation
Presets keep everything, including the amp chain. Compare two setups with A/B. Maqam and tonic can be automated or switched by MIDI.
Hexaphonic pickups
With a pickup that gives every string its own channel, and a host that can send 6 to 8 channels into one effect, each string is retuned on its own.
No internet, ever
The plug-in never connects to the internet. A licence key is checked on your computer.
Pricing
Try it for 14 days, then decide
Step 1
Try it free
14 days, every feature unlocked. No card, no account.
- Download and install. The 14 days start the first time you load MicroFret.
- Everything works during the trial.
- When it ends, retuning stops and your guitar passes through unchanged until you enter a licence key. Your projects still open and your amp slots keep working. Enter a key and everything comes back at once.
Step 2
Own it
Launch price Price for your country
$3552,500 IQD
Regular price: $Regular price: IQD
About $35
Your card is charged the equivalent in Iraqi dinar.
- The complete plug-in, nothing held back
- One licence key, shown on screen right after payment (we also email a copy)
- The key does not expire and is checked offline
Pay with
- Visa
- Mastercard
You pay on a secure payment page by Wayl. I never see your card.
Payment is taken in Iraqi dinar (IQD) through Wayl. Wayl shows you the exact amount before you pay.
All sales are final · try free for 14 days first
Why do I see a different price?
The price is chosen from your country by the server. Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, Yemen, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, Iran and Türkiye see the regional price. Everyone else, including the Gulf, sees the global price.
Specifications
The details
- Format
- VST3 plug-in (audio effect)
- System
- Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit
- Hosts
- Tested in Ableton Live. It is a standard VST3 plug-in, so other VST3 hosts should work: tell me if one does not.
- Latency
- Live mode: 7 ms for single notes. Studio mode: about 30 ms, the most accurate result.
- Chords
- Yes, chords are retuned too
- Bass
- Yes. Switch Guitar/Bass in the plug-in.
- Presets
- 30 factory presets
- Input
- A clean guitar signal (DI) on an audio track
- Internet
- Never needed
- Mac
- Planned
- Trial
- 14 days, everything unlocked
Questions
FAQ
Does it work on bass?
Yes. Switch Guitar/Bass in the plug-in.
How does the trial work?
You get 14 days with every feature, counted from the first time you load MicroFret on your computer. No card and no account are needed. Download it from the trial page.
What happens when the trial ends?
Retuning stops and your guitar passes through dry, in time with the plug-in’s delay, until you enter a licence key. Your projects still open normally and the amp slots keep working. Entering a key turns everything back on immediately.
Does it work with chords, or only single notes?
Both. Notes mode is for single-note lines and has the lowest delay. Chords mode detects every note in a strummed chord and retunes it.
How much latency is there?
Live mode adds 7 ms for single notes, which is made for playing. Studio mode adds about 30 ms and gives the most accurate result; on recorded tracks your host compensates for it. Your audio interface adds its own delay too: a buffer of 64 or 128 samples keeps it short.
Do I need an internet connection?
No. The plug-in never needs the internet, not to activate, not to check your licence, not to play. Your key is checked on your own computer. This website is only for buying and downloading.
What do I need to play it?
A Windows 10 or 11 computer, a VST3 host such as Ableton Live, and a clean guitar signal on an audio track (the direct input of an audio interface). MicroFret works best on the guitar’s own signal, before any amp or effect, and you can load your amp sims inside it.
How do I pay?
You pay by card, Visa or Mastercard, on a secure payment page by Wayl. Your licence key appears on the screen right after payment, and we also email a copy. Your card is charged the equivalent in Iraqi dinar.
Through Wayl, an Iraqi payment service: Visa, Mastercard, ZainCash, FIB and FastPay. You pay in Iraqi dinar. Your licence key appears on the screen right after payment, and we also email a copy.
Why is my price different?
The price is chosen from your country by the server. Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, Yemen, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, Iran and Türkiye see the regional price. Everyone else, including the Gulf, sees the global price.
Can I get a refund?
All sales are final. MicroFret has a 14-day free trial with every feature unlocked, so please try it before you buy. Licence keys are delivered instantly and cannot be returned. See the terms.
Does it work with hexaphonic pickups?
Yes, with a pickup that gives every string its own output and a host that can send 6 to 8 channels into one effect (for example Reaper). Then every string is retuned on its own. Ableton Live gives an effect two channels, so in Live use the normal single-signal input.
Is there a Mac version?
A Mac version is planned. There is no date yet.
I have a question that is not here.
Write to me through the contact page.
Ready to hear your guitar in maqam?
Download the free 14-day trial. Nothing to sign up for.
Made by Ibrahim Sinjarian. Contact me