M-Player for Mac: Fretlight guitar companion software

Optek Music Systems on Monday announced M-Player for the Mac, its Fretlight guitar companion software title. Developed to work in conjunction with a Mac and a Fretlight 400 Series guitar, M-Player enables beginner- and advanced-level guitar players to shave weeks off the time it historically takes to learn to play a new song. Described as the world's first real computer-powered teaching guitar, the company says the software is ideal for Guitar Hero or Rock Band video gamers who want to learn to play their favorite songs on a real guitar. M-Player for Mac works by lighting up the chords and scales on the Fretlight guitar, showing correct finger placement.

M-Player ships with seven popular MIDI demo songs with hundreds of popular songs available individually or in bundles, including the likes of The Beatles' Black Bird, Kid Rock's Picture and U2's Where the Streets Have No Name. Users can not only hear the song and see the chords and scales light up on the guitar, but can also slow down the tempo, loop sections, create custom markers or solo different instruments.

The software also includes transport controls (Play, Pause, Stop, Fast Forward, Rewind, and Loop Points), song tempo adjustment in real-time from 10 percent to 120 percent of the actual song tempo. Users can also set loop points for repeating and studying any part of a song and create a song marker selection at any time with the click of a button. The commands are also accessible from the optional dual-footswitch

“Since M-Player's PC release over two years ago, Macintosh users have been demanding a solution that they can use too,” said Rusty Shaffer, President & CEO. “With more and more guitar players using Macs to record, edit and produce music, it is our goal to make all of our software Mac-compatible by late 2008.”

Connected via the USB port, Fretlight guitars allow users to learn, memorize, and play a variety of rhythm and lead guitar for mastering classical, blues, rock, country and heavy metal music.

M-Player for Mac is compatible with Mac OS X and higher. A sound card and a USB port is required. A free, two week trial is available online, while the full version is $40.

Filed under: software, audio
Other story tags: guitar