Download and install

Install

1. Download the disk image

   Click the download button above. You get a small .dmg file. Open it when the download is done.

2. Drag the app to Applications

   In the window that opens, drag Keybeat onto the Applications folder. Then eject the disk image. You can delete the .dmg file afterwards.

3. Open it the first time

   Keybeat is not yet notarized by Apple, so macOS stops it the first time and says it cannot check the app. This is expected. Click Done, not Move to Trash.

   Then open System Settings > Privacy & Security and scroll down to the Security section. You see a line saying Keybeat was blocked. Click Open Anyway, confirm with your password or Touch ID, and click Open. You only do this once.

4. Allow audio recording

   The first time Keybeat runs, macOS asks for permission to record system audio. This is how the app hears what your Mac plays. Click Allow.

   If you missed the prompt, or said no, turn it on by hand: System Settings > Privacy & Security > Audio Recording, then switch on Keybeat. On newer macOS versions the section is called Screen & System Audio Recording. The exact name depends on your macOS version.

   If you choose Microphone under Listen to, macOS asks for microphone permission separately. That switch is under Privacy & Security > Microphone.

5. Enter your license key

   The first time, Keybeat asks for your license key. It starts with KEYBEAT- and is in your order email. Copy it, click Paste, then Activate. Your Mac needs to be online for this one step.

   Your license works on 2 Macs at a time. To move it to a new Mac, open License… in the menu on the old Mac and click Deactivate. You can also do this in the customer portal.

6. Find it in the menu bar

   The app lives in the menu bar at the top right of the screen, next to the clock. It does not show in the Dock. Play some music and the key and BPM appear within a few seconds. Click the readout to open the menu.

7. Quit and uninstall

   To quit, click the readout and choose Quit Keybeat. To uninstall, first open License… and click Deactivate, so the slot is free for another Mac. Then drag the app from Applications to the Trash. The audio permission stays listed in System Settings until you remove it there.

Troubleshooting

Nothing shows in the menu bar readout

Is something actually playing? The app shows a dash until it hears music. Then check Listen to in the menu: System Audio hears what the Mac plays, Microphone hears the room. Finally, check that the audio recording permission is on in System Settings, and restart the app after changing it.

The BPM looks half or double

Some tracks fit both readings, especially loops with very even hi-hats. Open Tempo Range in the menu and pick a narrower preset. 100 to 200 BPM is right for most club music. 40 to 80 is for very slow material; Auto cannot go below 60.

The reading jumps around

Give it about 20 seconds. The key is built from the last 20 seconds of music, so right after a track change the reading is still catching up. Intros with no clear beat or no chords also take longer. Use Reset to start fresh.

I plugged in headphones and it went quiet

It should not. The app follows the output device automatically when you plug in headphones or switch speakers. If it does stop, choose Reset or quit and reopen the app, and let us know.

There is a purple dot in the menu bar

That is macOS showing that an app is listening to audio. Every app that records audio gets it. It goes away when you pause listening or quit the app. The audio still stays on your Mac.

I chose Microphone and hear nothing

Check System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone and make sure the app is switched on. Then check that the right microphone is selected as the input in System Settings > Sound.

Something else

Email hello@triplefourapp.com. Tell us your macOS version and what you were playing. We answer every message.

Not sure what a reading means? How it works explains the confidence number and the two-key display.