Compiled by Amit KumarTonefold is a free, open-source desktop app for macOS and Windows that turns a plain-language description of a song into chords, melody, bass and drums you can edit note by note, then exports MIDI and WAV. The app costs $0. Its chat composer runs on your own Claude Code login or a free Ollama model.
Tonefold in one paragraph
Tonefold is an AI music composer for songwriters and producers who want editable parts, not a finished audio file. You describe a mood, a key or a change in a chat panel, and the app writes notes into eleven kinds of layers, from chords and melody to bass, pads, arpeggios and drums. A built-in General MIDI synth plays the result at once, and you can export MIDI, a stereo WAV mix or one WAV per layer. The app is GPL-3.0 and free to download. Tonefold does not sell a plan: the chat composer uses your own Claude account through Claude Code, and the app shows the cost of each turn, or it runs on an Ollama model for free. Generation, playback, editing and export run on your own computer. An optional CLAP/VST3 plugin puts the same composer inside a DAW, with FL Studio as the tested host. Version 1.4.0 came out on 7 October 2026.
What is Tonefold used for?
Tonefold is used to sketch and build an arrangement as MIDI. You can start from nothing, or write a melody and ask it to fit chords underneath. Each part lives on its own layer and section, so you can lock the chords you like and ask for a new bass line without losing the rest.
It does not produce a mastered song with vocals. You get notes, played through general-purpose sounds, to refine by hand or take into your own production setup.
What Tonefold does
These features are listed on the vendor site and in the project's README on GitHub, read on 8 October 2026:
- Eleven layer kinds: chords, melody, bass, drums, pads, arpeggios, plucks, counter-melody, harmony, sub and percussion.
- Song sections with a role (intro, verse, chorus, bridge, outro) and a length in bars.
- A full piano roll: draw, move and resize notes, a velocity lane, drum lanes, a scrubbable playhead and playable keys. The composer sees your manual edits on its next turn.
- A built-in General MIDI synth, using the GeneralUser GS soundfont by S. Christian Collins, so you hear the song before choosing instruments.
- Export as MIDI, a stereo WAV mix, or one WAV stem per layer. You can also mute, lock or drag any layer out as MIDI.
- Humanised playback. The project's changelog describes repeats that are re-performed rather than copied, six groove templates chosen by style, sustain pedal at chord changes and pitch-bend glides on 808 bass.
- Two chat modes. Composer mode makes quick one-off changes. Producer mode first proposes a plan with key, tempo, form and the exact layer and section each step will touch.
- An optional CLAP and VST3 plugin, plus a command-line tool and a skill file so Claude Code or Codex can compose through the CLI.
How Producer mode works
Producer mode is the most unusual part. The Producer mode section of the site explains that a producer agent reads the session and proposes the work, and nothing is written until you approve. The app enforces that approval itself, rather than asking the model nicely in a prompt.
After you approve, four specialists each write only their own layers: harmony and form, melody and topline, rhythm section, and arrangement and mix. The producer then checks the app's own ledger of what actually changed against the plan. A single button reverts the whole run.
How it runs on your computer
The architecture notes describe a native Rust app with its own sound engine. The composer is a small Node.js sidecar built on Anthropic's Claude Agent SDK. It talks to the app over a WebSocket on your own machine.
Only the chat needs a language model. You choose between your own Claude login through Claude Code, or an Ollama server on the same PC or elsewhere on your network. The usage guide adds that the chat header has a model picker (default, sonnet or opus) and a Claude/Ollama switch. On Ollama it asks for a model with tool calling, and warns that a model too big for your GPU can take minutes per turn.
The install instructions list one universal macOS build for Apple Silicon and Intel (macOS 11 or later) and a Windows 10/11 zip that installs without an administrator prompt. The DAW plugins need one administrator prompt on Windows. The chat composer also needs Node.js and either Claude Code signed in or an Ollama server.
Who Tonefold is for, and who should skip it
It suits:
- Songwriters and beatmakers who want a starting arrangement they can edit note by note.
- FL Studio users who want the composer inside the DAW as a plugin.
- People who already pay for Claude and use Claude Code, since the chat composer runs on that login.
- Privacy-minded users who can run a local Ollama model and keep everything on their own network.
Skip it if:
- You want a finished, sung track from a text prompt. Tonefold writes instrumental parts as notes, not mastered audio.
- You are not comfortable installing Node.js, signing in to Claude Code or running an Ollama server. Without one of them, the AI chat does not work.
- You need Logic Pro or GarageBand support today. An Audio Unit plugin is on the roadmap, and only FL Studio is tested as a host.
- Your organisation blocks apps that are not notarized by Apple. The macOS build is not notarized yet.
Plans and prices
| Plan | Price | What you get | Free-tier stop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tonefold app (GPL-3.0) | $0 | Standalone app for macOS and Windows: piano roll, eleven layer kinds, built-in synth, MIDI and WAV export | None. There is no paid tier and no account |
| CLAP/VST3 plugin and CLI | $0 | The same composer inside a DAW, plus command-line composing | None |
| Chat composer on Claude | No Tonefold fee | Composer and Producer modes using your own Claude Code login | Usage is billed through your own Anthropic account; the app shows the cost of each turn and does not cap spend |
| Chat composer on Ollama | $0 | The same chat on a local or network Ollama model | Limited by your own hardware; no cost is shown because nothing leaves your network |
Tonefold does not publish what a typical song costs on Claude. The 1.2.0 notes in the changelog say cost per turn and per session is shown in the panel and nothing is capped, so the model you pick controls spend.
Is Tonefold free?
Yes. The app, the DAW plugins and the source code are free under GPL-3.0-or-later. You only pay if you use Claude for the chat composer, and that money goes to Anthropic under your own account, not to Tonefold.
How much does Tonefold cost?
Tonefold itself costs $0. With Claude, each chat turn draws on your own Claude plan, and the app shows that cost. With Ollama on your own machine, there is no model bill.
Privacy, data and licence
There is no Tonefold account. The README says songs, exports and logs live in ~/Library/Application Support/Tonefold on a Mac, and the app installs under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Tonefold on Windows. The site says generation, playback, editing and export run on your machine.
When you use Claude, your chat messages and the song context go to Anthropic through your own Claude Code login, under your agreement with Anthropic. With Ollama, they stay on your PC or local network.
The vendor publishes no privacy policy or terms of service. For a local app with no account that is reasonable, but the GPL-3.0 licence file is the only legal text. The FAQ states that the GPL covers the code, not the music, so you own what you make. The project's security policy asks for private reports through GitHub, promises a reply within a week, and patches only the latest release.
Launch and maker
Tonefold was called FLVSTX before version 1.4.0. The changelog shows a 1.0.0 release on 9 September 2026 as an FL Studio composer. The v1.4.0 release notes, published on 7 October 2026, rename it, make it a standalone app first and add macOS. It then launched on Product Hunt on 8 October 2026.
The maker publishes as VKFolio on GitHub, with Bangalore as the profile location. No company or individual name appears on the site. The footer says Tonefold is an independent project, not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic or Image-Line, the maker of FL Studio.
Tonefold launched on MPAT's daily launch board on 8 October 2026, and this Tonefold listing on MPAT was compiled from the vendor's own pages. We did not install or test the app.
How it compares to tools already on MPAT
Suno's plans and free tier on MPAT show the opposite approach. Suno turns a text prompt into a finished song with lyrics, vocals and instrumentation, and MPAT lists a free plan with 50 daily credits and Pro at $8 a month. Choose Suno when you need a complete track. Choose Tonefold when you want every part as editable notes and a MIDI file for your own production.
Descript's audio and video editor on MPAT works on recordings you already have, editing audio by editing its transcript, with handoff to tools like Pro Tools and Logic. Tonefold works before any recording exists, at the composition stage.
For other music and sound tools, see MPAT's Audio category.
Do I need a DAW to use Tonefold?
No. Tonefold is a standalone app with its own piano roll, synth and export. The CLAP and VST3 plugin is optional, and FL Studio is the only host the maker says is tested.
Can Tonefold write lyrics or vocals?
No vocal or lyric layer appears among the eleven layer kinds on the vendor site. Tonefold writes instrumental parts as MIDI notes. For a sung track from a prompt, a tool like Suno does that job.
Sources
All pages were read on 8 October 2026. Product details come from the Tonefold home page, its FAQ on cost, offline use and music ownership, the architecture section and the install guide. Technical and release details come from the GitHub README, the usage reference, the changelog from 1.0.0 to 1.4.0, the v1.4.0 release page, the security policy and the GPL-3.0 licence. The launch date comes from Tonefold's Product Hunt page. This is a compiled listing, not a hands-on review.
