How to Use LocalMelody — A Complete Guide
On this page
LocalMelody is a native local AI music generator for Mac. After setup, it turns a prompt into music, lyrics, and vocals on your Apple Silicon machine. Prompts and generated audio are not sent to a codeonholiday backend.
This guide covers requirements, install, first-time setup, daily generation, Free vs Pro, privacy, and troubleshooting. Download from the LocalMelody page when you are ready.
See it in action
What you need
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Chip | Apple Silicon (M1 / M2 / M3 / M4 and later) |
| OS | macOS 14 Sonoma or later |
| RAM | 16 GB minimum; 32 GB+ recommended for smoother, higher-quality generation |
| Disk | Space for the app, runtime, and models (models are large — plan for several GB) |
| Network | Needed for first-time runtime / model downloads, license activation, and updates |
Intel Macs are not supported. Generation is built around on-device Apple Silicon workloads.
Install LocalMelody
- Download the latest
.dmgfrom the LocalMelody product page or GitHub Releases. - Open the disk image and drag LocalMelody into Applications.
- Launch the app. If macOS Gatekeeper warns about an unidentified developer, open System Settings → Privacy & Security and allow the app, or right-click → Open the first time.
First-time setup (Homebrew, Ollama, models)
LocalMelody does not ship every model inside the DMG. On first launch you install supporting tools and download the runtime / models from inside the app:
- Install Homebrew if you do not already have it (the app points you at the standard install path).
- Install Ollama when prompted — LocalMelody uses it to manage local model downloads.
- Inside LocalMelody, download the runtime and the music / lyrics models you want to use.
- Wait for downloads to finish before generating. Large models take time and disk space.
Internet is required for this step. After models are on disk, generation runs locally.
Create your first song
- Open LocalMelody and start from a text prompt — a mood, genre, or short story.
- Choose whether you want instrumental (MusicGen-style workflow) or music with vocals (ACE-Step-style workflow), depending on what is available in your build.
- On Free, generations are capped at 15 seconds with automatic sound controls.
- Play the result from the Library. Iterate on the prompt until the vibe is right.
Keep prompts concrete: tempo, instruments, emotion, and structure (“lo-fi verse, warm pads, no drums”) usually work better than one vague adjective.
Shape the sound (Pro)
Pro Lifetime unlocks the full studio controls:
- Song length from 15 to 240 seconds
- Genre, mood, voice, BPM, and key controls
- Voice reference and lyrics refinement
- Export of audio and lyrics
Buy Pro once through Lemon Squeezy from the pricing section or in-app upgrade. It is a one-time purchase, not a subscription.
Free vs Pro at a glance
| Free | Pro Lifetime | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 | $9.99 one-time |
| Length | 15-second songs | 15–240 seconds |
| Sound controls | Automatic | Genre, mood, voice, BPM, key |
| Lyrics | Generation | Generation + refinement |
| Voice reference | — | Yes |
| Export | Local playback / Library | Audio and lyrics export |
Privacy: what stays on your Mac
- Prompts, lyrics, generated audio, and Library data live in macOS Application Support on your machine.
- LocalMelody does not operate a backend that stores your creative content.
- The app still contacts third parties for licensing, Sparkle updates (GitHub release assets), and model / runtime downloads (including Ollama / model providers).
- Payment is handled by Lemon Squeezy; codeonholiday does not store card details.
Read the full Privacy Policy if you need the legal detail.
Compare to cloud AI music
If you are choosing between cloud studios and a local Mac app:
- LocalMelody vs Suno
- LocalMelody vs Udio
- Suno vs Udio vs LocalMelody
- Best local AI music generator for Mac
Troubleshooting
Generation is slow or the Mac fans spin hard
Local AI music is heavy. Close other memory-hungry apps, prefer 32 GB+ RAM when possible, and start with shorter Free generations while you learn the workflow.
Models will not download
Confirm you are online, Homebrew / Ollama finished installing, and you have enough free disk space. Retry the in-app download after a failed network blip.
License will not activate
Pro activation needs network access to Lemon Squeezy. Check the key was pasted correctly and that the Mac clock is accurate.
Updates missing
LocalMelody uses Sparkle with GitHub-hosted releases. Open the app’s update check, or download the latest DMG from the product page.
Next steps
- Finish first-time setup and generate a 15-second Free track.
- Try a more specific prompt (genre + mood + instruments).
- Upgrade to Pro when you need longer songs, exports, or finer controls.
- Keep comparing cloud vs local if you are still deciding where generation should run.
Questions? Email [email protected].