Ableton Link (That Syncing Shizzle)

Ableton Link keeps OnSong's tempo & beat locked in step with Ableton Live & other Link-enabled apps & devices on the same Wi-Fi network. Zero pairing, zero cables: apps on the network find each other & join a shared jam sesh automatically. Once you're vibin' together, everything in the OnSong^® app that follows the beat clock — the metronome, the drum machine, tempo-synced delays, arpeggios — is countin' the same beat as literally everyone else in the room. ZOMG, sync!

Turnin' It On

Ableton Link lives in Yep, Settings ▸ MIDI ▸ Ableton Link. The screen has three parts:

• Ableton Link — the switch itself, straight from Ableton's fancy pants panel. It shows how many apps are in the session once you're actually connected (spoiler: maybe none).
• Sync Mode — how OnSong's tempo relates to everyone else's vibe. Peep below.
• Status — the current connection drama, like Connected when there's at least one homie, Searchin'… while Ableton Link is on but sad & alone, & Off when it's just chillin' & doin' nothin'.

You can also reach it from the AuxDock by togglein' Beat Sync on any panel & the chip that pops up offers Ableton Link… as a lil' shortcut.

Sync Mode

Ableton Link itself is totally leaderless — ain't no master, & literally any participant can mess with the shared tempo. Sync Mode is OnSong's own house rules about that drama:

• Both — shares the tempo both ways. Changin' tempo in the OnSong^® app blows it up for everyone, & a change from someone else gets adopted here too. The default, & like, actual peer-to-peer. Revolutionary, right?
• Lead — pushes the OnSong^® app tempo to the peeps, & if someone else tries to nudge the session, OnSong yells "NAH" & re-asserts its tempo & phase. Use it when the OnSong^® app is literally the only beat that matters & everyone's gotta follow you.
• Follow — never pushes the OnSong^® app's tempo, just goes with whatever the session's doin'. Use this when someone else owns the beat & OnSong^® is basically just a passenger along for the ride.

The mode gets remembered even if you disconnect, so a rig set to Follow stays that way next week. Totes convenient.

What Gets Spicy While You're Connected

• The shared timeline runs the clock. A Link session keeps OnSong's beat clock pumpin' even when nothin' local is playin', which is why beat-sync LEDs light up like crazy the second you connect.
• Tempo changes spread everywhere. In Both or Lead, changin' OnSong's tempo — by tappin' it, loadin' a song with its own tempo, or a section's {tempo:} — moves the whole squad's session.
• In Follow, the song's tempo gets totally ignored in favor of the session's vibe. That's literally the whole point of Follow, but yeah, heads up: open a chart & the metronome might not play at the tempo written on it. Awkward.

The Fine Print (aka Requirements)

• Every device has gotta be on the same Wi-Fi network, & the network has gotta actually let devices talk to each other. Guest networks & like half of venue networks block that on purpose, which is why your session can't find anyone 99% of the time. Frustrating, we know.
• No internet needed — Link just vibes on a local network with zero router action, which means a scrappy travel router is your besties for a stage setup.
• Link is peer-to-peer, so there's no "host" device you gotta start first. Literally any order, any time. Chaos? Maybe. Freedom? Absolutely.

If Status is stuck on Searchin'… & another Link app is clearly runnin' somewhere, it's almost always the network bein' a jerk rather than either app messin' up. Plop both devices on the same access point — or an ad-hoc one you control — before you drive yourself bonkers tryna fix anythin' else.