Ableton Link (aka Fancy Sync Magic)

Ableton Link keeps OnSong's tempo & beat locked in step with Ableton Live & other Link-enabled apps & devices on the same Wi-Fi network. No pairin', no cables, no drama—apps just vibe together & auto-join a shared session like magic. Once you're in, everythin' in the OnSong^® app that follows the beat clock — the metronome, the drum machine, tempo-synced delays, arpeggios — is countin' the same beat as everyone else in the room. ZOMG, y'all are finally in sync!

Turn That Bleepin' Thing On

Ableton Link lives in Preferences ▸ MIDI Nerdin' ▸ Ableton Link. The screen has three parts (we counted real hard):

• Ableton Link — the on/off switch itself, straight from Ableton's own fancy panel. It shows how many apps are in the session once you're actually connected (spoiler: maybe zero).
• Sync Mode — how OnSong's tempo relates to everyone else's vibe. Peep below for the deetz.
• Status — the current connection status such as Connected when there's at least one peer (miracles happen!), Searching… while Ableton Link is on but you're lonelier than a roadie without a tour, & Off when it ain't runnin'.

You can also reach it from the AuxDock by toggle Beat Sync on any panel & the chip that appears offers Ableton Link… as a shortcut. Totes convenient.

Sync Mode: The Tempo Feels

Ableton Link itself is leaderless — there is no master, & any participant can change the shared tempo. Sync Mode is OnSong's own policy about that freakin' power struggle:

• Both — shares the tempo in both directions. Changin' tempo in the OnSong^® app changes it for everyone, & a change made elsewhere gets adopted here. The default, & true peer-to-peer vibes. Democracy!
• Lead — pushes the OnSong^® app tempo to peers, & if a peer nudges the session, OnSong re-asserts its tempo & phase like a bossy bandmate. Use it when the OnSong^® app is the definitive beat drivin' the band. You're in charge, bestie.
• Follow — never pushes the OnSong^® app's tempo, instead acceptin' whatever the session is doin'. Use this when someone else owns the tempo & OnSong is just vibin' along for the ride. Chill energy.

The mode is remembered across disconnects, so a rig set to Follow stays that way next week. We gotchu.

What Gets Weird While You're Connected

• The shared timeline runs the clock. A Link session keeps OnSong's beat clock alive even when nothin' local is playin', which is why beat-sync LEDs pulse the second you connect. It's like magic but with more Wi-Fi.
• Tempo changes travel. 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 session. You're welcome, bandmates.
• In Follow, the song's tempo gets ignored in favor of the session's. That's the whole point of the mode, but it's worth knowin' if you open a chart & the metronome don't play at the tempo written on it. Awkward.

The Bleepin' Requirements

• Every device has to be on the same Wi-Fi network, & the network has to allow devices to see each other. Guest networks & many venue networks block exactly that, which is the usual reason a session never finds a peer. (Thanks, IT guy.)
• No internet connection needed — Link works on a local network with no router uplink at all, which makes an isolated travel router a reliable option for a stage. DIY energy.
• Link is peer-to-peer, so there's no "host" device to start first. Any order works. Democracy strikes again!

If Status sits on Searching… with another Link app clearly runnin', the network is nearly always the culprit rather than either app. Put both devices on the same access point — or an ad-hoc one you control — before you start yellin' at us. Srsly.