Ableton Link

Ableton Link be keepin' OnSong's tempo an' beat in step with Ableton Live an' other Link-enabled apps an' devices on th' same Wi-Fi network, savvy? Arrr, there be nothin' t' pair an' nay cables: apps on th' network be findin' each other an' joinin' a shared session automatically, matey. Once ye be in a session, everythin' in th' OnSong^® app that follows th' beat clock — th' metronome, th' drum machine, tempo-synced delays, arpeggios — be countin' th' same beat as everyone else in th' room, blimey!

Turnin' It On

Ableton Link be livin' in Settings ▸ MIDI ▸ Ableton Link. Th' screen be havin' three parts:

• Ableton Link — th' switch itself, on Ableton's own panel. It be showin' how many apps be in th' session once ye be connected.
• Sync Mode — how OnSong's tempo be relatin' t' everyone else's. See below, matey.
• Status — th' current status o' th' connection such as Connected when there be at least one peer, Searchin'… while Ableton Link be on but alone, an' Off when it ain't runnin'.

Ye can also be reachin' it from th' AuxDock by togglein' Beat Sync on any panel an' th' chip that appears be offerin' Ableton Link… as a shortcut, savvy?

Sync Mode

Ableton Link itself be leaderless — there be nay master, an' any participant can be changin' th' shared tempo, Arrr! Sync Mode be OnSong's own policy 'bout that:

• Both — shares th' tempo in both directions. Changin' tempo in th' OnSong^® app be changin' it fer everyone, an' a change made elsewhere be adopted here. Th' default, an' true peer-to-peer, savvy?
• Lead — be pushin' th' OnSong^® app tempo t' peers, an' if a peer be nudgin' th' session, re-assert OnSong's tempo an' phase. Use it when th' OnSong^® app be th' definitive beat drivin' th' band, matey.
• Follow — nay be pushin' th' OnSong^® app's tempo, instead acceptin' whatever th' session be doin'. Use this when someone else be ownin' th' tempo an' OnSong be along fer th' ride, Avast!

Th' mode be remembered across disconnects, so a rig set t' Follow be stayin' that way next week, ye scallywag.

What Be Changin' While Ye Be Connected

• Th' shared timeline be runnin' th' clock. A Link session be keepin' OnSong's beat clock alive even when nothin' local be playin', which be why beat-sync LEDs be pulsin' as soon as ye be connectin', Blimey!
• Tempo changes be travelin'. In Both or Lead, changin' OnSong's tempo — by tappin' it, loadin' a song with its own tempo, or a section's {tempo:} — be movin' th' whole session, matey.
• In Follow, th' song's tempo be ignored in favour o' th' session's. That be th' point o' th' mode, but it be worth knowin' if ye be openin' a chart an' th' metronome don't be playin' at th' tempo written on it, savvy?

Requirements

• Every device be havin' t' be on th' same Wi-Fi network, an' th' network be havin' t' allow devices t' be seein' each other. Guest networks an' many venue networks be blockin' exactly that, which be th' usual reason a session nary finds a peer, Arrr!
• Nay internet connection be needed — Link be workin' on a local network with nay router uplink at all, which be makin' an isolated travel router a reliable option fer a stage, savvy?
• Link be peer-to-peer, so there be nay "host" device t' start first. Any order be workin', matey.

If Status be sittin' on Searchin'… with another Link app clearly runnin', th' network be nearly always th' culprit rather than either app, ye scallywag. Put both devices on th' same access point — or an ad-hoc one ye be controllin' — afore troubleshootin' anythin' else, Avast!