Read The Bleepin’ Manual
Tap Tap Synchro
ZOMG, y'all ready for this?! Everything in music needs that bleepin' synchronized groove — the metronome click, drum vibes, delay slaps, tremolo pulses, arpeggio shenanigans, all that shizzle. OnSong got you covered with this shared beat clock that's literally always peepin' at the tempo, time signature, & when each measure kicks off. Beat Sync is the freakin' MVP that starts & syncs up all the components so you ain't playin' like a drunken roadie. You're welcome.
One Tempo, One Clock (aka: The Beat Clock That Actually Works)
There's a single clock runnin' the whole app. It knows exactly three things — & honestly, that's impressive for code — the tempo, the time signature, & exactly where you're bouncin' around in that bar (which beat, which subdivision, y'know). The beat clock's tempo usually comes straight from whatever song's playin', but it can also vibe with other stuff. Here's the 411:
- Song Tempo is literally the most common way to set the tempo & time signature, because duh.
- Ableton Link lets you plug OnSong into other apps or gear so OnSong stays locked in & phase-matched with Ableton, a metronome app, or literally your smart watch. Totes bougie.
- MIDI Clock can now actually hear the difference between regular beats & downbeats & use that to update tempo. Revolutionary? Nah. Rad? Absofreakinglutely.
- Backing Tracks get processed through the AuxDock when they're playin' so it figures out their beat grid & adjusts tempo as needed throughout. It's like magic, except it's math.
Following The Beat (aka: Don't Be the One Out of Sync)
Everything in OnSong® now listens to the beat clock like it's gospel. Whichever component starts first gets to set the downbeat. So if you fire up the metronome, that click lands right away & everything else falls in line. If you're already gettin' beat & phase intel from somethin' like Ableton Link or MIDI Clock, the metronome kicks in on the next beat but aligns downbeats to the master clock. First one wins, everybody else bows down.
Metronome
The most obvious beat clock flex, includin' that dramatic count-in moment.
AuxDock Atmosphere
This creates a whole soundscape that can start, stop & shift — all locked in tight with the current beat. Chef's kiss.
AuxDock Pedalboard
Plot twist: what if your guitar effects actually stayed in sync with every second of the song instead of doin' their own sloppy thing? The AuxDock has timed pedals where you can set time params to musical subdivisions. Quarter notes, dotted eighths, whatever — they follow tempo changes in real-time: - Delay - Tremolo - Phaser - Wah
AuxDock Chordboard
Let literally anyone play chords in the song. It's got an arpeggiator & strum system. Beat sync makes sure each chord flip & every note lands exactly when it should, not when your fat fingers tap it.
AuxDock Drum Rack
A full-blown drum machine that makes sure your groove, fills & endings land exactly where you expect 'em, not wherever you randomly tapped.
AuxDock Virtual Instrument
It's a guitar that can strum or pick along with the chords in your song. Beat sync keeps it all tight & tidy instead of playin' whenever you feel like pokin' it.
Pro tip: the clock only runs when somethin's actually listenin'. Nothin' gettin' synced = nothin' tickin'. It's lazy, like us.
Dynamic Tempo & Meter (aka: Your Song Can Chill Out Now)
Here's the thing — your song doesn't gotta be locked into one tempo forever anymore. Each section can bring its own directives & the beat clock updates when you switch sections:
- {tempo: 72} yeets the tempo to that new BPM number.
- {time: 6/8} switches the time signature to 6/8. The new meter starts fresh on a clean downbeat instead of messin' around mid-bar.
- {ramp: 4} glides smoothly from your current tempo to the new one over a buncha measures, beats, or seconds instead of just bouncin' there like a maniac. Just type a number for beats. Drop a syntax like 1,2 to change it over a measure & two beats. Slap an "s" at the end like 2s to define seconds totally independent of tempo. Fancy.
These are live moves, not edits! They slide the tempo of everything without messing with the song's actual tempo data.
Enabling Beat Sync (aka: Turn the Lights On)
Beat Sync pops up wherever it matters, as a lil' pulsing LED with the current BPM right next to it. The LED blinks on beat so you can clock both that sync is actually on & what tempo you're rollin' at.
Tap it to toggle that surface's sync. When you do, a lil' chip floats by in the dock — if it's armed, it's showin' Ableton Link… as your tempo-share option with other rigs. If it's disarmed, it's confirmin' beat sync is totally off.
Where It Actually Matters
When the metronome counts you in, beat-synced instruments stay silent during the count & pop in on that first real downbeat. They don't noodle along with the count & they don't lag behind — the first beat is pre-scheduled ahead of time so it lands exactly, no apologies.
Why It Doesn't Get Sloppy
Two nerdy details do the heavy liftin' here, & honestly it's worth knowin' 'cause it explains why beat-synced audio in OnSong® stays tight while other apps wander like a lost roadie.
The clock's grid is anchored to your device's monotonic hardware clock, not some janky repeatin' timer. A timer screws up a little every single tick; an anchored grid calculates exactly when each beat should happen, so beat ten thousand is just as locked in as beat one. Math wins.
Beat-synced audio gets scheduled way ahead of time instead of playin' when the tick shows up. The clock knows precisely when an upcoming beat will land, so a drum hit gets handed to the audio engine in advance with that timestamp stuck to it. Even if the app's busy for a sec, the audio's already queued & still lands perfect.
If somethin' sounds like it's driftin', check if Sync is actually ON — an effect with Sync off runs on its own rate knob, which is totally legit & looks identical from the back of the room.
