Ableton Link (The Fancy Sync Thingy)

Ableton Link keeps OnSong's tempo & beat in lockstep with Ableton Live & other Link-enabled apps & devices on the same Wi-Fi network. Zero pairing drama, zero cables: apps on the network just... find each other & join a shared session like magic (or algorithms, whatevs). Once you're vibin' in a session, literally everything in the OnSong^® app that follows the beat clock — the metronome, the drum machine, tempo-synced delays, arpeggios — is countin' the exact same beat as everyone else sweatin' in the room.

Turnin' It On

Ableton Link hangs out in Settings ▸ MIDI ▸ Ableton Link. The screen's got three parts:

• Ableton Link — the actual switch, chillin' on Ableton's own panel. It tells ya how many apps are throwin' a party in the session once you're connected.
• Sync Mode — how OnSong's tempo vibes with everyone else's. Peep below.
• Status — the current connection mood, like Connected when there's at least one other app in the room, Searchin'… while Ableton Link is on but solo, & Off when it's nappy time.

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

Sync Mode

Ableton Link itself is anarchist central — no master, no CEO, any participant can yeet the shared tempo. Sync Mode is OnSong's personal policy 'bout that:

• Both — tempo flows both ways, baby. Change tempo in the OnSong^® app & everyone feels it, & if someone else tweaks the session, you hop on board here too. The default, & legit true peer-to-peer vibes.
• Lead — OnSong^® app flexes its tempo on everyone else, & if a peer tries somethin' cheeky, OnSong re-asserts dominance & phase. Use this when the OnSong^® app is the one true beat drivin' the whole band like a boss.
• Follow — OnSong^® app keeps its mouth shut about tempo & just vibes with whatever the session's doin'. Use this when someone else is the tempo overlord & OnSong's just along for the ride.

The mode sticks around after disconnects, so a rig set to Follow stays that way next week like your bad habits.

What Gets Weird While You're Connected

• The shared timeline runs the show. A Link session keeps OnSong's beat clock pumpin' even when nothin' local is playin', which is why beat-sync LEDs pulse the second you connect like they're possessed.
• Tempo changes go viral. In Both or Lead, messin' with OnSong's tempo — by tappin' it, loadin' a song with its own tempo, or a section's {tempo:} — shakes the whole session.
• In Follow, the song's tempo gets ghosted in favor of the session's. That's literally the whole point of the mode, but it's worth knowin' if you open a chart & the metronome's playin' at some random tempo instead of what's written.

The Fine Print (aka Requirements)

• Every device's gotta be on the same Wi-Fi network, & the network's gotta let devices actually see each other. Guest networks & most venue networks block that on purpose, which is why your session never finds anyone (classic).
• No internet needed — Link works on a local network with zero router uplink whatsoever, which makes an isolated travel router your go-to move for stage shenanigans.
• Link is peer-to-peer, so there's no "host" device that's gotta wake up first. Any order, any time.

If Status is stuck on Searchin'… & another Link app is literally runnin' right there, the network's almost always the villain, not the apps. Throw both devices on the same access point — or an ad-hoc one you actually control — before you spiral debuggin' anything else.