MIDI Stuff (Yeah, We Know It's Scary)

The MIDI Shenanigans Screen™ throws literally everything OnSong^® does with MIDI into one ginormous pile so you can see: which devices it's stalking, the tempo it's forcing on them, the bleepin' events it yeets while you play, how it throws a tantrum when messages show up uninvited, & what it spams your screen with so you can watch the whole chaotic symphony unfold.

Pluggin' Stuff In

This area is where OnSong decides which MIDI devices get to party with it — fancy wired vibes or janky wireless nonsense, your call.

• MIDI Enabled flips the switch between "OnSong talks MIDI" & "OnSong ghostin' MIDI" (or both, if you're into that)
• Sources shows which CoreMIDI input devices aren't totally dead; tap to pick which ones OnSong actually listens to (spoiler: it ignores most of them anyway)
• Destinations lists devices that are brave enough to receive OnSong's MIDI spew; tap to decide which ones get the privilege
• Bluetooth MIDI pairs your wireless MIDI gear (previously hidden in some icon nobody could find, you're welcome)
• Network Session reaches out to other machines over Wi-Fi using CoreMIDI network seshing — because cables are for quitters
• Virtual MIDI lets OnSong chat with other iOS apps through a pretend MIDI port (it's basically gossip between apps)

Tempo Synchronizin'

Sync tools force OnSong & other gear to vibe at the same tempo & groove, all powered by the beat clock magic happening behind the scenes. Ableton Link is here because it's actually useful, unlike MIDI clock.

• Ableton Link throws OnSong into a Link party with other apps & devices on your network — no pairing nonsense, no cables, just vibes
• MIDI Clock makes connected devices march in time with OnSong using 24 clock ticks per beat (thrilling, we know). Sync Mode does both directions — Lead screams a super-accurate clock at whatever tempo the song's rollin' in, Follow copies someone else's clock like a sad puppy, & Both does both (this is where that ancient Listen ▸ For Tempo button got reborn, btw). Behavior decides if the clock keeps tickin' forever or shuts up when the tempo vanishes, & Time Adjustment lets you tweak the clock speed if you're feelin' spicy
• Tap sets up "tap for tempo" MIDI weirdness (because sometimes you just wanna tap)
• Tempo picks a channel for CC 106/107 tempo control messages (yeah, that's a thing)
• Time Signature broadcasts your meter as a proper music notation message; Follow adopts someone else's meter, Lead shoves OnSong's meter at everybody else

Playin' Back MIDI Junk

Controls how backing track MIDI files get executed & when OnSong spams MIDI events everywhere.

• Play MIDI Notes Through routes MIDI note events during backing track mayhem. Multi-Channel Setup in that toolbar assigns each channel its own destination instead of one sad destination for everything
• Send MIDI Events To routes control events wherever you want 'em. Basic Playback Setup nukes it back to one-destination boring mode
• Song MIDI Events screams MIDI start/stop/continue commands at your external gear, so tapping the Audio Button in the Live Bar doesn't just play the backing track — it wakes up all your gear like you're actually a professional (lol)
• Chord Note Events plays the chords through optional sound banks or transmits 'em as MIDI to whatever's plugged in (by channel)
• Velocity sets how loud your chord playback yells — defaults to 64; crank it up for LOUDER, dial it down for wimpy

Controllin' Stuff

Tells OnSong how to respond when MIDI shows up, including which channel it's listening to for chords & how to handle controller messages.

• Follow Chords watches note events for chords & auto-inserts 'em in the Song Editor. Flip it on, put your cursor in the Song Editor, play a chord on a keyboard, & watch it materialize in your chart like magic
• Use absolute adjustments treats raw MIDI values (0-127) as absolute numbers instead of "move this way" nonsense, & shows up when you're doin' Variable Actions

Broadcast

Belches OnSong System Exclusive messages at other apps for the kind of deep integration that makes devs weep with joy. Wanna build this stuff into your own app? Check out our Broadcast SysEx API & have a field day.

Display Events

Flashes MIDI nonsense across your screen so you can watch the madness unfold in real time.

• Chord Events flashes detected chords so you know they're real
• Control Events shows CC stuff zipping by
• Note Events displays Note On/Off messages (thrilling)
• Program Changes highlights program & bank select chaos
• Sequence Events shows start, stop, continue events
• One-Based Index (1-128) renumbers everything from 1-128 instead of that 0-127 nerd nonsense
• MIDI Note Start picks your Middle C reference (Yamaha C3 or Roland C4 — pick a lane, people)