Ableton Link (aka The Sync Shizzle)

Ableton Link keeps OnSong's tempo & beat vibin' in sync with Ableton Live & other Link-enabled apps & devices on the same Wi-Fi network. Spoiler: there's nothin' to pair & no cables needed — apps just find each other like it's a freakin' love story & join a shared session automatically. Once y'all are in a session, everything 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, we're all on the same page for once!

Turnin' It On

Ableton Link lives in Settings ▸ MIDI ▸ Ableton Link. The screen's got three parts (shocking, we know):

• Ableton Link — the switch itself, sittin' on Ableton's own panel. It shows how many apps are in the session once you're actually connected (or zero if you're still alone, no judgment).
• Sync Mode — how OnSong's tempo relates to everyone else's. Spoilers below, peep.
• Status — the current vibe of the connection, like Connected when there's at least one peer (you got friends!), Searching… while Ableton Link is on but you're sittin' there solo, & Off when it isn't even tryin'.

You can also hit it from the AuxDock by toggin' Beat Sync on any panel & the lil' chip that pops up offers Ableton Link… as a shortcut. Lazy? Us too.

Sync Mode

Ableton Link itself is leaderless — there's no master, no one's in charge, & any participant can change the shared tempo. Wild. Sync Mode is OnSong's own rulebook about that:

• Both — shares the tempo in both directions, baby. Changin' tempo in the OnSong^® app changes it for everyone, & a change made elsewhere gets adopted here. The default, & totes true peer-to-peer energy.
• Lead — pushes the OnSong^® app tempo to everyone else, & if a peer tries to nudge the session, we're re-assertin' OnSong's tempo & phase like "nope, sit down." Use it when the OnSong^® app is the definitive beat drivin' the whole dang band.
• Follow — never pushes the OnSong^® app's tempo, instead just acceptin' whatever the session is doin'. Use this when someone else owns the tempo & OnSong is just hangin' out for the ride.

The mode is remembered across disconnects, so a rig set to Follow stays that way next week. Lazy setup? We got u.

What Changes 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 we're all breathin' together. Awww.
• 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 bloopin' session.
• In Follow, the song's tempo gets ignored in favor of the session's. That's literally the point of the mode, but it's worth knowin' if you open a chart & the metronome doesn't play at the tempo written on it. Whoops.

Requirements

• Every device's gotta be on the same Wi-Fi network, & the network's gotta allow devices to see each other. Guest networks & many venue networks block exactly that, which is why a session never finds a peer like 99% of the time. Classic.
• No internet needed — Link works on a local network with zero router uplink whatsoever, which makes an isolated travel router a rock-solid option for a stage. Nature's Wi-Fi.
• Link is peer-to-peer, so there's no "host" device to start first like some kinda dictator. Any order works. Democracy!

If Status's stuck on Searching… with another Link app clearly runnin', the network is basically always the culprit, not either app bein' broken. Throw both devices on the same access point — or an ad-hoc one you control — before you go full troubleshootin' mode.