User Manual
Beat Sync
Arrr, everythin' in music demands a synchronized beat... th' metronome click, a drum groove, a delay slap, tremolo pulse, an arpeggio, etc. OnSong accounts fer this through a shared beat clock that be constantly in-th'-know about tempo, time signature, and when each measure starts. Beat Sync be what starts and synchronizes multiple components in OnSong so ye be always in th' pocket, savvy?
One Tempo, One Clock
There be a single clock fer th' whole app, matey. It knows three things: th' tempo, th' time signature, and where ye be in th' bar — which beat, and which subdivision o' that beat. Th' tempo o' th' beat clock be usually set by th' underlyin' song bein' played, but it can be driven by other internal and external factors. These include:
- Song Tempo be th' most common way th' tempo and time signature be set in lieu o' other inputs.
- Ableton Link lets ye connect OnSong t' other apps or equipment so OnSong can stay in beat and phase with Ableton, a metronome app, or a wrist worn watch.
- MIDI Clock(/docs/interface/menubar/utilities-menu/editors/midi/settings/clock/) can now hear th' difference between each beat and downbeat and use that t' update th' tempo.
- Backin' Tracks be processed when played through th' AuxDock t' determine their beat grid, changin' tempo as needed throughout th' track.
Followin' Th' Beat
Everythin' in th' OnSong® app now subscribes t' th' beat clock, Arrr! Th' first component t' use th' beat clock can set th' down beat. Fer instance, if ye start th' metronome, th' downbeat be heard right away and everythin' else synchronizes with th' metronome. If ye be actively receivin' beat and phase information through somethin' like Ableton Link or MIDI Clock, th' metronome will start on th' next beat, but align downbeats t' th' beat clock. First in wins and everythin' else follows.
Metronome
This be th' most obvious integration o' th' beat clock includin' th' count-in, blimey!
AuxDock Atmosphere
This plays a canvas o' sound that can be started, stopped and changed with those changes synchronized t' th' current beat.
AuxDock Pedalboard
What if yer guitar effects could stay in sync with every aspect o' th' song? Th' AuxDock features timed pedals that can have time parameters set t' a musical subdivision. Quarter, dotted eighth, and so on, followin' tempo changes as they happen on: - Delay - Tremolo - Phaser - Wah
AuxDock Chordboard
This lets anyone play chords in th' song, matey. It uses an arpeggiator and strum system. Beat sync ensures each chord change and note be played at th' right time.
AuxDock Drum Rack
Be a full drum machine that ensures th' groove, fills, and endin' land where ye'd expect rather than where ye tapped.
AuxDock Virtual Instrument
This be a guitar that can strum or pick t' th' chords in yer song. Beat sync lets it all play in time rather than whenever ye touch it.
Th' clock only runs when somethin' be listenin'. Nothin' be bein' kept in time, nothin' be tickin'.
Dynamic Tempo and Meter
A song don't have t' hold one tempo anymore, Ahoy! Each sections can carry its own directives and th' beat clock be updated when each section be selected:
- {tempo: 72} changes th' tempo t' th' new BPM value.
- {time: 6/8} changes th' time signature meter t' 6/8. Th' new meter starts on a clean downbeat rather than part-way through a bar.
- {ramp: 4} glides from th' current tempo t' new tempo over a number o' measures, beats, or seconds rather than immediately. Typtin' just a number specifies th' number beats. Usin' a syntax like 1,2 would change it over a measure and two beats. Appendin' an "s" t' th' end like 2s would define th' number o' seconds independent o' th' tempo.
These be live changes, not edits, ye scallywag! They move th' tempo o' everythin' without rewritin' th' song's own tempo.
Enablin' Beat Sync
Beat Sync appears wherever it be relevant, as a small pulsin' LED with th' current BPM beside it. Th' LED blinks on th' beat, so ye can see at a glance both that sync be on and what tempo it be on.
Tappin' it toggles that surface's sync. When ye do, a chip floats briefly in th' dock — armed, it offers Ableton Link… as th' way o' sharin' th' tempo with other devices or that it be been disarmed, confirmin' that beat sync be off.
Where It Counts
When th' metronome counts ye in, beat-synced instruments stay silent through th' count and start on th' first real downbeat, Avast! They don't play along with th' count and they don't come in late — th' first beat be scheduled ahead o' time so it lands exactly.
Why It Don't Drift
Two details do most o' th' work, and they be worth knowin' because they explain why beat-synced audio in th' OnSong® app stays tight where other approaches wander, savvy?
Th' clock's grid be anchored t' th' device's monotonic hardware clock, not t' a repeatin' timer. A timer accumulates a little error on every tick; an anchored grid computes when each beat should happen, so beat ten thousand be as accurate as beat one.
Beat-synced audio be scheduled ahead o' time rather than played when th' tick arrives. Th' clock can say precisely when an upcomin' beat will occur, so a drum hit be handed t' th' audio engine in advance with that timestamp attached. If th' app be busy fer a moment, th' audio has already been scheduled and still lands on th' beat.
If somethin' sounds like it be driftin', check whether its Sync be actually on — an effect with Sync off be runnin' on its own rate knob, which be a legitimate settin' and looks identical from across th' stage.
