Ableton Link

Ableton Link be keepin' OnSong's tempo and beat in step with Ableton Live and other Link-enabled apps and devices on th' same Wi-Fi network, savvy? There be nothin' t' pair and nay cables: apps on th' network find each other and join a shared session automatically. Once ye be in a session, everythin' in th' OnSong^® app that follows th' beat clock — th' metronome, th' drum machine, tempo-synced delays, arpeggios — be countin' th' same beat as everyone else in th' room, matey.

Turnin' It On

Ableton Link lives in Settings ▸ MIDI ▸ Ableton Link. Th' screen be havin' three parts:

• Ableton Link — th' switch itself, on Ableton's own panel. It shows how many apps be in th' session once ye be connected.
• Sync Mode — how OnSong's tempo relates t' everyone else's. See below, ye scallywag.
• Status — th' current status o' th' connection such as Connected when there be at least one peer, Searchin'… while Ableton Link be on but alone, and Off when it ain't runnin'.

Ye can also reach it from th' AuxDock by togglein' Beat Sync on any panel and th' chip that appears offers Ableton Link… as a shortcut, Arrr!

Sync Mode

Ableton Link itself be leaderless — there be nay master, and any participant can change th' shared tempo. Sync Mode be OnSong's own policy about that:

• Both — shares th' tempo in both directions. Changin' tempo in th' OnSong^® app changes it fer everyone, and a change made elsewhere be adopted here. Th' default, and true peer-to-peer, matey.
• Lead — pushes th' OnSong^® app tempo t' peers, and if a peer nudges th' session, re-assert OnSong's tempo and phase. Use it when th' OnSong^® app be th' definitive beat drivin' th' band.
• Follow — never pushes th' OnSong^® app's tempo, instead acceptin' whatever th' session be doin'. Use this when someone else owns th' tempo and OnSong be along fer th' ride, savvy?

Th' mode be remembered across disconnects, so a rig set t' Follow stays that way next week, Blimey!

What Changes While Ye Be Connected

• Th' shared timeline runs th' clock. A Link session keeps OnSong's beat clock alive even when nothin' local be playin', which be why beat-sync LEDs pulse as soon as ye connect.
• 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 th' whole session, Arrr!
• In Follow, th' song's tempo be ignored in favour o' th' session's. That be th' point o' th' mode, but it be worth knowin' if ye open a chart and th' metronome don't play at th' tempo written on it.

Requirements

• Every device has t' be on th' same Wi-Fi network, and th' network has t' allow devices t' see each other. Guest networks and many venue networks block exactly that, which be th' usual reason a session never finds a peer, savvy?
• Nay internet connection be needed — Link works on a local network with nay router uplink at all, which makes an isolated travel router a reliable option fer a stage.
• Link be peer-to-peer, so there be nay "host" device t' start first. Any order works, matey.

If Status sits on Searchin'… with another Link app clearly runnin', th' network be nearly always th' culprit rather than either app. Put both devices on th' same access point — or an ad-hoc one ye control — before troubleshootin' anythin' else, Ahoy!