MIDI Nerd Knobs & Doodads

ZOMG. OK, so mappings MIDI commands to actions via triggers is like, the main thing people do with MIDI in OnSong, but there's a whole buncha other stuff you can tweak if you're feelin' extra. You'll find all these nerdy settings on the MIDI Triggers Screen. Here's what's cookin':

The Hardware Stuff

This section lets you flip MIDI on & off like a light switch, plus boss around your connected MIDI gadgets.

• MIDI Enabled turns the whole MIDI system on or off. Basically, it decides if OnSong is actually listenin' or talkin' to your gear, or if it's just gonna ignore it & do its own thing.
• Sources shows how many CoreMIDI devices are actually plugged in & ready to yell at OnSong. They add themselves automatically (how convenient!). Tap to peek & decide which ones OnSong should actually pay attention to.
• Destinations shows how many places OnSong can send MIDI to. Again, they add themselves automatically. Tap to see 'em & pick which ones get the love.
• Playback tells OnSong where to send MIDI notes when you're blastin' backing tracks. Like, it needs to know which synth to talk to.
• Virtual MIDI lets you turn on a fake MIDI port so other iOS apps can chat with OnSong. It's like a secret handshake between apps.

Stay in Sync (or Don't, We Won't Judge)

Want OnSong to play nice with your other MIDI toys? This section's got the goods. Flip these on to make it happen.

• Playback sends MIDI start/stop/continue messages to your other gear so when you hit the Audio Button in the Live Bar, it doesn't just play your backing track—it also fires up your synth or Ableton Live or whatever. Magic.
• MIDI clock keeps your song's tempo in sync with your hardware or software by sendin' 24 little clock ticks per beat. Switch songs? Your MIDI gear's tempo changes with ya (if it's smart enough).
• Clock adjustment lets you speed up or slow down that MIDI clock by a percentage. Just tap - or + like you're adjustin' the heat on a stove.
• Time signature can blast out a special message when you change time signatures, so your gear knows what's up. Some hardware actually cares about this.
• Tempo can send tempo changes as control messages instead of MIDI clock, which is clutch if your internet is laggy. It sends it as CC 106/107 & can remind your gear every n seconds so it doesn't forget.

Listen Up

OnSong can eavesdrop on MIDI & do stuff with it:

• For Chords listens to note events & uses 'em in the Song Editor to auto-detect chords. Pick a channel or all of 'em, then play a chord on your keyboard & watch it magically appear in your song. Srsly.
• For Tempo listens to MIDI clock to set your metronome tempo on the fly. It won't save it, but it'll mess with OnSong's timing in real-time.

Control Change Weirdness

• Toggle between on/off fixes the problem when your MIDI controller is actin' like a light switch instead of a button. Like, some guitar pedals are latching instead of momentary. Momentary = one quick message. Latching = flip back & forth. OnSong usually ignores weak signals, so turn this on if you've got a latching pedal & want it to actually work.
• Use absolute adjustments is for when you're doin' Variable Actions. Turn it off & MIDI values (0-127) become % adjustments. Turn it on & the value means whatever it says—like, send 7 to jump to section 7. Wild.

Chord Playback Mode (AKA "Make Your iPad a Piano")

OnSong can play chords thru MIDI instead of usin' built-in sounds. Pick a channel & turn it on. Fair warnin': builtin' sounds get benched when this is active.

Velocity (How Hard to Hit the Notes)

MIDI notes need velocity—basically how hard they're played. OnSong defaults to 64 (not too soft, not too loud). Crank it up to make chords sound beefier, turn it down if your neighbors are complainin'.

The Debug Window (Watch the Magic Happen)

Curious what MIDI is bein' sent? This section shows you. Flip these on to see notifications flash across your screen:

• Note Events shows every Note On & Note Off.
• Program Changes shows program & bank changes.
• Control Events shows control change messages.
• Sequence Events shows start, stop & continue stuff.
• One-Based Index (1-128) makes MIDI channels & values start at 1 instead of 0, because apparently musicians can't count from zero. It's on by default & changes how everything displays.