This is really interesting and it seems that OnSong’s approach to automation is similar to that in SLM - I’ll have to look into it. I don’t have the app with me but looking at the manual online it says that OnSong can play midi backing tracks that you can feed to an audio module / app for playing midi instruments - do you do this? What is interesting about this is whether the midi backing track follows the midi clock sent by OnSong. I imagine that it does. If so it should mean that it is possible to make the backing track play in sync with the BB when you send the midi clock from OnSong to the BB as well.
One idea I have that I haven’t tested is this: I believe it is possible to send midi notes to the BB and have the BB play them. If you use a drum set with bass, then those notes could be the bass part only. Now, I wonder if the BB could play notes sent to it from an external source, such as OnSong, whilst at the same time play notes programmed within a BB song in the normal way - whether the two would work simultaneously. If so this would be a brilliant setup: you could send the BB a bass quitar midi track from OnSong that would follow the song structure, verse, chorus etc. and at the same time play the BB song, drum parts only, that would not follow the song structure but would allow you to transition to different drum parts and add fills when you wanted as in the original BB setup. This makes the BB much more dynamic and interesting in a performance and possibly makes setting up the drum parts easier (as you don’t have to worry too much about song structure).
I will have to play around with loading a midi file into Onsong to see what can be done on BB or other instruments. Equally as interesting tome is if the song is in synch on Onsong with BB is can Onsong send simple keyboard synth sounds that align with the chords in Onsong to auto back my guitar playing. Good conversation.
I just uploaded these two files on a new thread I created called “Wireless MIDI and the BeatBuddy: My configuration” (I think…), before coming across this thread. I hope this helps. It took me quite a bit of work to arrive at this configuration and it’s all summarized in the attached files.
Thanks - does this config also then let you send midi in commands back to the the IPAD if a command lets say was sent from your VL3? Also do you send midi clock? If so do you make the BB the master tempo clock, or do you make ONsong the master tempo clock? If BB is the master tempo clock could that tempo clock then make it back to the IPAD to synch with anything on the IPAD?
I use Stage Traxx 3, which has a very good MIDI capability that is time based and can be synchronized with backing tracks and can send/receive MIDI commands while the song is playing.