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MD Buddy - Ableton Setlist Controller
MD Buddy puts your entire Ableton Live set in the palm of your hand. See every song, every section, and exactly where the playhead is - all in real time from your iPad. And now, your whole team can follow along too.
Designed for worship teams, live performers, and anyone running Ableton backing tracks, MD Buddy lets the music director stay in control without touching the computer. Jump to any section on the beat, mute individual tracks per song, and keep the service moving without missing a note.
REAL-TIME PLAYBACK TRACKING
MD Buddy mirrors Ableton's playhead live - current song, current section, tempo, and bar number update as the music plays. A progress bar shows exactly where you are inside each section so you always know what's coming.
JUMP TO ANY SECTION
Tap any section button to cue Ableton to jump there. Jumps respect Ableton's Launch Quantization so they always land on the beat - no awkward cuts, no off-time transitions.
OBSERVER MODE - YOUR WHOLE TEAM, IN SYNC
Every other musician can now open MD Buddy on their own iPad or iPhone and follow the set live - current section, progress, tempo - without touching anything. No vocal cues, no guessing when the bridge repeats or the outro's coming. A green border shows at a glance which device is actually in control, and Settings lists everyone currently connected by name.
TRACK MIXER
Toggle individual Ableton tracks on or off directly from the iPad. Want to drop the drums for a quieter moment or bring in extra instrumentation? Tap once. Mute presets save automatically per song and restore every time you navigate back to that song.
AUTOMATIC SETUP
MD Buddy finds the bridge app on your Mac automatically - no IP address, no manual configuration. Connect via Wi-Fi or plug in a USB-C cable for a rock-solid stage connection independent of the venue's network. Save named Trusted Connections in Settings for an instant one-tap reconnect anywhere Bonjour discovery is blocked.
SETLIST CONTROL
Drag songs to reorder your setlist for the night. Your order is remembered between sessions. One device is always the primary controller; every other device connects read-only as an Observer, so accidental taps can never disrupt playback.
FLEXIBLE MARKER NAMING
Works with your existing Ableton project. Name songs using the == Song Name == convention or simply drop a marker called "Start" - MD Buddy recognizes common words in English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Italian.
DEMO MODE
No bridge? No problem. Explore the full interface with sample songs before your first live use.
---MD Buddy requires the free MD Buddy Bridge companion app running on the Mac connected to Ableton Live. Compatible with Ableton Live 10, 11, and 12 (Standard or Suite). Not compatible with Intro or Lite editions.
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