Troubleshooting.

Check the lane's MIDI tab. A lane sends exactly the note and channel shown there, so if the instrument on the other end is listening elsewhere, that's the first place to look. Every lane starts on the General MIDI mapping in the note map.

Check Settings → MIDI → Note-in channel — if the controller transmits on a channel other than 10, match it or switch to Omni. Also make sure it's sending notes in the map; notes outside the twelve are ignored on purpose.

The lane's note sits inside the eight notes that switch patterns, and pattern select wins. Move the lane's note on its MIDI tab, move the Base note in Settings → MIDI, or switch Select patterns by MIDI note off. Program change still switches patterns either way. See Switch patterns from a controller.

Every device has to be on the same Wi-Fi network — and on iOS, Orbeat needs permission to talk to it. If you dismissed the local-network prompt, switch it back on in iOS Settings → Orbeat → Local Network. Guest networks and setups that isolate clients from each other block Link discovery; a personal hotspot shared between the devices works.

For Bluetooth MIDI, pair the device in another app or iOS Settings first — Orbeat picks up every source the system knows about, and reconnects automatically when devices come and go. For USB, try re-plugging; the list refreshes live.

Orbeat is in sync mode but no clock ticks are arriving. Make sure the sender actually transmits MIDI clock (in most DAWs that's a per-output “send clock” switch), not just start/stop. The moment ticks reappear, Orbeat locks back on.

That's MIDI clock sync doing its job — the external clock owns the transport. Set Settings → MIDI → Sync to Off to take back manual control. (Link leaves the button in your hands — it shares tempo and the bar line, and the transport only if you switch on Start Stop Sync.)

It's queued. The cell flashes until the switch lands, which by default is the next bar. Press and hold the pattern row to switch on the beat or instantly instead. See When the switch lands.