by paddymcq » Fri May 06, 2022 9:42 pm
My take on previous moderator and user statements/solutions, but using MM4...
The suggestion to set Auto-DJ to retain 0 previous files in order to not repeat tracks doesn't seem to hold true. It appears that the lower number of retained files set increases the likelihood of a track being repeated. I see this when playing a small collection compared to my full library, with Auto-DJ set to retain 5 previous files. Since my smaller collection was still well over 100 tracks yet often repeating within the last 10 tracks, I assumed it was because Auto-DJ was monitoring the playlist for duplicates before choosing the next track. So then I set the retain previous files to 100. Auto-DJ now did not repeat tracks nearly as often but still did repeat well within the 100 previous tracks in the playlist. So my theory that it was referencing the previous tracks in the playlist before choosing a new track from the library was only partially true, that the bigger playlist only decreased the likelihood of repeating a track, not restricting it from repeating a track.
Randomizing the playlist is good workaround for an event or a moment in time. But to populate and randomize thousands and thousands of tracks for everyday general play, like your personal radio station, is clumsy and impractical. Granted, with a collection of thousands and thousands of tracks, Auto-DJ doesn't repeat tracks often enough to notice. But with a small collection, Auto-DJ is unusable. You see I leave Auto-DJ on all the time on my home theater PC, so myself or anyone else can just click once on a collection (Jazz, Blues, 60s, etc.) and those tracks will then start populating the playlist after the previous track(s) are finished.
My iPod classic, which has smaller AutoPlaylists on it (synced from MM), rarely repeats tracks while while playing for hours in my car on a road trip. What is it that Apple is doing that MediaMonkey isn't?
My take on previous moderator and user statements/solutions, but using MM4...
The suggestion to set Auto-DJ to retain 0 previous files in order to not repeat tracks doesn't seem to hold true. It appears that the lower number of retained files set increases the likelihood of a track being repeated. I see this when playing a small collection compared to my full library, with Auto-DJ set to retain 5 previous files. Since my smaller collection was still well over 100 tracks yet often repeating within the last 10 tracks, I assumed it was because Auto-DJ was monitoring the playlist for duplicates before choosing the next track. So then I set the retain previous files to 100. Auto-DJ now did not repeat tracks nearly as often but still did repeat well within the 100 previous tracks in the playlist. So my theory that it was referencing the previous tracks in the playlist before choosing a new track from the library was only partially true, that the bigger playlist only decreased the likelihood of repeating a track, not restricting it from repeating a track.
Randomizing the playlist is good workaround for an event or a moment in time. But to populate and randomize thousands and thousands of tracks for everyday general play, like your personal radio station, is clumsy and impractical. Granted, with a collection of thousands and thousands of tracks, Auto-DJ doesn't repeat tracks often enough to notice. But with a small collection, Auto-DJ is unusable. You see I leave Auto-DJ on all the time on my home theater PC, so myself or anyone else can just click once on a collection (Jazz, Blues, 60s, etc.) and those tracks will then start populating the playlist after the previous track(s) are finished.
My iPod classic, which has smaller AutoPlaylists on it (synced from MM), rarely repeats tracks while while playing for hours in my car on a road trip. What is it that Apple is doing that MediaMonkey isn't?
