Random, but no repeat?

[radioguy]

Perhaps there is already a way to do this in Poweramp that I am not aware of, but I would like to be able to select random play/no repeat, so that the same songs don't keep popping up in rotation until ALL the songs in my collection have been played.  I know I can just play every song in alphabetical order, but I'd like a different option that mixes things up, without repeating until all the songs have been cycled.

 

[andrewilley]

Poweramp's random feature is already a simple shuffle. It does not pick randomly after each song, which could potentially result in repetition. This means that when you activate Shuffle (for example, 'Shuffle All') PA will play every song in your library exactly once before it starts all over again with a completely new shuffled order.

To confirm this for yourself, just tap the Shuffle icon in the player screen and the track counter will change to " 1 / xxxx " (where xxxx is the total number of songs in your music library). Each new song will show as 2/xxxx, 3/xxxx, etc until it has eventually played everything. You can move forward and backward through the shuffled order to check.

If that counter ever goes back to 1/xxxx again, then you have done something to trigger a reshuffle of the list - for example you manually start a new song or album playing, or you change the shuffle mode. After a new reshuffle it's very possible you might soon hear a song that you've heard recently in the old list. That's just the nature of random.

Andre

[radioguy]

Thank you, Andre.  I guess what jams me up is that occasionally, I'll jump to a playlist, but then when I go back to "play all" shuffle, some of the stuff I've heard recently comes back into rotation.  Is there an option for playing the "least played" songs in my library? 

 

[andrewilley]

Yes, by the nature of probability, when you randomise a list you could even hear the song you last listening to before shuffling. And the chances of hearing something that you have listened to recently fairly early in the new list are even higher.

There is a 'Recently Played' category in the Library, which you can Reverse, but that's not exactly what you need as once you shuffle it you're back to square one.

Andre