Play one album after another in non-queue mode

[zicoian]

I don't know if I'm missing something obvious here but I cannot see how to start playing an album and then select another album to play after the first one without letting the initial one finish first.  I can do this if I play the first album in its own queue (and then queue the second one after it) or play the first album in its own playlist (and then add the second album to that playlist) but these methods seem a bit clunky.

If I select an album I can either Queue it or Play Next it but, as far as I can see, these do the same thing if I am already playing an album - play the second album after the current TRACK (not the current ALBUM) has finished.

Can anyone suggest a solution please?  I would be very grateful.

[andrewilley]

You can configure the Queue to commence playback immediately, or after the current track has finished, or after the current category (e.g. album) has finished. Settings > Library > Queue > Start Playing Queue.

Andre

[zicoian]

Okay but my point is that I don't want to use a Queue - is there any way of playing one album after the other (continuously) without the use of queues or playlists?  And what is the difference (at the album) between pressing the "Queue" button and the "Play Next" button?  Does the "Play Next" button always play the selected album after the current track (whereas, as you've said above") the queueing behaviour can be changed)?  To me the "Play Next" button, at the album category level, should really play the next album after the current category (i.e. current album) has finished.

[MotleyG]

1 hour ago, zicoian said:

Okay but my point is that I don't want to use a Queue - is there any way of playing one album after the other (continuously) without the use of queues or playlists?  And what is the difference (at the album) between pressing the "Queue" button and the "Play Next" button?  Does the "Play Next" button always play the selected album after the current track (whereas, as you've said above") the queueing behaviour can be changed)?  To me the "Play Next" button, at the album category level, should really play the next album after the current category (i.e. current album) has finished.

What you are asking here is exactly what the queue is for. You aren’t creating a permanent new playlist. The queue is a one-time, on the fly place to line what you want to listen to now - tracks, Albums, etc. If it isn’t saved as a playlist before you change what you are listening to, it is emptied and no longer exists.

[andrewilley]

3 hours ago, zicoian said:

Okay but my point is that I don't want to use a Queue - is there any way of playing one album after the other (continuously) without the use of queues or playlists?  And what is the difference (at the album) between pressing the "Queue" button and the "Play Next" button?

When playing in Albums mode, the next album is defined by the List Options sort order. Or it's random if you have Shuffle enabled. To play something  new out of the order, that is what the Queue is for.

'Play Next'  simply means to insert the selected items at the start of the queue, rather than at the end which is the normal method. If the Queue is already empty, there is no difference.

Andre

[drftr]

Exactly. I used it a few days ago to do an overnight battery test for my Bluetooth headphones. Simply click all the albums you want to play and they're added to the queue. After you're done playing simply delete the queue. It's really very simple and effective.

 

drftr

[zicoian]

I have been using queues to play albums as you have described for the last few weeks and it all works fine.  However, the reason why I wanted to know how to play whole albums consecutively by other means was due to a comment by @andrewilley in another thread

https://forum.powerampapp.com/topic/15919-confused-on-how-the-queue-feature-works/

In it he says, "No, that's not how the PA queue works, it is not really intended to be used as a regular listening mode (even if some users do use it that way)" (my italics).

I think the problem is that lots of users would want to use the queue as the main method of listening to music (other than playlists, of course) to give a continuous stream of music.  Maybe the queue should the regular listening mode rather than play every album in one's catalogue one after the other, which is the current default...

[andrewilley]

You can queue up several albums to pay sequentially if you want, that's what the Queue is designed for. Once completed, regular playback will be resumed. If you don't want it to return to normal playback afterwards, enable Settings > Library > Queue > On Queue End > Stay in Queue / Repeat Queue.

Poweramp does not really have a specific 'default' playback mode, it's whatever you choose it to be. That could be Folders, Albums, Artists, Composers, Genres, Years, Playlists, etc - or just All Songs.

Andre