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This seems to have split into two broad feature requests now, so to try to clarify it a bit:

  1. There has been a long-standing request for Poweramp to offer the same 'A-B Repeat' functionality that CD players have had since they first came out - specifically to be able to set a start-point and an end-point within the currently playing song, so that segment loops forever until you stop playback. This would fit in nicely with my suggested revision for the wording for the Repeat button, adding an extra item thus: Play One Song | Play Category | Play All | Repeat Song | Repeat Category | Repeat All | A-B Repeat. I think the A-B Repeat option should probably only appear via the long-press list (so it doesn't get picked by accident) and selecting that option would create the initial start-point. Then you would simply tap the Repeat icon a second time to set the end-point, and looped playback would commence.
     
  2. Provide some mechanism to store the same start-point and end-point timecodes for any given track within a Playlist entry, so whenever you play that song from the Playlist, Poweramp would only play the selected segment. This could be combined with 'Repeat One Song' mode to create a repeating loop. Annotate this sort of special Playlist entry with an 'AB' logo to the left of the song title.

One caveat I can see for both of the above is that timecode seek accuracy is not always perfect, especially with VBR files or long tracks that don't contain seek table metadata.

Andre

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4 hours ago, andrewilley said:

This seems to have split into two broad feature requests now, so to try to clarify it a bit:

No not split IMO, just merely an expansion of the AB request but appropriately kept within the same topic thread rather than splintered into a new thread.

  

4 hours ago, andrewilley said:

2. Provide some mechanism to store the same start-point and end-point timecodes for any given track within a Playlist entry, so whenever you play that song from the Playlist, Poweramp would only play the selected segment. This could be combined with 'Repeat One Song' mode to create a repeating loop. Annotate this sort of special Playlist entry with an 'AB' logo to the left of the song title.

Yes precisely. Although I'm unsure of what you mean by combining it with 'repeat one song' - perhaps you're referring to the background mechanism which makes sense. With any AB added to a playlist you'd still be able to independently Shuffle, Repeat All, Repeat one but NOT allowed to Repeat AB again furthermore to avoid confusion. When adding an AB (or multiple AB of same song or any song) to a Playlist, all you'd be doing is adding a shortcuts to the original song file that would play at the user's saved AB just as long as the file stays in tact in it's original directory.

 

4 hours ago, andrewilley said:

One caveat I can see for both of the above is that timecode seek accuracy is not always perfect, especially with VBR files or long tracks that don't contain seek table metadata.

Andre

True. This is why I am in favour of a haptic feedback "lock on" feature that would stay on the precise timecode that a user seeks their finger to: https://forum.powerampapp.com/topic/18950-precision-seeking-with-haptic-feedback-vibration/

 

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10 minutes ago, haddy said:

True. This is why I am in favour of a haptic feedback "lock on" feature that would stay on the precise timecode that a user seeks their finger to

The point is it's not always possible to re-seek to an exact hh:mm:ss.nnn timecode in (for example) some VBR files without seek lookup tables. And the longer the file, the less accurate seeking to a particular exact timecode can become.

Andre

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5 minutes ago, andrewilley said:

The point is it's not always possible to re-seek to an exact hh:mm:ss.nnn timecode in (for example) some VBR files without seek lookup tables. And the longer the file, the less accurate seeking to a particular exact timecode can become.

Andre

True with long files and VBR without the necessary metadata for companion seeking. With the "precision seeking" idea I raised it is about trying to force it with haptic feedback. A few other different Poweramp features attempt to force such as 'Force speaker off'

Furthermore for accurate or close to accurate seeking there are Android users out there that may use a stylus with their supported devices, notably Samsung Galaxy Note users as well as Galaxy Tab, Moto G stylus, LG and Huawei Mate 20 users.

If they say the pen is mightier than the sword (idiom), then the stylus is mightier than the finger! 🤣🤣

 

The AB Repeat feature is not just about seeking all the time, since the usage of AB also counts on the user live listening to the song/podcast and selecting a point A and point B during playback. This could be a really familar song/audiobook to the user in where they know by listening memory where they want to mark the points A and B from.  Personally I tend to seek to the 'just before' segments of any point A and point B and then mark it, which is how I imagine most AB users handle it.😀

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On 7/17/2020 at 9:50 AM, andrewilley said:

I think the A-B Repeat option should probably only appear via the long-press list (so it doesn't get picked by accident) and selecting that option would create the initial start-point. Then you would simply tap the Repeat icon a second time to set the end-point, and looped playback would commence.
 

Not quite exactly :)

Rather, after selecting AB option from the long-press Repeat selection menu it would then enable the chooser mode so that a user can then choose the starting A point using the button on the Interface with subsequent actions of the same single button.

The same Repeat button would transform into the button for the AB modes

repeat.png.bcab46a09f03be4ee084dbaab96ad1bf.png

 

I created this animation to best depict it in action through each button press.

1221123015_poweramp2020req-ABreel.gif.040f4852e4de71372fd90b3409bcdbaf.gif

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Then to Cancel the whole AB Repeat mode, user would simply have to long-press the button to bring up the menu list of different standard Repeats.

 

Playlist support: When adding any AB to a Playlist then a Toast notification should appear on the bottom of the screen to let the user know that they've added an AB selection to a playlist and not the original full song/track.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Summary:

881720356_poweramp2020req-abpresentation.png.94817c58d53d8da50aae866cd98960cf.png

 

Post updated - Removed the "B" state of the AB button order. My depiction mockup now matches Neutron Player's sensible implementation.

 

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47 minutes ago, haddy said:

Any update in this in the TODO??

I don't know where this falls in Max's plans (Parametric EQ work is currently his main focus) but you have reminded me that the sticky 'To-Do list' post in the Chatter forum is now about ten years old and refers to assorted plans for PA v2, so I think I'll unpin it as it doesn't really help much today.

I was actually thinking about creating some sort of 'Common Feature Requests' summary post, with links to the top 20 or so regularly requested items to try to tidy up repeat posts a bit. Things like A-B Repeat, ratings and cover art syncing from/to tags, NAS & cloud music sources, more streaming output options (DLNA etc), smart playlists, synced lyrics, etc 

Andre

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  • 2 months later...

Hi Max MP and everyone.

Unfortunately Neutron's version of AB doesn't allow a user to seek with the seek bar while the "A" point is selected. Seeking support is required so that a user doesn't have to endure any long playback just to have the finger ready to tap on the "B" point. This is something that should get allowed in Poweramp's 'eventual' implementation of the feature.

 

Also, adding to Bookmarks support pls 😀 

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  • 2 months later...
  • 2 months later...

I know, I'm late to the party responding ... But I have been 99.99% happy with PA, and this has been bugging me for a few years and keep coming back to the issue.

I have also asked the developers in the past via direct email for an A-B repeat.. The only way I have found a work around is to  use a CUE sheet. (or use another program like Music Speed Changer), but I like PA's feel, and I want select other tunes in a playlist to do the same thing. 

My issue is I have three different things going on in one track.   A song,  fast tune 1, and fast tune 2.  I want to learn tune 1.  It's fast so I want to slow it down and get the tune in my head and then play along with.  I want to repeat it. 

I put the xxx.cue file in the folder with the MP3s

Poweramp (PA) picks up the cue file and creates 3 virtual track. I rename the tracks so I can find them.  That is, TITLE "Graf Spey test"

I then select within PA the fast tune 1, in this example ---  "Graf Spey test".
I then  put PA into repeat track mode.

So here's the file:

REM GENRE Celtic     
REM DATE 2022
PERFORMER "Bolhola"
TITLE "Bohola II"
FILE "03 Home_Graf Spey_Lucy Campbell.mp3" MP3
TRACK 01 AUDIO
   TITLE "HOME test"

     PERFORMER "Bohola"
     INDEX 01 00:00:00
 TRACK 02 AUDIO
      TITLE "Graf Spey test"

      PERFORMER "Bohola"
       INDEX 01 03:05:00
       POSTGAP 00:01:00
TRACK 03 AUDIO
      TITLE "Lucy Campbell test"
       PERFORMER "Bohola"
       INDEX 01 04:54:00

-----------

I'm not sure the command to put a 1 second gap at the end  before it repeats does anything .....POSTGAP 00:01:00

I was thinking there must be some other way to do it... like a start point in the meta data of the xxx.mp3 file itself but I can't find any info on meta data syntax that says it's available.

Squeeze

 

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For some reason Max MP does not want to reply to this topic.

Max (developer), it has been 11 years since this request topic was first opened and since then other similar Android music players such as Neutron have added this nifty feature.

 

Please implement it for us even as a beta.

 

Please also incorporate its support into Bookmarks or PlayStation so that there's a way to store the A-B selection.

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From previous comments (and I'm not privy to any specific development details here) I'm guessing that A-B Repeat might be tucked away within the longer-term plans to allow users to customise the entire row of control icons under the cover art (Visualization/Sleep/counter/Repeat/Shuffle). I think A-B Repeat would be a good fit as an optional icon within that customisation process.

I also hope that the same goes for my own very-longstanding (although admittedly not quite 11 years) request for a simple re-wording of the Repeat icon to give a more user-friendly and consistent set of choices: Play Song | Play Category | Play All | Repeat Song | Repeat Category | Repeat All. No real coding changes, but it eliminates the perennially confusing term 'Advance Category' which new users never seem to understand really just means 'Play All'.

Andre 

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  • 1 month later...

Yes please 🙏 consider Andre's comprehensive icons.

Wow 12 years for a feature request and still no comment from Max MP. Why does Maxim seem to hate this feature and view it as superfluous?

 

Please, please, please A-B Repeat function with support for saving/backup of A-B by likely integrating with Bookmarks.

It's even referenced in the Lyric thread:

 

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Wow @haddy. Respect.

You're still waiting even after 12 years.

You can thank me for mentioning this topic several times as a perfect example of how long we have to wait to get answer from @maxmp.

Altough I'm waiting for smart/dynamic playlist less, at least max answered you 12 years ago while I'm (and people who asked long time ago for this feature) still waiting for his answer :)

 

Edited by Mark89
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  • 1 month later...

I've owned p'amp premium for what seems like 10yrs... I've purchased it for my wife and son's phones as well.

I've always wanted an AB loop feature, but could never understand why the leader in android audio did not have one, as I was able to purchase a decent one, Speed Music Changer.

Anyway, I'm just a nobody consumer who appreciates your work.... and speaking for all other nobody consumers (present and future) I'd be happy to PAY to add an AB repeat f(x) to my already premium p'amp set-up.

Thanks for reading. 

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@haddy your patience and persistence is admirable. I really hope your requested A-B repeat feature will be implemented someday. In the meantime you can try NYX music player https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.awedea.nyx

It has a nice user interface albeit a bit buggy but has got a decent A-B repeat feature. 

Note. I ain't promoting NYX music player. I have just used it in the past.

Thanks

 

 

 

 

Edited by James007
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On 6/5/2022 at 5:50 PM, James007 said:

@haddy your patience and persistence is admirable. I really hope your requested A-B repeat feature will be implemented someday. In the meantime you can try NYX music player https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.awedea.nyx

It has a nice user interface albeit a bit buggy but has got a decent A-B repeat feature. 

Note. I ain't promoting NYX music player. I have just used it in the past.

Thanks

 

 

 

 

Thanks James, however this is about Poweramp getting this feature. Poweramp is my favourite cross-device app on Android for offline music playing.

Poweramp is already half way there with an A-B function due to the 'Bookmarks' feature. Poweramp's existing 'Bookmarks' feature already has the capability of marking point A of any track.

 

So all the developer would be doing is copying and pasting the Bookmarks function in code then implementing a 'mark as point B' along with using the existing 'repeat 1 track' feature so that A-B plays in a loop. Plus of course some UX buttons for this.

 

All A-B could then give the user the option to either save into the Bookmarks playlist or to save into any custom Playlist.

 

@maxmp This is so straightforward. Max could you care to comment your thoughts/direction on this thread?

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