A few questions

[eamon]

Hello, I hope someone can help... I'm just trying to familiarize myself with MB and there's a couple of functions that are different to (sucky) iTunes that I would like to be able to achieve.

1. I do a search and the results are shown in my Playing Tracks pane. I click the song I was looking for, and then I want it to carry on playing from the whole library afterwards. Is there a way to do this?

If I clear the search bar, it shows me the entire library, but it still stays restricted to the "Playing Tracks" playlist (the original search results). So it will go on to play the next search result, or if it's just one song then obviously it just repeats.

I created a button to Clear the Now Playing list, but that doesn't automatically make it continue from my full library. It just keeps me stuck inside an empty playlist, so everything just stops.

Hope this makes sense. Whilst listening to all my randomly shuffled songs, I want to be able to play a particular one and then (in as little clicks as possible) make it go back to my full song list and have it continue playing from there.

2. I'd like the main Tracks window to snap to the currently playing song. I know that the Playing Tracks window sort of does this. But it doesn't give me the same options in the context menu for example.

3. I'd like to make the search bar more prominent in the interface, rather than a skinny thing in the top corner. I can extend it's length to the left, but would like to be able to, for instance, centralise it, and increase the height. Is anything like this possible?

4. My keyboard shortcut to skip tracks (left and right arrow) is still skipping tracks when MusicBee is minimised. So right now I'm skipping tracks instead of moving my cursor across to fix typos.... My shortcut for stop/resume playback (space bar) does not have the same problem, funnily enough.
How can I stop this happening? I really want to use those arrow keys for this function.


Many thanks in advance!

[psychoadept]

Hi, welcome to the forum!

Overall, it sounds like maybe you're not using MusicBee quite as intended, although I could be misunderstanding.  I'm trying to sort through what you're saying but I might need some help.

When you say you do a search, are you using the search bar at the top left? That usually searches the library (or whatever node you're in) and shows results in the main panel, not the playing tracks list. I believe you can only search playing tracks while you have something selected in the playing tracks and you start typing.

There's more than one way to go about it in MusicBee, but generally if you search the library and select "queue next" for the track you want to play, then it will play next and your other tracks will resume after that. Note that you can set "queue next" as the default behavior (such as for double clicking) in preferences, if you want.

To make the main panel follow the currently playing song, there is a setting in preferences - but beware it will jump to the song even when you're trying to do something else.

I think the only way you might be able to change the search bar significantly is through skinning. I'm not sure if it's possible, though.

For the hotkeys that are working outside of MusicBee, check that they're not set to global in preferences.

[eamon]

When you say you do a search, are you using the search bar at the top left? That usually searches the library (or whatever node you're in) and shows results in the main panel, not the playing tracks list. I believe you can only search playing tracks while you have something selected in the playing tracks and you start typing.

After seaching from the bar at the top, It shows the results in the main panel, but ALSO the playing tracks list. Say I have two results come up for "beans" (which I do). Once I click on one of them to play, the "Playing Tracks" pane shows those two results, until I go back to All Songs and click onto another song.
But usually I want to play a song from search results, then wander off to do something else, so the next song is back to my shuffled library.

There's more than one way to go about it in MusicBee, but generally if you search the library and select "queue next" for the track you want to play, then it will play next and your other tracks will resume after that.

Queue next just makes the searched-for song play next, but I still am stuck within these search results. So then the subsequent tracks that resume, are all from the search results/Playing Tracks, and I want them to be from the full library. I am stuck within the search results in "Playing tracks". Hope this makes sense.

To make the main panel follow the currently playing song, there is a setting in preferences - but beware it will jump to the song even when you're trying to do something else.

Got it, I had "Highlight playing track" set to "color text" rather than "select track"... which looks cool but doesn't follow the song. Thanks!

For the hotkeys that are working outside of MusicBee, check that they're not set to global in preferences.

This was the problem. Thanks!

[psychoadept]

After seaching from bar at the top, It shoes the results in the main panel, but ALSO the playing tracks list. Say I have two results come up for "beans" (which I do). Once I click on one of them to play, the "Playing Tracks" pane shows those two results, until I go back to All Songs and click onto another song.

Aha! I think I understand the problem. It was just my understanding that was not as intended, not what you're doing. The solution is to go into preferences, now playing, and as well as changing the double click action to "queue next", change the "play now" action to "queue selected tracks next and play now". That should keep the playing tracks list from being cleared when you add something from your search results.

If that doesn't clear up all the search and add problems, let me know.

[eamon]

Hmm. I am seriously not explaining myself very well    I more or less want to do the opposite of what you suggested, lol.
Let me try again to explain.

- I usually just play my entire library, or a playlist, on shuffle. I don't really have much use for the "Playing Tracks" window.

- Sometimes I want to be able to search for and play Song X, and then for it to carry on playing my entire library, after Song X has finished playing.

- However, I can't do this, because after seaching, "Playing Tracks" is now showing search results for Song X.

- All subsequent songs are from those search results, and not from my entire library. (which is unwanted).

- "Playing Tracks" traps me inside a playlist of whatever search results are in there.

- Even if I clear the search bar at the top, it shows me the full list of all my songs in the main window, but it doesn't go on to actually play them, because I'm still restricted by "Playing Tracks" which still shows results for Song X.



I basically don't get why "Playing Tracks" doesn't clear, when I clear the search bar, and instead just acts like a playlist. It stops MB from resuming with music from outside of those results.

[eamon]

Sorry I hope the first part of my previous message didn't come across rude, and of course thank you very much for helping so far

[eamon]

Ok I just realised that I can completely take Playing Tracks out of the equation (I removed the panel completely).

So the issue is simply that, if I search for a song, I would like for MB to continue playing from my full library, rather than play the rest of the search results/stop altogether.

Hope that makes a bit more sense. Cheers

[Zak]

- I usually just play my entire library, or a playlist, on shuffle. I don't really have much use for the "Playing Tracks" window.

It sounds like you're trying to replicate how Foobar or iTunes works, but MusicBee isn't designed that way.
The main view that shows all the tracks in your library is for finding tracks you want to play and adding them to the Playing Tracks queue - you can't play directly from the library as such.

Ok I just realised that I can completely take Playing Tracks out of the equation (I removed the panel completely).

Regardless of what settings you use, MusicBee will always use the Playing Tracks queue for... well... the playing tracks.
Even if you hide it, MusicBee will still use it as the source for upcoming tracks.

The settings that psychoadept suggested will get you close to what you're asking for, but you could also try:

Set Now Playing preferences to Queue Next for both options (i.e. when music is stopped and when playing).
(This will stop MusicBee replacing existing tracks in the Playing Tracks list when you choose a new song)

Clear your Playing Tracks list to start from scratch.
While showing your entire library in the main window (not after a search), right-click a track and select Play Now to load all tracks into Playing Tracks.
Now when playing your music, if you perform a search and double-click the track you want, it will play next and then MusicBee will go back to the rest of your library.

You could also change the view to the Compact Player and set it to show Playing Tracks to see if that works better for you.
(although I think I've found a bug there that I'll post separately)


Speaking for myself, after I got used to it, I can't go back to any other player now that doesn't allow for a separate library and playing queue.

[psychoadept]

Ok I just realised that I can completely take Playing Tracks out of the equation (I removed the panel completely).

So the issue is simply that, if I search for a song, I would like for MB to continue playing from my full library, rather than play the rest of the search results/stop altogether.

Hope that makes a bit more sense. Cheers

You probably don't actually want to remove playing tracks, unless you take Zak's suggestion to use the Compact Player, because it shows you the playing tracks: what's in that list is exactly what you'll hear (unless you have shuffle turned on, in which case it's liable to jump around).

I promise the settings that he or I suggested will get you what you want. The key is to not have "Play Now" set to one of the "clear list and..." options, because that's why the list gets changed after your search, instead of just inserting the tracks you want to play.

You might also be interested in trying Auto DJ, which unless you mess with the settings is just an on-going shuffle of your library tracks, which you can insert anything you want into using the Queue Next option. You can fiddle with the settings in Now Playing and Auto-DJ to change how many tracks stay in the Playing Tracks list at any point. One advantage of Auto DJ is that new tracks added to your library will be automatically pulled in, saving you having to reset the Playing Tracks list.