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[darrenjweiss]

Is it possible to insert a break into a playlist or playing?  I host a radio show and use my laptop and MC for most of my show.  I use a cross-fade transition between songs and when I need to take a break from the music, I either hit the fader on the control board before the next song in my playlist fades in, or I clear subsequent tracks in Playing Now and re-insert them when I'm ready for the music again. 

Ideally, I'd like to be able to insert a "break", whereas the music would end after the currently playing song, and would resume after hitting the play button again...

Thoughts?

Thanks,
Darren Weiss

[rick.ca]

Create a silent file of whatever duration works for you—perhaps something longer than any break you might take. Include it at the end of your playlist. In Playing Now, when you want to break, move it to the next to play position. Once it's playing, use Next to resume playing the next track. You could also move it anywhere else in the playlist, and then resume. Then move the silent file to the next break position, or just leave it where it is until needed again.

[StFeder]

You can use two options.

First you can set the repeat mode to stop after each song. I guess this is not what you're looking for as you'll sometimes play some songs without a breack beetween.
You'll find this option under "Player -> Repeat -> Stop after each item"

The second, better, option is to use the stop after current file. Hit this and MC stops after the current playing song. Still using a fadeout effect of course (if MC is set to do this regularly).
For an easy access to this function you can modify the Resource.xml. Add this line for example to use the Key "F8" for activating "Stop after current file".

Code: [Select]

<Entry Key="F8" Command="10036" Param="1" TranslateFlags="1" Global="1" />Entry Key tells MC what button it should watch for. You can use any button you like.
Command & Param configures the command you want the button to execute (stop after current file in this case)
TranslateFlags sets where MC should use this button. Take a look at Resource.xml for explanation.
Global tells MC to watch for the button press even if it's out of focus (1) or only when it's in focus (0)

To make this setting work place the file to "<Path to J River Media Center>\Data\Custom Resources".

The complete File could look like this for you:

Code: [Select]

<!--
Media Center Resource XML (Default / English)
-->

<MJRS version="1.0">

<!--
ACCELERATORS:

  Key: semi-colon delimited list of key strokes to be pressed (see list below for special keys)
    note that the only valid combinations are: [Key], [Key];Ctrl, [Key];Ctrl;Shift, [Key];Alt
  Type: the type of command (defaults to MCC)
    MCC: the command is an MC command
    Program: the command is a program to run
  Command: the MCC command index / name of program
  Param: the parameter for the MCC command / program arguments
  TranslateFlags: flags that determine when and how an accelerator is translated (binary or'd together)
    1: don't translate in edits, comboboxes, and other data entry controls
    2: don't translate in fullscreen mode or theater view
    4: don't translate in any type of popup window
    8: only translate in fullscreen
    16: don't translate in IE, VB controls, or other unknown rich controls
    32: targets playback engine / display (DVD, image playback, etc.)
    64: only translate when Action Window is focused
  NoShowAsShortcut: 1 if you don't want MC to show this shortcut in menus, tooltips, etc.
  Global: 1 if you want the accelerator to be translated even when MC doesn't have the focus
 
  Special key list: Insert, Delete, -, +, Right, Left, Up, Down,
    NumPad0, NumPad1, NumPad2 (etc.), F1, F2, F3 (etc.), Backspace, Enter, Escape,
    Apps, Page Up, Page Down, Home, End, Space, Print Screen, Tab

  Remember that order is relevant when the same shortcut appears multiple times.
-->

  <ACCELERATORS>
    <!-- ############################### -->
    <!-- # Use Stop after current file # -->
    <!-- ############################### -->
    <Entry Key="F8" Command="10036" Param="1" TranslateFlags="1" Global="1" />

   
    <!-- JRiver Examples -->
   
    <!-- Make Ctrl;1...4 act like player control buttons
    <Entry Key="Ctrl;1" Command="10004" Param="0" Global="1" />
    <Entry Key="Ctrl;NumPad1" Command="10004" Param="0" Global="1" />
    <Entry Key="Ctrl;2" Command="10000" Param="0" Global="1" />
    <Entry Key="Ctrl;NumPad2" Command="10000" Param="0" Global="1" />
    <Entry Key="Ctrl;3" Command="10002" Param="0" Global="1" />
    <Entry Key="Ctrl;NumPad3" Command="10002" Param="0" Global="1" />
    <Entry Key="Ctrl;4" Command="10003" Param="0" Global="1" />
    <Entry Key="Ctrl;NumPad4" Command="10003" Param="0" Global="1" />  -->

    <!-- Make Ctrl;5 show a DVD menu (also to override rating the current song)
    <Entry Key="Ctrl;5" Command="10033" Param="0" Global="1" />
    <Entry Key="Ctrl;NumPad5" Command="10033" Param="0" Global="1" />   -->

    <!-- Make Ctrl;6...7 run a program (as an example)
    <Entry Key="Ctrl;6" Type="Program" Command="MC13.exe" Param="/Command Pause" Global="1" />
    <Entry Key="Ctrl;7" Type="Program" Command="calc.exe" Global="1" />   -->

    <!-- Make Ctrl;Shift;1...4 play playlists
    <Entry Key="Ctrl;Shift;1" Command="30007" Param="Keyboard Playlists\1" Global="1" />
    <Entry Key="Ctrl;Shift;NumPad1" Command="30007" Param="Keyboard Playlists\1" Global="1" />
    <Entry Key="Ctrl;Shift;2" Command="30007" Param="Keyboard Playlists\2" Global="1" />
    <Entry Key="Ctrl;Shift;NumPad2" Command="30007" Param="Keyboard Playlists\2" Global="1" />
    <Entry Key="Ctrl;Shift;3" Command="30007" Param="Keyboard Playlists\3" Global="1" />
    <Entry Key="Ctrl;Shift;NumPad3" Command="30007" Param="Keyboard Playlists\3" Global="1" />
    <Entry Key="Ctrl;Shift;4" Command="30007" Param="Keyboard Playlists\4" Global="1" />
    <Entry Key="Ctrl;Shift;NumPad4" Command="30007" Param="Keyboard Playlists\4" Global="1" />   -->
                     
  </ACCELERATORS>

</MJRS>

More infos about using Resource.xml can be found in the file itself (or in the code-box above) and about possible commands you can read here: http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Media_Center_Core_Commands.

[StFeder]

Create a silent file of whatever duration works for you

I tried to use this workaround myself a longer time ago. It took quiet a while till I figured out why it didn't work for me first: I had checked the option to not play silent in/before/after songs, so a completely silent song never was played :)

[darrenjweiss]

Thanks for the info, StFeder...The first option you posted should work fine as I can toggle the "No Repeat" and "Stop after each track" as I near a set break...As mentioned, I tried to insert a 30 second "blank" track, but similar to your experience, with the remove blanks at the beginning of the track selection enabled, it proved fruitless. 

With regard to the second option, where would I find the Resource.xml file? 

Thanks for the help.

-Darren

[rick.ca]

As mentioned, I tried to insert a 30 second "blank" track, but similar to your experience, with the remove blanks at the beginning of the track selection enabled, it proved fruitless.

You can't, of course, have it both ways. If stopping after the current track is all you need, fine. In my configuration, that's already mapped to Ctrl+Shift+S. But if Playing Now is being used to monitor and control the playlist, I thought it would be nice to be able to place a "Break" file anywhere in the list. It can be done before the last file to be played starts, and the file will provide a clear visual indication of where the break has been set in the list.

I thought a clever solution might be to use an inaudible file (a 22 kHz tone at an amplitude of 2% seems to be considered "silent" by the program) instead of a silent one. That works, but messes up volume levelling. While the silent file is ignored, the inaudible one will be compensated for—reducing the volume of all tracks.

[StFeder]

I'm not sure where to find the original resource.xml file. You can just copy&paste my second code (the longer one) into a simple text file (txt) and rename it to >>Resource.xml<<. The code I posted IS the original resource.xml file including the one line I postet. Place this file to >><Path to J River Media Center>\Data\Custom Resources<< and it works.
You have to create the folder >>Custom Resources<< manually! It's not being created by MC on default.
The default path to Media Center is C:\Program Files\J River\Media Center 15\

Of course you can use the shortcut mentioned by rick.ca (sorry for not telling you about this in my first post), but I think the usage of the xml file has two benefits.
First it can be set to be a global shortcut, meaning even if you are just typing a letter in word with MC running in background hitting F8 will stop MC after the playing song.
Second it's much more comfortable to have a often used function on one key instead of three.

P.S.: You can also download the default >>Resources.xml<< here: ftp://ftp.jriver.com/pub/downloads/music/misc/Resource.xml. But this one is not as nice layouted as my code in my first post is, even it has the same content