Simply want it to play next track
Is it me or can sonos not do something basic like play next track. If I select a track in an album, playlist etc. It just plays that track and doesn't continue to play the next tracks. What's that about?
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I can't argue with a "Play from here" option (though if Sonos implemented every option people have proposed here, the Play Options list would be 40 choices long). However, you gave an option as "queue vs. play from here", which I assume eliminates the queue from the equation. As I said, this would require a rewrite of the architecture.
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Nice to see the conversation flaring back up here on the topic. One big thing to keep in mind in regards to Sonos functionality in general is how the players all play music mostly controller independent. That's one of the big reasons there's a queue. If you tell Sonos to play a track using one controller, you can continue to control every function of the system with a different controller at any time.
That said, controller #1 has no way of knowing what part of the menu structure controller #2 is on, or what it's doing. If controller #1 tells the players to play a track, controller #2 will show that track in the queue, and playing, but until that happens, nothing has changed. If that track came from a playlist, the players don't care, and other controllers don't know.
This is why simply using one controller to tell the system to play and expect the whole playlist to go in order would require a pretty substantial change in functionality.
Perhaps a way around this is the suggested "Play from here" where it adds that track and the rest to the queue. Maybe one day we'll have something else that is completely different, but handles similarly. Such as an API built into the music service where an option when playing a track from within a playlist or album starts something akin to a station (radio stream) with a playlist of what comes next. Though this would cause trouble because that playlist would be hidden from controllers, at least based on how things work now.
I'm not one to randomly speculate on what the future holds, there're just too many possibilities. But really great discussion everyone, and thanks for the feedback.
That said, controller #1 has no way of knowing what part of the menu structure controller #2 is on, or what it's doing. If controller #1 tells the players to play a track, controller #2 will show that track in the queue, and playing, but until that happens, nothing has changed. If that track came from a playlist, the players don't care, and other controllers don't know.
This is why simply using one controller to tell the system to play and expect the whole playlist to go in order would require a pretty substantial change in functionality.
Perhaps a way around this is the suggested "Play from here" where it adds that track and the rest to the queue. Maybe one day we'll have something else that is completely different, but handles similarly. Such as an API built into the music service where an option when playing a track from within a playlist or album starts something akin to a station (radio stream) with a playlist of what comes next. Though this would cause trouble because that playlist would be hidden from controllers, at least based on how things work now.
I'm not one to randomly speculate on what the future holds, there're just too many possibilities. But really great discussion everyone, and thanks for the feedback.
Please offer continue play option! If a second or third controller picks a song from another source or playlist then they take over. What's the big deal. This is super painful for Soundcloud where there really isn't a playlist or beginning or end. Just a track and a next track and so on. I have to keep my phone on me all the time playing tracks with Sonos and forget parties if you want to steam from Soundcloud.
I don't get your point, add the soundcloud tracks to the queue, they will play continuously, I do this frequently.
So you expect the user to add each track they want to hear one at at time from a feed? Totally manual solution. Select a track let Sonos do the work. If you use Soundcloud directly it works this way. Same for any album or playlist. Sonos should just automatically place the next song in the queue for you until you select another song from another source/list. That's why we write code. Take out the manual non-value add work.
I have a friend who approaches an album as a complete work of art that should not be modified. There is no concept of "track", only full albums.
I think that the early music players were attempting to emulate records and CD's which contained a single spiral of music and were intrinsically "Play from here". I never appreciated this with tapes, records and CD's and this was a major reason that I rejected all of the early digital players. I spent a few minutes with an iPod and was shocked at illogical it was -- after hearing all of the gushing "easy" comments from the media. I am not technically shy, but I sat out the digital music revolution until SONOS. The Queue was a major attraction for me. I'm also a RPN calculator fan. If you want to see someone struggle with technology catch me attempting to use a four function calculator.
A problem for me with the "Play from here" is what happens next? After the album finishes should the music stop or continue with the next album in the library index? From the same artist? Genre? Year? Record label? Why would one want to skip the first 'n' tracks from an album and never the last 'n' tracks?
For me this is all very straight forward with the Queue.
Have you tried the multi-select and drag feature on the Windows Desktop controller? This is a really fast way to build Queues that can then be saved as playlists.
I think that the early music players were attempting to emulate records and CD's which contained a single spiral of music and were intrinsically "Play from here". I never appreciated this with tapes, records and CD's and this was a major reason that I rejected all of the early digital players. I spent a few minutes with an iPod and was shocked at illogical it was -- after hearing all of the gushing "easy" comments from the media. I am not technically shy, but I sat out the digital music revolution until SONOS. The Queue was a major attraction for me. I'm also a RPN calculator fan. If you want to see someone struggle with technology catch me attempting to use a four function calculator.
A problem for me with the "Play from here" is what happens next? After the album finishes should the music stop or continue with the next album in the library index? From the same artist? Genre? Year? Record label? Why would one want to skip the first 'n' tracks from an album and never the last 'n' tracks?
For me this is all very straight forward with the Queue.
Have you tried the multi-select and drag feature on the Windows Desktop controller? This is a really fast way to build Queues that can then be saved as playlists.
I know it does, it's bloody irritating, that's why I try to avoid using it directly. I pretty much only use it via Sonos for that reason. Besides, pretty much every level on soundcloud on Sonos has an "All tracks" option, add them all to the queue and then start playing from the point you want, it's that big a deal.
Really? Why? What other music playing software or hardware gives you that choice? I can't think of any and I've used quite a few.
Logitech's Squeezebox system, which I'm still using in 3 rooms, gives you that choice. By default, selecting a track starts play from here, but a long press enables add to queue.
I've had a pair of Play 1's in the kitchen for a year now and every day I wish the playback system worked like my Squeezeboxes. I'm not a programmer but can it really be that hard to enable a "queue from here" option?
Just purchased a play:5 and play:1 - absolutely love the speakers... Until I realised how the queue system works. Working with UX /UI design myself I'm probably more picky than most people. But I'm seriously considering returning my Sonos system due to this missing feature. I've already created my playlists in Spotify, why in the world should I manually build a queue every single time I want to play music?? If the song I'm selecting is on a album or playlist and I haven't manually started building a queue / why not just assume the remaining songs are the 'queue' I want?! For a system that's otherwise built so well around convenience and good sound, this is extremely clunky in my opinion! There has got to be a way of solving this so everyone is happy! For now I'll try to live with this and wait for Sonos to come up with a solution, but otherwise I'll guess I have to resort to another system that plays directly from Spotify..
Okay, so I've now seen that some are writing that you can build Sonos playlist from your queues - in which, funny enough, the logic works as you'd expect it to (selecting a song in that playlist automatically plays the next when finished etc). That's fine and all, but I'm listening to Spotify all day when not near my Sonos system, daily editing and creating playlists in Spotify. Then I manually have to add these tracks to my Sonos playlists as well? Not optimal, in my opinion..
You know you can add entire playlists or albums at once, right?
jgatie, sure and that's at least a step of the way, I just feel that's it's unnecessary. I don't see why the user experience should be different from Sonos playlists to Spotify playlists. I just want it to play the next track automatically like you'd expect from any other piece of audio player.
It isn't different, a track played from a Sonos playlist doesn't automatically play the next track unless the entire Sonos playlist is added to the queue. The behaviour is exactly the same regardless of where the tracks in the playlist originate.
I just want it to play the next track automatically like you'd expect from any other piece of audio player.
You mean like iTunes does, there are plenty of audio players that don't assume they know what the user wants to do next. Sonos plays from the queue and only from the queue, if you don't like that send it back and buy something else, it isn't going to change.
As Ryan pointed out a central player-based queue is fundamental to Sonos' multi-room, multi-controller architecture.
A "Play From Here" (or more accurately "Enqueue From This Track To The End Of The Album/Playlist") approach could work. However as already pointed out this could make the list of options messily long.
Play Now
Play Next
Add to Queue
Replace Queue
could become
Play This Selection Now
Play From This Selection to the End Now
Play This Selection Next
Play From This Selection to the End Next
Add This Selection to Queue
Add From This Selection to the End to Queue
Replace Queue with This Selection
Replace Queue with From This Selection to the End
Not to mention the tortured grammar.
I guess a way around this would be an option setting somewhere which toggles the meaning of the current commands between "This Selection" and "From This Selection to the End".
In the meantime, Sonos is the way it is. And speaking personally I find the queue entirely intuitive and convenient.
A "Play From Here" (or more accurately "Enqueue From This Track To The End Of The Album/Playlist") approach could work. However as already pointed out this could make the list of options messily long.
Play Now
Play Next
Add to Queue
Replace Queue
could become
Play This Selection Now
Play From This Selection to the End Now
Play This Selection Next
Play From This Selection to the End Next
Add This Selection to Queue
Add From This Selection to the End to Queue
Replace Queue with This Selection
Replace Queue with From This Selection to the End
Not to mention the tortured grammar.
I guess a way around this would be an option setting somewhere which toggles the meaning of the current commands between "This Selection" and "From This Selection to the End".
In the meantime, Sonos is the way it is. And speaking personally I find the queue entirely intuitive and convenient.
Yes, the logic is flawless, if you tell it to play one track, it plays one track, if you want it to play a playlist, you tell it to play the playlist. It's not rocket surgery.
Quite. Personally I find media players which steam on, unbidden, down an album/playlist pretty infuriating. It's the 'CD Player' approach, which is a bit passé IMO.
I don't have anything against the queue system - it works great. I just think there could be a middleground where Sonos defaults to playing the next track on the album, playlist or artist page if I haven't manually told it to to build a queue. The way I see it, it would correspond to me putting in a cd in my CD player and then having to tell it - every time I turn on the player - that it should play the full cd. I know there's a lot of different use cases - however I think it's something that many users would expect..
Yes, I've said before if Sonos went down that route I could see myself never using it again.
Many? This thread is 8 months old, has only reached page two and by my count the number of people agreeing with it hasn't reached double figures yet. That puts it well down the popularity list.
It took me a while to get used to the queue - all new things do as they are different and I don't automatically condemn different as rubbish simply because of it - and since learning how it works (which takes effort on your part) it is supremely logical, simple and satisfying once you understand that you have bought a multi-room multi- controller music system. Its simplicity is its strength. Its frustrations are the compromises you make to enjoy its benefits.
Please add a play from here option , it makes me want to go back to my CD player
So is there really still no work around for this?
When I play a song mid playlist, it only plays that song and stops?
What a hassle.
When I play a song mid playlist, it only plays that song and stops?
What a hassle.
One year and 47 entries later.......same question asked....is anyone from Sonos monitoring this in order to get the users the correct information?
As with everyone, I have the same problem with my song lists, the system only plays the one I selected even if I have multiple songs in my custom list. Even when I select the original sound tract I uploaded and select music from the album, it only plays the one I selected and repeatedly.
Sonos has to fix this....what year is this? 2016? Come on!!
As with everyone, I have the same problem with my song lists, the system only plays the one I selected even if I have multiple songs in my custom list. Even when I select the original sound tract I uploaded and select music from the album, it only plays the one I selected and repeatedly.
Sonos has to fix this....what year is this? 2016? Come on!!
You have to select all tracks, not one.
Is this not what the new beta "fixes"?
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