Kevtyler For mine, the answer very much depends on how you perform and the role ST plays in supporting that.
In my scenario, I never look at or intentionally manage the Queue and I have no problems with using ST in my scenario. It's a bit like a combustion engine in a car - I don't need to know how a combustion engine works to operate the car... until the car stops working. I have seen people often over-think the Queue (myself included), as though it is something that has to be managed, when it often isn't.
My scenario is a band that turns up to gigs with a pre-planned set list that I have replicated as a Playlist in ST4.
I ensure the Playlist is open and first song of Playlist selected at start of the evening.
I have Automatic Queue Handing enabled, and Song End Behaviour = Next Song
From then on, we move through our set list sequentially either by:
- Autoplay (song into next song, set on individual songs)
- Drummer triggers Play via a MIDI trigger pad
If in the moment we decide to skip a song (has to be a non-Autoplay song) then the drummer also has a trigger set for 'Next Song'. Worst case, I just select the next song we are going to play via the ST UI and I 'return control' to the drummer to start.
If, in the moment, we decide to play a song that isn't in the Playlist, then I just open the Songs list, and select the Song. As long as it has the 'Play' marker, I know we're good when the Drummer hits the Play trigger. At the end of the song, I'll switch back to the Playlist, select the song we are going to re-commence with (again, ensuring it has the Play marker), and then we're good to go.
Now, for musicians that live by the "I play whatever song in my 2000 repertoire the vibe dictates. I won't be chained to a fixed set list order" mantra - I've very happy for your choice. Go well. You have a different use case that possibly necessitates different choices in ST settings and usage.
That said, at rehearsals, I will often just be told, "let's do <insert song name>" and I just select it from the Songs list. It has the Play marker. Drummer hits Play trigger. Song plays. Rinse and repeat. I'm bouncing all over the Songs list. Sometimes I'm bouncing all over a Playlist in random order. But I never have to look at or manage the Queue.
So, back to the Queue - I never look at it, I never open it. I don't need to. With the settings I outlined above, and the way I use ST, the Queue is not something I need to manage, or really even think about.
I think it is important to reflect on exactly how you are trying to use ST (or how you want to use it), then slow down and replicate that at home/in a rehearsal space, and observe what happens. Once you have something repeatable, if ST isn't 'doing what you want' then you can start delving into the Settings and determining whether Automatic Queue Handling on or off is the right option for you (and any trade-offs).
The next benefit of doing the above is that if/when you need to post a question here, you can more clearly and accurately articulate:
- what you are trying to achieve
- how you have ST configured
- what you've already tried and why it didn't deliver the desired outcome
which then makes it a lot easier for people to help, or identify a possible feature request or bug.
