Dynamic Queues
Authored by briiian · Last updated A dynamic queue is a playback queue that Cardinal Media Server fills on its own and keeps topped up while you listen. You choose the type of session, and the server picks the tracks from your library. Some types are seeded, meaning they are built around a starting point like a release, while others draw from your whole library with no starting point at all.
How dynamic queues work
Every dynamic queue is created with a type. The type decides which tracks the queue starts with and which tracks it grows with later.
| Type | Location | Seed | Logic |
|---|---|---|---|
| True Shuffle | Listen Now page | None | Never-ending randomized playback with no smart features |
| House Mix | A music release page | The release | Play one track from the release, then play more music like it |
| Encore | A music release page | The release | Play the entire release, then play more music like it |
If you have multiple libraries configured, a dynamic queue only draws tracks from the libraries that were active when it was created.
Automatic refill
A dynamic queue never runs out. As you listen, each played track is recorded in your playback history, which tells the server where you are in the queue. When fewer than 10 tracks remain ahead of you, the server generates the next 25 and appends them.
Refills happen entirely on the server, and every connected device is notified in real time, so an open queue view updates by itself no matter which device is playing. Repeated tracks only appear when your library has fewer tracks than the session needs; a refill always prefers material that is not already in the queue.
Queue types
True Shuffle
True Shuffle plays your library at random, with no pattern and no weighting. The initial 200 tracks are randomized by the database, and refills add more random tracks, avoiding anything already in the queue until the library runs out of fresh material.
House Mix
House Mix builds a mix around one release. It always kicks off with a track from that release, then blends in music from nearby: the release itself, other albums by the same artists, and releases that share its genres. Tracks you have rated highly or played often float toward the front of the mix.
Every press produces a different mix, even for the same release.
Encore
Encore plays the whole release front to back, in disc and track order, then keeps going with related music. The related tail is chosen the same way as a House Mix, so the session drifts from the release outward through its artists and genres.
How related tracks are chosen
When choosing related tracks, candidates are ranked by how well they fit the tracks that were queued most recently, so a long session drifts naturally instead of circling its seed forever.
| Signal | Effect |
|---|---|
| Shares an artist with a recently queued track | Strongest boost |
| Shares a genre with a recently queued track | Strong boost |
| Your rating of the track | Moderate boost |
| Your play count for the track | Small boost, capped |
| Random jitter | Keeps every mix unique |
When the library does not contain enough related material to fill a batch, the remainder is filled with random tracks. Repeats are a last resort, used only during refills where the alternative is playback running dry.
Extending a queue manually
Any queue, static or dynamic, can also be extended by hand using Play Next and Add to Queue.
- Play Next inserts the tracks directly after the track you most recently played. Your position is resolved by the server from your playback history, so the tracks land in the same spot no matter which device asked.
- Add to Queue appends the tracks to the end of the queue.
Manually added tracks do not affect automatic refill; a dynamic queue continues generating past them as usual.
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