Arcade Convoy Radio is a Windows music player I built to keep a large personal music collection moving while I play games or listen in the background. It can play various music formats, including MIDI, MP3, tracker, and mod files, as well as internet radio stations. The random start and play-time controls are part of that design: they keep the station changing without requiring me to manage a playlist constantly.
Key features include:
1. Music organization: Music is added by directory, with each folder representing a radio station (playlist). The player caches the directory and organizes the music accordingly.
2. Random playback: The player randomly selects the next song based on user-defined raw values for each music type (MIDI, MP3, tracker, internet radio, and favorites). Users can adjust these values to hear their preferred music types more frequently.
3. Customizable play times: Users can set minimum and maximum play times for songs and internet radio stations. The player randomly selects a portion of the song to play based on these settings, ensuring variety and smooth transitions.
4. Cross-fading: Two music streams are used to cross-fade between songs, with a user-defined cross-fade time. This creates a seamless listening experience, even when starting and stopping in the middle of a track.
5. Favorites: Users can favorite songs and assign them a count, increasing the likelihood of hearing those songs more often. The same applies to internet radio stations.
6. Radio stations: The main station, “Arcade Convoy Radio,” plays music based on the user’s radio settings. Other stations include “Top 40: All Hits, All the Time” (favorites only), “Undiscovered Tracks” (no favorites), and stations for each internet radio station and local playlist.
7. Game controller support: Arcade Convoy Radio supports various game controllers, including Xbox and PS5 controllers (both wired and wireless). Users can customize button mappings and rumble settings for controlling the music player while gaming.
8. Customization: The player is highly customizable, allowing users to change colors, textures, window size, and more. It can also import and export favorite song information from the Arcade Convoy game.
The random play and start time feature is designed to provide variety, showcase the core elements of non-traditional music formats, and create smooth transitions between songs and internet radio stations. However, users can adjust the settings to their preferences, such as longer minimum play times for listening to complete songs.