Auto-KJ Rotation Guide

Version: 1.30.0. Source reviewed at 4171265227d8ea584bca359ba40b09d3ac0c8c6a on 2026-10-09.

Status: Complete written guide; source-reviewed behavior. No new v1.30 screenshots, screen recording, native playback, connected-phone test, or hardware test was performed for this guide. Existing v1.29 captures use simulated data and remain historical. The companion narration is an untimed draft pending recording and timing.

What this tab does

Rotation is the working show console. Use it to seat singers, choose their songs, manage each singer's queue, and run karaoke playback. The numbered line represents turns: number 1 is the on-mic position and number 2 is on deck. A group or band occupies one numbered slot, with its members shown together. The selected row determines whose search target, Active Queue, History, and Favorites appear on the right. Selecting a singer does not itself start playback. [1][2]

Practice with a disposable show and files you can safely change. Before a real show, set up the karaoke folder in Library, check output devices and stage screens in Settings, and choose the appropriate gig in Gigs if the show uses online requests or gig-scoped history. Native playback and phone delivery must be checked on the actual rig.

Build a singer and song queue

Enter the singer's stage name in the field beneath the line and press + or Enter. You can also open Past singers with the list icon and add a returning name. Avoid creating a second identity for a person already seated.
Click the singer's row. Check that Song search and the Singer: heading name the intended person.
Search the library by song or artist, inspect the title, artist, and brand, then choose Add. Use Load more if the results continue. Add is disabled without a selected singer; a result marked Taken cannot be added through that button.
Confirm the song appears in that singer's Active Queue. Add a second song when needed, then check their order. The singer's pocket queue and the main rotation are separate: changing a song's place in the pocket does not mean moving the singer to the front.
To queue a result for someone else without changing your selection, right-click the result and use Queue for…. Choose an existing singer, or Add new singer…, enter the name, and choose Add. Check the destination singer's queue afterward. [2][3]

If the library is empty, Set up your library → takes you to Library. Inspect any error or duplicate-policy message before repeating a request. The backend applies the current request rules even when another route offers the action.

Arrange songs and use singer history

Drag an unplayed Active Queue row, or use its Move up and Move down arrows, to change that singer's song order. The playing entry is protected from these moves. ✕ removes an unplayed request.
Double-clicking an Active Queue row or pressing Enter on it means play now, so use a single click when you only intend to inspect. If another song is active, the interruption warning appears when that warning is enabled in Settings. Read it before choosing Interrupt & Play.
Sung tonight shows completed entries. ↺ resets an entry to unplayed. Double-clicking a completed entry restarts it rather than merely selecting it.
History contains persistent performance history, including imported history, keyed by stage name. Sort it by Song, Artist, Times, or Last sung. Double-click, press Enter, or drag an available song into Active Queue to request it again. A row marked as absent from the current library cannot be queued through that history entry.
Favorites contains actual songs starred in the singer app for linked accounts, resolved against the current catalog. It is separate from singing frequency. The panel shows up to 15 favorites; an empty result can also reflect missing account linkage or a failed online lookup. [2]

Replace a queued song

Right-click a queued song or an appropriate rotation row and choose Change song…. Choose search, the singer's queue, or history. Read the replace-mode banner, which identifies the singer and song being replaced.

Choose Add from search or Use this on an eligible queue/history/favorite row. A search or history replacement is sent to the backend as a replacement rather than as a second request. Pulling from the queue moves the chosen queued request into the target position and then removes the old target. Verify the resulting queue after either route, especially if an error appears. Cancel, Escape, switching singers, or switching tabs leaves replace mode. [2]

Important limits: a group song cannot be swapped in place through this flow; remove the group request and add its replacement deliberately. The menu can appear for an on-mic song, but the backend rejects replacing it. Also, search's right-click Queue for… route adds a request; it does not perform the pending replacement. Use the banner's normal replacement controls.

Choose and preview song versions

A result with a version count has alternate files. Right-click it, choose Select alternate version…, and inspect the brand/disc entries. Choosing one opens Make this the new default version?. Read the filename and effect before accepting. No, keep current default cancels the change.

This is a library default change. Search, phone requests, and the kiosk use that default, and the source also retargets tonight's queued copies. The rotation-row Song version… and Active Queue version menu likewise change the default and queued copies. Use the Inbox card's Version selector when approving a particular pending request with a chosen file. [2][3]

Preview karaoke song opens the karaoke preview. Configure a distinct headphone cue output before relying on audible preview. If cue is disabled or shares the karaoke/Break-Wave output, the app can use silent video preview and show an explanatory message. Stop the preview when finished. Rename file… changes a real filename and reparses metadata; Quarantine this file… moves the selected real file out of the catalog. Those are maintenance actions, so inspect the exact file and use Library for planned cleanup. [3][6]

Run a turn

Check the now-playing area and selected singer. When playback is idle, Play starts the selected singer's playable request when available; otherwise it starts the next rotation slot.
While a song is playing, the main Play/Pause control and its transport shortcut pause it. When paused, they resume it. They do not start another selected singer while a song is loaded. In this source version the button can still display a Play icon when another singer is selected; trust the playback state and this behavior rather than the icon alone.
Adjust Vol, Key (minus 6 to plus 6 in half-step increments), or Tempo (0.50× to 2.00×) when appropriate. Key/tempo changes during a loaded performance are saved for the first named singer and that song. The progress slider seeks within a track when duration is available.
GHOST-TRAX changes the guide-vocal level only for a package with a vocal stem. GHOST-TRAX 2 appears when a second guide stem is available. These controls are not general microphone volume controls.
Use the live singer-edit control to add or remove extra participants credited on the current song. The lead singer stays fixed in this editor. Choose Apply after checking the lineup.
Stop stops playback and attempts to complete the current turn. It is a show-advance action, so use Pause for a temporary interruption. Check that the expected song is completed, the remaining request is still queued, and the line has advanced as expected. The status text alone is not sufficient verification if the backend had an error.
Enable Auto-advance only when you intend successive songs to start automatically; the gap is configured in Settings. Manual transport actions cancel a pending advance. [2][4][5]

Manage the line

Drag a singer row to change the main order. Right-click offers Mark as now, Mark as on deck, and, for an eligible solo request, Play now. Placement controls alter the line; Play now starts a request. Check the numbered order and now-playing display after each operation.

Pause moves an eligible solo singer out of the active line. Use Paused/Waiting to inspect paused people and singers waiting on group partners. Its count is people, so a waiting duo counts as two. Unpause restores a paused singer behind the protected on-deck area, after earlier pending restores. Do not promise a fixed position number. [1]

Create a Group / Band Song with 👥+ or Add to group song…. Choose two, three, or four distinct singers, optionally enter a band name, search for the song, and choose Add to their queues. The song goes into each member's queue and becomes ready when it reaches the top for all of them. Inspect waiting/consent indicators rather than assuming the group can sing immediately. [1]

For the same person entered twice, Rename changes a stage name and Merge with… combines duplicate seats into the chosen survivor. Review the survivor carefully. Remove… confirms that the seat and queued songs will go; it is not the same as pausing a singer. [1][2]

Set the joining policy

Names move: numbered positions stay in order and singers climb the host board; new singers join the end of the line.
Numbers move: the host uses a paper-style sheet with the numbers moving beside names; new singers join at the end of the current lap, ahead of people who have already sung that lap.
Alternate new and returning singers: overrides those two joining policies for future joins. Select a Ratio from 1:1 through 4:1 and an Order of New : Returning or Returning : New. Read the resulting phrase, such as “2 new : 1 returning.” New means no completed song in this show. This rule preserves arrival order and protected current/on-deck turns; it is not a retroactive reshuffle. Host moves and group rules still apply.
Auto-remove empty singers: an end-of-night option that removes eligible empty singers from the active rotation after their last song. Pending requests, groups, and pauses remain protected; identity and history are retained. It resets off for a new show. With it enabled, adding a name without a song may not seat that person until a request exists.

Singer-facing boards always use fixed numbers with names climbing, regardless of the host's display choice. Check the explanatory text and any policy error after changing an option. [1][7]

Messages and presentation controls

Show applause displays tonight's applause on the queue and singer screens. Show singer photos controls photos on the host queue. A singer's right-click menu can send a direct phone message, award an account badge, ban the singer from this show, or moderate a profile photo. A ban rejects their phone connection for this show but leaves their seat in the line; it does not delete their account. Read the confirmation. Ban reversal is in Settings → Banned Singers.

Photo moderation offers Hide tonight, Always hide at my shows or its unhide counterpart, and Report photo to Auto-KJ. These do not delete or alter the singer's stored photo. Account-wide actions require sign-in and connectivity. Inspect the result after any online action; a visible toast is not proof that a phone received it. [1]

Completion check

Before calling a practice turn complete, verify the correct singer and file were selected, the finished request moved to its expected completed state, remaining songs stayed with the correct singer, and current/on-deck positions make sense. Before using the workflow live, separately test the real output device, preview device, lyrics window, rotation display, and one singer phone. This source review does not substitute for those checks.

Current source references

All links are pinned to the reviewed v1.30 source and require access to the private repository.