The Player is where Praxis shifts from library management to focused practice. It is built for fast transport control, reliable queue navigation, readable lyrics/tab display, and repeatable rehearsal flow.
How Playback Starts
Playback always starts from the queue defined by your current Library view.
- Select a source in the Library (All Songs, playlist, folder, or tag result).
- Open the Player by starting a song from that view.
- Praxis loads the queue and starts on the selected song.
If a filter is active in the Library, filtered songs become the queue.
Transport Controls
- Play/Pause: start or pause the current song.
- Previous/Next Track: move to adjacent songs in queue order.
- Skip Back/Skip Forward: jump by configured step sizes.
- Repeat: toggle repeat behavior for the current song/session workflow.
These controls are available in the Player UI, via hotkeys, via MIDI (if configured), and via Praxis Remote when connected.
Waveform and Scrubbing
The waveform is your timing surface:
- Click to jump to a new position.
- Click-drag to scrub through the song.
- Use the playhead as a visual timing anchor while practicing difficult sections.
On track changes, playback position starts at 0 and lyrics follow that reset so text and audio remain aligned.
Playback Markers and Section Practice
Praxis supports playback markers so you can define focused practice ranges inside a song.
- Set a start marker and end marker around the section you want to drill.
- Enable repeat behavior for that region to loop it consistently.
- Use this for intros, fast transitions, solos, harmony entries, and timing corrections.
Marker controls can stay hidden most of the time and be toggled on only when you need them. Marker state is stored per song, so once you define a useful section loop, it is available the next time you return to that song.
Section looping is one of the fastest ways to build confidence on difficult parts without manually repositioning playback after each pass.
Marker hotkeys and menu actions:
- \: Toggle Markers
- [: Set Start Marker at playhead
- ]: Set End Marker at playhead
- Command+[: Reset Start Marker
- Command+]: Reset End Marker
- These are also available in Song menu: Toggle Markers, Set Start Marker, Set End Marker, Reset Start Marker, Reset End Marker.
Queue Panel in Player
The Player queue panel shows the active run list.
- Click a queue row to select it.
- Double-click a queue row to immediately load/play that song.
- Use the queue toggle chevrons to hide/show the panel for more lyric space.
Hiding the queue is useful during performance-style rehearsal; showing it is useful during set prep and navigation-heavy sessions.
Return to Library (Cover Art Shortcut)
Clicking the current song’s cover art in Player stops playback and returns you to the Library.
Yes, we know this is not traditional UI design. It is intentionally fast, keeps the player interface uncluttered, and becomes second nature quickly once you use it a few times.
Practice Controls: Speed, Gain, Volume, Font
Praxis includes direct practice controls in the Player so you do not need to leave playback context:
- Speed: adjust playback rate for learning passages at reduced tempo or rebuilding to full speed.
- Gain (dB): fine-adjust playback level in dB for consistent monitoring and mix context.
- Master Volume: control playback volume from the Player.
- Font Size +/-: quickly resize lyrics/tab text for distance and readability.
These controls are designed for rapid iteration while practicing, not just static playback.
For difficult passages, combine section repeat with reduced speed. Looping a short range at a slower rate, then gradually returning to full speed, is often the most effective way to lock in timing and articulation.
Output Device Behavior
Praxis supports selecting playback output devices from the Player. Output switching is designed to keep behavior deterministic and avoid unstable mid-stream state.
- On output change, playback is stopped and position is reset to 0.
- Per-device volume preferences are recalled when switching to that device.
- The selected output and its associated volume can persist across sessions.
This allows separate working levels (for example laptop speakers vs interface vs stage monitor path).
The Output menu is especially useful when you regularly switch between multiple playback destinations. Praxis remembers master volume per output device, so each output can keep its own practical level. This is particularly handy for USB audio interfaces and other rigs where you want a reduced signal and do not have a convenient hardware mix control every time you switch.
Player Hotkeys
Player hotkeys are active when focus is in Player context (not while typing in an editor/input field).
- Up Arrow: Previous Track.
- Left Arrow: Skip Back.
- Spacebar: Play/Pause.
- Right Arrow: Skip Forward.
- Down Arrow: Next Track.
- H: Show/Hide queue panel.
- L: Return to Library and stop playback.
Hotkeys are intended for fast practice flow. If a key does not respond, confirm focus is not currently in a text input or lyrics editor field.
Player Menus
Praxis also exposes Player-related controls through menus for users who prefer menu-driven workflows.
- Use menu actions for transport and queue navigation as needed.
- Use the Song menu for marker controls and BPM detection.
- Use the Output menu to switch playback destination and recall per-device volume.
- Use Settings for global playback behavior (autoplay, skip durations, queue behavior).
Playback Settings
Open Settings > Playback for global playback behavior:
- Autoplay on Queue Load: start playback automatically when a queue is loaded.
- Autoplay Next Song: continue to the next queue item at end-of-song.
- Continuous Play: continue through queue cycles without stopping at the end.
- Auto Hide Queue: collapse queue panel during active playback to maximize lyric space.
- Delay Between Songs: add a configurable gap before advancing to next track.
- Skip Durations: define jump lengths used by skip forward/back controls.
BPM and Timing Prep
In edit-capable contexts, BPM can be entered directly or tapped during playback. Saved BPM appears in the Library and helps with consistent rehearsal prep, click alignment, and set normalization.
Remote and MIDI Control
Player transport and key practice actions can be driven from MIDI and Praxis Remote. This allows hands-free operation from pedals, floor controllers, or mobile device control surfaces while performing or rehearsing.
Recommended Practice Workflow
- Build/select the target queue in Library.
- Open Player on the song you want to start with.
- Set output, volume, speed, and gain for the room or monitoring path.
- Use skip controls and scrubbing for section drilling.
- Use repeat and queue navigation for full-run validation.
Troubleshooting Basics
- If expected songs are missing in Player, verify current Library selection and filter state.
- If output sounds wrong, confirm selected output device and stored per-device volume.
- If transport appears unresponsive, verify focus context (editor/input fields can capture keys).
- If external control is expected, verify MIDI/Remote connection and mappings in Settings.