Auto Host

Auto Host is a playback robot for karaoke booths and private parties: it keeps playable tracks moving without a Play click on every song. It is off by default. It does not MC, pause between songs, or wait for a missing singer. Stay at the booth — this is not a license to leave the room unattended.

Turn it on (or off)

Two controls, one setting:

• Gig Settings (gear on the gig toolbar) — Auto Host switch.
• Gig header Auto Host — same field, next to Start Session / End Gig. You can flip it before start, while live, or on a break. On a phone, the compact control is a bot icon; confirm Turn Auto Host on? (Turn on Auto Host) or Turn Auto Host off? (Turn off Auto Host).

A break is Auto Host off (and/or No More Requests). There is no separate pause. End Gig (confirm End this gig?) drops the night off Live and stops Auto Host advancing.

Auto Host is this visit only. Reloading the gig page (phone or laptop) turns it off on every host screen for that gig. Turn it on again when you want the robot. It is not saved as a standing gig setting.

What happens when you turn it on

Turning Auto Host on does the night-start work, in this order:

1. The player opens on this screen (Toggle Player), so you can see now-playing and time. Audio still only plays on the computer with the karaoke folder.
2. Folder check (on that playback computer) — Karaoke Name checks the karaoke folder, and the BGM folder if Background Music is enabled. If either is missing or unreadable, that computer shows Load Karaoke Folder (then the BGM folder prompt if needed). A screen with no readable karaoke folder of its own does not get those prompts while another machine has a fresh mount attestation (recorded when that gig page loads, good for 12 hours) — including when you turn Auto Host off, and including after that remote start succeeds. If nobody has attested, this screen is standalone and Auto Host works like a single computer. When you turn Auto Host on from a phone, the playback computer shows Remote control requested; click OK on that computer (the browser will not start audio from a phone tap).
3. Background music — if BGM is enabled and a folder is usable, Karaoke Name starts it on the playback computer.
4. The singer in Active Queue — the first playable Active song loads and plays (ZIP, or MP3+CDG). If someone is already singing and audio is running, that track is left alone.
5. Everyone else waiting — playable Request Pool singers are moved into Active in the Request Pool order you have set. The default view is Fair: one song per singer, same eligibility as Queue a round (skip holds and singers already in Active). Time / Last Sung / Custom use that list order, still one playable slip per singer.

Ad hoc rows without karaoke files are skipped. After this kickoff, Auto Host will not pop remount modals mid-song — skip the track instead.

What happens when a song ends

The gig must be live (session started). A track ending always runs Mark as Played on the current singing row. If Auto Host is on, Karaoke Name then plays the next playable request:

1. First remaining Active Queue song that has karaoke files, in Active order.
2. Else the next playable Request Pool peel in the same Fair / pool order as above — that song is promoted into Active and played.

If nobody is marked singing when the track ends, Auto Host does not start a song from song-end alone — turn Auto Host on (or Play yourself) to kick off a quiet room.

Auto Host does not check whether the singer is at the mic.

Fair and the Request Pool

Auto Host follows the Request Pool view you already set (Fair by default). It is not a separate chooser: the Suggested highlight does not pick a different song than that order.

Queue a round and Admit to this round stay manual queue tools. For a hosted KJ night where you want to pick every peel yourself, leave Auto Host off: Running the queue. Turn it on when you want the music to keep going without a Play click (booth, party, stretch).

Needs the karaoke folder

Auto Host uses the same Play path as Play Track. The playback machine needs The Rig and a mounted karaoke folder. During Rig beta, an active Controller subscription includes Rig. Plans: The Controller and The Rig.

Turning Auto Host on is the moment to fix folders on the playback computer. That machine prompts to load or re-select karaoke (and BGM, if Background Music is enabled) if they are missing or unreadable. Another host screen with no readable folder does not get those prompts while this computer has a fresh mount attestation (gig page load, 12 hours), and turning Auto Host off does not ask it to mount. If nobody has attested, Auto Host on this screen is standalone. After kickoff, a missing folder is skipped rather than interrupting the night with another modal.

A phone (or any other host screen with no song folder) can still toggle Auto Host — it is a live session switch, and that screen’s player opens so you can see title and track time and control playback (play/pause, stop, seek, skip) plus house settings (key, DSP, visuals, screen, overlays, BGM volume). The playback computer shows Remote control requested; click OK there so the browser can allow audio and folder access. Lyrics (CDG), the real waveform picture, and visuals stay on the playback computer; the phone does not mirror them. Play Track from that other screen also runs there (same OK on the playback computer the first time this visit). Keep the playback gig page open so it can play. How-to: Songbook and player folders.

If you are evaluating Karaoke Name, see what we have available for hosts.