The new SAS Request System is now live.

This should make requests much cleaner, easier to follow, and fairer for everyone.

When making a request, please use the Make A Request button in the Requests sections.

You can add up to 5 requests per day, and each request can include extra information such as format, version, label, source, date, or anything else that may help someone fill it correctly.

Each request topic now has a Request Progress box so everyone can clearly see what is still open, pending, or filled.

If you can fill a request, open the topic and click Fill Request. Add your link or info to the correct request number.

Once submitted, the request will show as Pending confirmation until the request starter or staff confirms it is correct.

Requests Filled credit will only be added once the fill has been confirmed.

Status meanings:

Open
Still needs filling.

Pending confirmation
Someone has submitted a fill, but it has not been confirmed yet.

Filled
The request has been confirmed and credit has been awarded.

Hopefully this makes the Requests section much better and easier for everyone to use.

🔊 What’s New

Broadcast-style player layout (cleaner + better on mobile)

Live waveform background that reacts to AutoDJ / Live / Offline

Proper Live vs AutoDJ detection

New “Next Live” show display (always shows the next booked slot)

Improved Now Playing + stats strip

Updated listener icon (shows people instead of headphones 👥)

XP system improvements (only earns when eligible + x2 XP during live DJs)

In-bar Recent Achievements

Full Leaderboards modal (XP, Streaks, Live Minutes, Latest Achievements)

“Members tuned in” member display

Everything is faster, cleaner, and more stable.

Over the past little while I’ve been rebuilding SAS Radio from the ground up and I’ve finally got a proper “all-in-one” system running on the site — coded in-house and built specifically for IPS 4.7 / our theme.

Here’s a full rundown of what’s now live (and what’s been improved), from the very beginning:

✅ 1) Brand new SAS Radio Player (custom build)

I started by ditching the basic/embed style player and built a proper full-width SAS Radio player block that matches the site aesthetic.

Includes:

Play / Pause + Mute

Volume slider with saved settings

“Listen in Media Player” PLS link

A clean top bar showing connection + live status

A smoother, more realistic waveform visual

Everything is wrapped in a protected layout (hard reset) so IPS/theme CSS can’t break it.

✅ 2) Live server + now playing integration (real-time)

Next job was to make the player actually talk to the stream properly, so I hooked it into the station endpoints so it updates in real time:

Live updating:

Current listeners

Bitrate

Online / Offline status

AutoDJ vs DJ Live mode

Live DJ name (when someone is broadcasting)

Now playing (track + artist)

No more stale stats / “stuck on one song” issues — it refreshes cleanly.

✅ 3) “Mini Info” panel (clean + mobile friendly)

Then I built a mini dashboard inside the player (no messy stacked text) showing:

Current DJ

Now Playing

Next Live Event

Peak listeners

This part is responsive and stays readable on mobile without destroying the layout.

✅ 4) Peak listeners tracking (server-side)

I implemented a peak listeners system that updates automatically as the listener count rises.

So now we’ve got a real peak count that doesn’t reset every refresh and doesn’t just mirror “current listeners”.

✅ 5) DJ Booking system (members can claim slots)

After that I added a DJ booking system so approved DJs/staff can claim time slots.

Book / unbook controls

Supports staff override

Designed so the schedule can be “empty” and filled by DJs

Next Live Event pulls from the bookings so it shows the next real broadcast

This sets us up for proper scheduling without me manually editing the timetable every week.

✅ 6) “Members Tuned In” (shows who’s actually listening)

This one was a big one — I wanted the site to show which logged-in members are tuned into the radio right now.

So I built a listener tracker that:

Sends a lightweight heartbeat only while the audio is playing

Stores active listeners for a rolling time window

Pulls a live list and shows them in the block as name chips

Includes group styling (prefix/suffix), and links to profiles

So now you can literally see who’s listening with you in real time.

✅ 7) Autoplay behaviour improvements (browser-safe)

Autoplay rules are strict in modern browsers, so the player now handles it properly:

Attempts autoplay

If blocked, it falls back in the safest way

Remembers mute + volume preferences

So it behaves consistently without randomly killing the UI.

✅ 😎 Cleaner UI labels + tweaks

Small but important polish changes:

“Listening Now” renamed to “Members Tuned In”

Removed the extra “Count” line to keep it clean

Removed “SAS Radio • Mini Info” text so it looks more professional

Moved focus to Peak Listeners + LIVE status where it matters

What this means for SAS

This is basically a full custom radio system built directly into IPS:
✅ Looks like it belongs on SAS
✅ Updates in real time
✅ Supports live DJs + bookings
✅ Shows community activity live
✅ Scales nicely for future upgrades (schedule page, sidebar mini version, etc.)

If anything looks off on your device, or you want to add features (like a compact sidebar version / live schedule widget / DJ countdown), drop a reply and I’ll tweak it.

More updates soon 👀🔥

— Future Focus / SAS Admin

The AutoDJ queue logic has been updated to:

Complete the full cycle first - Songs will now play through the entire queue before any track repeats
Smarter queue management - The system will only reset the playlist queue when it's truly exhausted (all songs have played)
Better fallback behaviour - When duplicate artist/title prevention can't find an ideal match, it will pick from remaining unplayed tracks rather than resetting the entire queue

With this fix deployed, the shuffled playlist will now behave as expected - each track will play once per cycle, and the queue will only reset after the full library has played through.

Hi everyone 👋

We’ve just completed a system upgrade to keep the site running smoothly, securely, and up to date.

✅ What’s changed

Backend improvements for better stability & performance

Security updates

Improved compatibility with newer browsers and devices

Minor fixes and optimisations across the site

⚠️ What you might notice

You may need to refresh the page or clear your browser cache

Some features or layouts may look slightly different

If anything doesn’t load correctly, give it a refresh

🐞 Found an issue?

If you notice:

Errors

Missing content

Something not working as expected

Please report it underneath.

Thanks for your patience while the upgrade was carried out.

Added: Last Seen & Device.

Members: Limited to 5 reactions & downloads per day.

Verified Members: Limited to 10 reactions & downloads per day.

+Uploaders: Unlimited reactions & downloads. Apply here :https://seriousaboutsound.net/index.php?/topic/1004-uploaders-group-applications/

+Donators: Unlimited reactions & downloads, all links are unhidden so no need to leave a reaction if you don't wish to and also access to rare and hard to find labels, discographies & exclusive tracks. 

Please review the following guidelines to ensure proper use of the forum and adherence to community standards.

Forum Access and Posting Permissions

New members are not allowed to access but are still allowed to create new topics within the following sections:

Labels, Discographies & USBs

Lossless

New members are unable to view existing topics within these sections until they have reached a total of 10 topics (You can view them as a Guest).

Click the start new topic button just above the forums to create a topic in said sections.

You can view, react and create a topic anywhere else Also.

Request Section Guidelines

New members are not permitted to create new request topics until they meet the required 10 topic posting threshold.

New members may reply to existing request topics.

Members must not submit track requests within another user’s topic. All requests should be posted only in the appropriate designated request topics.

Once you have made 10 topics in the music forums you will become a Verified Member and be able use the full music section.

BEFORE YOU GO ANY FURTHER PLEASE READ THE RULES ON HOW TO POST CORRECTLY.

We’ve made an important improvement to the site’s search system to give you faster, cleaner, and more private results.

🔍 What’s changed?

The old IPS search has been replaced with a custom-built search bar powered by DuckDuckGo, located in the same place as before.
This means searching now works more smoothly, gives better relevance for public topics, and doesn’t rely on any external trackers or data collection.

🔒 What does this mean for you?

Private Search: DuckDuckGo does not track, store, or profile your searches.

Focused Results: Searches automatically filter to SeriousAboutSound.net content only.

Same Location, Better Functionality: The search bar still appears in its normal position at the top of the site—just with a better engine behind it.

Instant Results: Faster response and less load on the community server.

💡 Why we made the change

IPS 4.7’s built-in search system has limitations, especially for communities with lots of content.
By switching to a clean and privacy-focused external engine, we’re able to give you a better search experience without compromising user privacy.

🛡 Nothing about your data changes

No information is sent to advertisers or analytics services.
Your searches stay between you and DuckDuckGo, and nothing is logged by SeriousAboutSound.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

1. You must be an active and regular uploader.

2. You need to have created at least 50 topics before applying.

3. Make sure you meet all requirements before submitting your application.

Update – +Uploader Group:
Members of the +Uploader group are required to create a minimum of 10 topics per month to maintain their status. Failing to meet this requirement will result in automatic demotion.

Becoming a Radio DJ is quite simple...

1. Post a mix here so i can listen & see if your mixing is up to par.

2. There's no minimum amount of times you need to DJ to stay in the Radio DJ group but i'd say do at least a set a month.

Once i've approved your mix i will pm you asking for your DJ name for your DJ profile following with your radio details to stream. 

Benefits of this role:

1. Your own Gfx Designer group rank

2. Your own group colour.

3. Access to all content on the site without having to reply or like the topic before seeing the link.

If you think you're up to the task reply with some of your work below.

VIP Members get:

1. All links on the site unhidden so no need to react to get the link.

2. Added to the VIP group.

3. Access to all FLAC / lossless downloads, premium label downloads, exclusive tracks and packs with no restrictions,

4. And a nice feeling your helping the site grow bigger and better.