Issue

You may wish to run more than one instance of PlayIt Live on the same machine, perhaps to operate multiple stations or configurations from a single PC. By default, PlayIt Live uses a standard application data path and will not allow multiple instances to run simultaneously. However, with some command-line configuration, you can set up and run additional instances.


Solution

To set up multiple instances of PlayIt Live, you will need to create separate shortcuts, each with its own custom data folder and instance configuration.


Step-by-step guide

  1. Create a duplicate shortcut:

    • Locate the PlayIt Live icon on your Desktop.

    • Right-click and drag the icon slightly, then release and choose Copy here from the context menu. This creates a second shortcut.

  2. Rename the new shortcut:

    • Right-click the newly created shortcut and choose Properties.

    • Under the General tab, rename it to something meaningful like PlayIt Live - Station 2.

  3. Edit the shortcut target:

    • Still in the Properties window, switch to the Shortcut tab.

    • In the Target field, replace the existing text with the following, adjusting the path as needed

      C:\Program Files (x86)\PlayIt Live\PlayItLive.exe" /CustomApplicationDataPath="C:\Station2" /Multiple

      This tells PlayIt Live to use a different application data path (in this example, C:\Station2) and allows multiple instances via the /Multiple flag.

  4.  (Optional) Add a subtitle to the window: You can add an extra parameter to identify the instance window more easily:

    /Subtitle="Station 2"

    The full target would then look like:

    "C:\Program Files (x86)\PlayIt Live\PlayItLive.exe" /CustomApplicationDataPath="C:\Station2" /Multiple /Subtitle="Station 2"

  5. Launch the new instance:

    • Double-click the modified shortcut to launch the second instance of PlayIt Live.

    • A new data folder will be created at the specified path if it does not already exist.

  6. Repeat for additional instances:

    • Repeat the process above, choosing different data paths (e.g., C:\Station3) and subtitles for each new instance.