Song Cache

Song Cache

The Song Cache keeps decoded song bytes on disk so replays start instantly and so the active queue can be fetched ahead of time.

Configure it in Settings → Song Cache.

Settings

Setting	Values	Default
Enabled	on / off	on
Maximum size	128 MB to 4096 MB, in 128 MB steps	512 MB

Sizes are rounded to the nearest 128 MB step, so entering an arbitrary number produces the closest valid value rather than an error.

Where it lives

A song-cache directory inside Orchard's per-user data directory:

Platform	Path
Windows	%APPDATA%\Orchard\song-cache
macOS	~/Library/Application Support/Orchard/song-cache
Linux	~/.config/Orchard/song-cache

Behavior

Eviction. When the cache exceeds its configured size, older entries are removed to make room. Raising the limit does not re-fetch anything; it simply stops evicting as early.

Prefetching. Orchard fetches upcoming queue items ahead of playback, which matters most for Smart Crossfade, since a beat-matched transition needs both tracks decodable up to 30 seconds before the mix.

Partial responses. The cache serves HTTP range requests, so seeking into a partially cached track works without waiting for the whole file.

Partial writes. A download interrupted mid-write leaves a partial file. Those are cleaned up when the cache directory is next prepared, so a crash or a forced quit does not leave corrupt entries behind.

Write lag. Writes are allowed to lag playback by up to 8 MB. Past that, the cache stops buffering ahead rather than growing memory pressure while a slow disk catches up.

Clearing it

The settings section reports current usage and can clear the cache. Deleting the song-cache directory while Orchard is closed has the same effect.

Interaction with the rest of Orchard

The cache stores audio bytes only. Catalog metadata, artwork, analysis results, and your library are cached separately and are unaffected by clearing it.

Disabling the cache does not disable Smart Crossfade, though transitions may prepare more slowly on a poor connection because both tracks have to be fetched fresh.

On mobile

Orchard Mobile has its own stream cache with a different size range (256 MB to 8192 MB, defaulting to 1024 MB), plus Offline Downloads, which are permanent and never evicted. Desktop has no download equivalent. See Orchard Mobile Settings.

Source map

Path	Role
electron/playback/songCache.js	On-disk bytes, eviction, range handling
electron/playback/playbackStreamCache.js	In-flight stream reuse
src/app/playback/songCacheActions.js	Renderer actions
src/app/playback/songCachePreferences.js	Settings normalization
src/components/settings/SongCacheSection.vue	Settings UI