How can I control music on my phone via remote (or something similar)?

[AC Question]

Hi guys!

I am a professional entertainer and use my phone to connect to a sound system through bluetooth to play music, while on another channel is my wireless mic. I love this setup and never encounter any issues in combining the music and mic.

However for me to stop the music I have to walk backstage to my phone and press 'pause'. Which is annoying, and frankly not practical. If I plugged my phone directly into the sound system using an 1/8 inch input (auxiliary) I could connect a bluetooth remote. I don't want to do this, because the speaker is elevated, and my phone would have to sit on top of it. In short, I need to connect to the speaker through bluetooth. How can I play/pause and skip tracks on my phone without touching it if bluetooth isn't an option?

I have heard of people using basic smartwatches (like the pebble smartwatch), or other remotes to accomplish this. Would one of those work, even though I'm already connected to another device? If not, what other ways could I make that system of controlling music on my phone (remote, watch, anything really) without bluetooth? I would be open to any receivers connecting to the phone as well (ex: IR receiver to IR remote, but preferably small and convenient).

If anyone knows of any software that slowly fades out music when paused instead of just leaving a dead silence, that would be super helpful as well!

Thank you so much!! I really appreciate the help. It also assists me in my growing knowledge of smartphones and technology in general, which I adore.

My phone is a Verizon Wireless Samsung Note 3.

My speaker/sound system is a Samson Expedition XP106.

Thank you again!

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Are you playing music using an app on your phone, with the music playing through the sound system via the Bluetooth connection? If you're using Google Play Music, then you can definitely use a Pebble or any Android Wear watch to control the music remotely. The Bluetooth connection to the watch would not be for Media Audio, so there would be no conflict.

 

[Teejai80]

Yeah I agree with B.Diddy.

I would also recommend a pebble as you could always have the controls on your screen. The bluetooth is also quite strong on the Pebble and Pebble time. This will only give you pause, skip and start though. Not the fade out like you are after.

Haven't played with many music apps so hopefully someone else has.

 

[JoeDude42]

I originally posted this message without having an account, I'm sorry. This is me again-

Thank you for the help!! I appreciate it.

I'm using Doubletwist to play music, I've noticed that it doesn't use data like Google Play Music sometimes does. If a Pebble doesn't work with that music app then I will switch. Do you know if it is possible to make music fade in and out when the pause button is hit? I know there are ways to do that on a desktop/laptop connected to a remote, but I haven't heard of it on a phone before.

Thank you again!!

 

[B. Diddy]

Wear Music Controller says it works with doubleTwist on Android Wear. Not sure about the fade in/out question, though.

 

[JoeDude42]

That's great.

Thank you so much everyone! It was a big help!