Creating randomized auto playlist

[Andrew DeFaria]

I generally like Windows Media Player because it not only plays all my
MP3 but videos, etc and helps me keep track and organize them. Recently
I got an SB Audigy and also a Nomad MuVo MP3 player. Now with that came
software but it only really handles music files and doesn't do some of
the things I liked with Windows Media Player such as get album
information, etc. But one thing SB's Media Player does that was nice is
allow me to create what they call a Smart Playlist where I could not
only limit the size (my MuVo player holds only 256 Meg) but also fills
it randomly. This way I can select that playlist and get 256 Meg of
randomly selected music from my library (I could also put other criteria
on there like songs that I rate 4 or higher). If I selected this Smart
Playlist again I would get another set of randomly selected songs
limited to 265 Meg.

I'm looking for how to do this with Windows Media Player. I can create
an Auto Playlist and limit it to 256 Meg but I cannot get it to fill the
list by taking a random sampling of my music library. IOW everytime I
select this Auto Playlist I get the same set of songs.

Is there any way to get Window Media Player to continue to re-fill this
Auto Playlist?

 

[Robert]

Open your WMP Library, scroll down to the auto playlists, right-click on the
New Auto Playlist and select Edit. Add Randomize Playback Order to the
search criteria, then save. You can also add Last Time Played criteria.

hope this helps

robt

 

[Andrew DeFaria]

Open your WMP Library, scroll down to the auto playlists, right-click
on the New Auto Playlist and select Edit. Add Randomize Playback Order
to the search criteria, then save. You can also add Last Time Played
criteria.

You know I saw that just after posting. The problem is that it doesn't
appear to randomize! By that I mean if I start WMP and select my auto
playlist (named 256 Meg) I see a randomly selected list of songs. If I
select a different auto play list then back to "256 Meg" I see the same
selection of songs. IOW it does not get generated when selected. It does
get randomly selected when created! So I can get this selection of 74
songs to my MP3 player. Thereafter, however, I will always get the same
selection of 74 songs! How do I generate a new selection of songs
limited to 256 meg?

 

[Galley]

You know I saw that just after posting. The problem is that it doesn't
appear to randomize! By that I mean if I start WMP and select my auto
playlist (named 256 Meg) I see a randomly selected list of songs. If I
select a different auto play list then back to "256 Meg" I see the same
selection of songs. IOW it does not get generated when selected. It does
get randomly selected when created! So I can get this selection of 74
songs to my MP3 player. Thereafter, however, I will always get the same
selection of 74 songs! How do I generate a new selection of songs
limited to 256 meg?

If it's anything like creating a playlist for the iPod, you will have to create
a condition so that it will fetch new tracks each time, such as "playcount is
equal to zero".

 

[Andrew DeFaria]

If it's anything like creating a playlist for the iPod, you will have
to create a condition so that it will fetch new tracks each time, such
as "playcount is equal to zero".

Here's what I have:

Create an auto playlist that includes the following:

Music in my library

Randomize playback order
My rating Is At Least 3 Stars

And Apply the following restrictions to the auto playlist

Limit total size to 256 Megabytes

I've tried changing it to "Play count is 0" and such a change does
change the selected songs - but alas it only changes it once (probably
because a change was made to the selection criteria). So I can generate
a new list if I edit the auto playlist each and every time I want a new
set of songs. Not very nice.

 

[Galley]

Here's what I have:

Create an auto playlist that includes the following:

Music in my library

Randomize playback order
My rating Is At Least 3 Stars

And Apply the following restrictions to the auto playlist

Limit total size to 256 Megabytes

I've tried changing it to "Play count is 0" and such a change does
change the selected songs - but alas it only changes it once (probably
because a change was made to the selection criteria). So I can generate
a new list if I edit the auto playlist each and every time I want a new
set of songs. Not very nice.

I have a series of smart playlists for each decade.
25 random songs from 1970-1979, rated three stars or better, with playcount of
0. I also have "live updating" checked. Whenever I listed to one of the songs
in the list in iTunes, it is immediately replaced by another. Whenever I listen
to them on the iPod, the songs that have been listened to are replaced when I
sync the iPod.

 

[Andrew DeFaria]

I have a series of smart playlists for each decade.25 random songs
from 1970-1979, rated three stars or better, with playcount of 0. I
also have "live updating" checked. Whenever I listed to one of the
songs in the list in iTunes, it is immediately replaced by another.
Whenever I listen to them on the iPod, the songs that have been
listened to are replaced when I sync the iPod.

Sounds like you weren't listening (reading). Where did I say iTunes or
iPod?!? I didn't. I spoke of Windows Media Player not iTunes.

 

[Galley]

Sounds like you weren't listening (reading). Where did I say iTunes or
iPod?!? I didn't. I spoke of Windows Media Player not iTunes.

I realize that. I just telling you what I do in iTunes. I'm sure WMP must be
similar.

 

[Andrew DeFaria]

I realize that. I just telling you what I do in iTunes. I'm sure WMP
must be similar.

I started off with what I do in Creative's Media Organizer which also
allows such a thing. I was not able to replicate this functionality in
WMP, my preferred media player, which is why I asked here.

 

[Robert]

Hi Andrew,

I understand what you are saying, but i just don't know why WMP is not doing a new randomization each time you select that autoplaylist. I have mine set to Randomize Playback Order, then Date Played is Before Yesterday as the only 2 criteria and it gives me a brand new playlist every time i click on it.(I also dragged a shortcut of it to my quick launch bar) It will even create a new one if i click on it while it's playing from the last created one. So there must be something that is preventing it from working correctly. I hope you get it figured out soon

good luck
robt


Galley wrote:
Sounds like you weren't listening (reading). Where did I say iTunes or iPod?!? I didn't. I spoke of Windows Media Player not iTunes.

I realize that. I just telling you what I do in iTunes. I'm sure WMP must be similar.

I started off with what I do in Creative's Media Organizer which also allows such a thing. I was not able to replicate this functionality in WMP, my preferred media player, which is why I asked here.

 

[Andrew DeFaria]

Hi Andrew,

I understand what you are saying, but i just don't know why WMP is not
doing a new randomization each time you select that autoplaylist. I
have mine set to Randomize Playback Order, then Date Played is Before
Yesterday as the only 2 criteria and it gives me a brand new playlist
every time i click on it.(I also dragged a shortcut of it to my quick
launch bar) It will even create a new one if i click on it while it's
playing from the last created one. So there must be something that is
preventing it from working correctly. I hope you get it figured out
soon

We are still talking Windows Media Player and not iTunes right?

OK so here's exactly what I did:

1. Opening Windows Media Player
2. Right clicked on Auto Playlist and selected *New*
3. In the Auto Playlist name I entered /Test/
4. For *Create an auto playlist that includes the following:* it
already has *Music in my Library*
5. In the *<Click here to add criteria>* I click on *More...* and
then select *Randomize Playback Order*.
6. In the next *<Click here to add criteria>* I select *Date Played
is Before Yesterday*.
7. I select *OK*.

Windows Media Player then automatically selects my new /Test/ play list.
1070 items!

I select /All Music/ - 1072 items. If I select /Test/ again I get 1070
items. OK, I think I need to be more restrictive! So I add to *And apply
the following restrictions to the auto playlist* of *Limit total
duration to 30 Minutes*. Now I get 6 songs. If I click on /All Music/
then back to /Test/ I get the same 6 songs every time. If, however, I
right click on /Test/ and then simply *OK* it I get a different set of 6
songs. If I do that again I then get 4 songs.

Have you tried a limited auto playlist?

 

[Robert]

Hi Andrew,

Yes, still talking about WMP10 and no, i haven't tried it with any limitations on it. I do have a mp3 library that has over 18,000 files in it, so it creates a rather large playlist, and as long as it doesn't include any songs that just played in the last day or so, it works for me. My guess on when you added the 30 minute limitation and do the right click thing, that the playtime is always close to the 30 minutes? or is that not working either? Still not sure why yu have to right-click it tho, like i said, i put a shortcut in my quicklaunch bar, and I only have to single left click on that icon.

robt
Robert wrote:
Hi Andrew,

I understand what you are saying, but i just don't know why WMP is not doing a new randomization each time you select that autoplaylist. I have mine set to Randomize Playback Order, then Date Played is Before Yesterday as the only 2 criteria and it gives me a brand new playlist every time i click on it.(I also dragged a shortcut of it to my quick launch bar) It will even create a new one if i click on it while it's playing from the last created one. So there must be something that is preventing it from working correctly. I hope you get it figured out soon
We are still talking Windows Media Player and not iTunes right?

OK so here's exactly what I did:

1.. Opening Windows Media Player
2.. Right clicked on Auto Playlist and selected New
3.. In the Auto Playlist name I entered Test
4.. For Create an auto playlist that includes the following: it already has Music in my Library
5.. In the <Click here to add criteria> I click on More... and then select Randomize Playback Order.
6.. In the next <Click here to add criteria> I select Date Played is Before Yesterday.
7.. I select OK.
Windows Media Player then automatically selects my new Test play list. 1070 items!

I select All Music - 1072 items. If I select Test again I get 1070 items. OK, I think I need to be more restrictive! So I add to And apply the following restrictions to the auto playlist of Limit total duration to 30 Minutes. Now I get 6 songs. If I click on All Music then back to Test I get the same 6 songs every time. If, however, I right click on Test and then simply OK it I get a different set of 6 songs. If I do that again I then get 4 songs.

Have you tried a limited auto playlist?

 

[Andrew DeFaria]

Hi Andrew,

Yes, still talking about WMP10 and no, i haven't tried it with any
limitations on it. I do have a mp3 library that has over 18,000 files
in it, so it creates a rather large playlist, and as long as it
doesn't include any songs that just played in the last day or so, it
works for me. My guess on when you added the 30 minute limitation and
do the right click thing, that the playtime is always close to the 30
minutes?

Haven't measured if it's close to 30 minutes or not. I left out one
thing there. I don't only right click but I right click select *Edit*
then *OK*. The point is it is at this point when WMP regenerates the
list. It does not regenerate it otherwise. IOW clicking on another list
and back on that list does not change the list in any way. Right
clicking it, selecting *Edit* then selecting *OK* causes the list to be
regenerated thus a (potentially) new list may result.

or is that not working either? Still not sure why yu have to
right-click it tho, like i said, i put a shortcut in my quicklaunch
bar, and I only have to single left click on that icon.

I was gonna ask you about that.You put a shortcut of what in your
quicklaunch bar? The WMP Auto Playlist?!? Really? How do you do that?
Because when I attempt to drag this /Test/ Auto Playlist into my
quicklaunch bar all I see is a circle with a line through it and nothing
get's created. Or do you browse over to the XML file and shortcut that
to your quicklaunch bar.

In any event I still cannot seem to get it to do what I want, which is
to give me a randomly selected set of songs totally less than 256 meg so
I can load my MP3 player with "fresh" songs...

 

[Robert]

Hi Andrew,

For the shortcut, i went to the folder where WMP stores the playlists, im my case G:\Ripped CDs\My Playlists and dragged the playlist icon to the quicklaunch bar. I also created a couple playlists that have a Genre restriction to them and they also repopulate the list with a random selection. I don't know what else to check as to why it won't do that on your machine tho....

robt


Robert wrote:
Hi Andrew,

Yes, still talking about WMP10 and no, i haven't tried it with any limitations on it. I do have a mp3 library that has over 18,000 files in it, so it creates a rather large playlist, and as long as it doesn't include any songs that just played in the last day or so, it works for me. My guess on when you added the 30 minute limitation and do the right click thing, that the playtime is always close to the 30 minutes?
Haven't measured if it's close to 30 minutes or not. I left out one thing there. I don't only right click but I right click select Edit then OK. The point is it is at this point when WMP regenerates the list. It does not regenerate it otherwise. IOW clicking on another list and back on that list does not change the list in any way. Right clicking it, selecting Edit then selecting OK causes the list to be regenerated thus a (potentially) new list may result.

or is that not working either? Still not sure why yu have to right-click it tho, like i said, i put a shortcut in my quicklaunch bar, and I only have to single left click on that icon.
I was gonna ask you about that.You put a shortcut of what in your quicklaunch bar? The WMP Auto Playlist?!? Really? How do you do that? Because when I attempt to drag this Test Auto Playlist into my quicklaunch bar all I see is a circle with a line through it and nothing get's created. Or do you browse over to the XML file and shortcut that to your quicklaunch bar.

In any event I still cannot seem to get it to do what I want, which is to give me a randomly selected set of songs totally less than 256 meg so I can load my MP3 player with "fresh" songs...