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#1 2002-12-16 8:36 pm
- benightedbastard
- Cheap and Juicy!
- From: Western Australia
- Registered: 1999-06-03
- Posts: 28733
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iTunes shuffle option sucks big time.
I have around one thousand songs in my iTunes library, and they play on random for most of the day while I'm home. I've noticed a couple of times now that iTunes will be playing a particular sequence of songs one day, then exactly the same sequence the next. I've even cross-checked with the recently played playlist to validate this; currently I'm on a repeat of a cycle around 200 songs long. And no, it's not playing from the rrecently played playlist.
It seems to reset to a new shuffle order if I stop the music then manually select a new song from the playlist.
Has anyone else noticed iTunes recycling its "random" play like this?
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#2 2002-12-16 8:52 pm
- pottymouth
- Uncreative
- Moderator
- From: JP, MA
- Registered: 2002-02-06
- Posts: 17406
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Re: iTunes shuffle option sucks big time.
I don't use shuffle too often but I have noticed that my play counter is busted. It doesn't completely reset if I quit the app but it sure don't remember much. I'd happily give up play counts and smart playlists for a half ounce of SoundJam's functionality.
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#3 2002-12-16 9:13 pm
- Tallgeese
- Sternly Advising
- From: Pool Party
- Registered: 2000-10-17
- Posts: 34003
Re: iTunes shuffle option sucks big time.
Yes, I noticed that about the iTunes "randomizer" which isn't. I played a song that I had heard a few hours prior and it started the same sequence I heard for the past few hours. I wonder why it does that...
I still believe in liberalism today as much as I ever did, but, oh, there was a happy time when I believed in liberals.
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#4 2002-12-16 9:15 pm
Re: iTunes shuffle option sucks big time.
iTunes is using a random number generator. However its not truly random as you've noticed. It amazes me that they didn't implement a simple fix - seed the random number generator with the current time. That's the way its been properly done for 20+ years.
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#5 2002-12-16 11:52 pm
Re: iTunes shuffle option sucks big time.
I have around one thousand songs in my iTunes library, and they play on random for most of the day while I'm home. I've noticed a couple of times now that iTunes will be playing a particular sequence of songs one day, then exactly the same sequence the next. I've even cross-checked with the recently played playlist to validate this; currently I'm on a repeat of a cycle around 200 songs long. And no, it's not playing from the rrecently played playlist.
It seems to reset to a new shuffle order if I stop the music then manually select a new song from the playlist.
Has anyone else noticed iTunes recycling its "random" play like this?
I've noticed this too. It kinda pisses me off, because I wanna hear new stuff. I have around 1700 songs, and hearing a bunch of them twice in 2 days in the same order isn't supposed to happen.
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#6 2002-12-17 5:36 pm
- dinerfan
- a natural, zesty enterprise
- From: the sunny side
- Registered: 2000-12-31
- Posts: 11093
Re: iTunes shuffle option sucks big time.
Has anyone else noticed iTunes recycling its "random" play like this?
Yes, and it's lame. The iPod does something similar; in "random play by song" mode, certain songs (out of a selection of 2300 tunes) crop up regularly.
You can make a playlist in iTunes to avoid this (select not played in the last 10 days or whatever), but that's a dopey workaround. Wish they'd just fix it.
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#7 2002-12-19 7:58 am
Re: iTunes shuffle option sucks big time.
Yes, and it's lame. The iPod does something similar; in "random play by song" mode, certain songs (out of a selection of 2300 tunes) crop up regularly..
Here's what I do with my iPod. I set it to shuffle and from browse songs I spin the wheel and hit the button...who knows where it will start and the random list is set differently depending upon the first song.
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#8 2002-12-19 9:42 am
Re: iTunes shuffle option sucks big time.
I don't use shuffle too often but I have noticed that my play counter is busted. It doesn't completely reset if I quit the app but it sure don't remember much. I'd happily give up play counts and smart playlists for a half ounce of SoundJam's functionality.
I miss soundjam.. 
although I really like iTunes, it's a good program, the shuffle really does piss me off.. maybe there's a plugin or somethin to give it the seed fix? 
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#9 2002-12-23 11:28 pm
Re: iTunes shuffle option sucks big time.
It bothers me too, I thought they'd have solved this particular problem a long time ago...
"I'd rather be told, 'Have a nice day.' by someone who doesn't mean it, than 'F*** you!' by someone who does." - Lewis Black
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#10 2002-12-24 12:17 am
- TheConfuzed1
- Faking Sanity
- Registered: 2000-04-19
- Posts: 20194
Re: iTunes shuffle option sucks big time.
If I want to hear some music that I haven't heard in a while I set the library to display the songs by play count in reverse order. This way, I am hearing my least listened to songs.
The storm starts when the drops start dropping. When the drops stop dropping, the storm starts stopping.
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