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Painful Perplexity Propagates as Playlists Proliferate...

Mullardman

Mullardman

Moderately extreme...
I've mentioned this before. I really like to think that I'm not stupid. I mean.. Maths for e.g., isn't my strong point.. but I can read write and add up etc. I also have a half decent layman's knowledge of science and technology. I even scraped a degree and some post grad quals....

But when it comes to 'playlists'.. there is clearly a major gap in my knowledge and/or understanding.. which translates to:

WTF?????

A few months ago I acquired an Innuos Zen Mini Mk3. Using Orange Squeeze on my Samsung Tab A, I have no difficulty getting it to playback via my hi-fi sytem.
After a short struggle, I found that I could add another app..viz. 'Squeezeplayer', to, in effect, 'pull' back music from the Zen Mini to the Tablet and thence, via the Tablet's Blutooth, to a pair of B&W PX7s..

With me so far?

The thing is that I find almost nothing whatsoever to be 'intuitive', about playlists.

I originally created and saved three lists and gave them different names. Fine.. but now if I try to play any of them via headphones, at best, I get the first song repeated Ad Nauseam. So I deleted the three lists.. except that the music disappeared.. but the playlists still appear as empty folders and I can see no way to delete them..

Anyway. moving on.. I tried just selecting an album from the library and playing that...

Nope.. I get the first song.. repeated.. Ad ****ing Nauseam.. Even selecting an album and 'all items'.. still plays one song endlessly, or sometimes seems to select one song from an entirely different album.

Is this some sort of sick joke? I mean.. I know that IT people like to use a language known only unto themselves . but this is ridiculous.

Does anybody actually understand how 'playlists' work?

More to the point... can anybody explain them to me?
 
First clue:

Playlists, in most systems, have options (often toggled) represented by icon buttons for 'repeat/shuffle', then 'play one, play all, repeat one, repeat all. This can be within artist songs, artist album(s), or any given playlist of tracks that may be themed.

Some systems like LMS, also give setting option for 'play just track' from any 'LP' or 'play all songs in LP'. These can then be shuffled as before.

Once you get your head around it, it's quite logical and straightforward
 
Problem is, IME, that in order to get your head around it you have to be able to think like an IT geek (“if I were a geek, where would I put this option?”).
 
I equate trying to get your head around computers & IT to learning a 2nd language, ie; it is easy if it is something you grew up with but certainly not "straightforward & logical" if you are coming to it later in life.
 
Most things are logical .........to someone. The thing to do is ask yourself "am I the only one on this planet that needs this function" and you'll soon realise that what you want has been available and used by perhaps millions and for many years.

Then look.

Microsoft is great at screwing you up with new versions of its software and I believe it is a deliberate ploy to sell more training to the corporate users. They seem to 'hide' the useful features that you tend to use and it takes a lot of effort aka steep learning curve to get familiar with a new version.

Cheers,

DV
 
Darth Vader said:
Most things are logical .........to someone. The thing to do is ask yourself "am I the only one on this planet that needs this function" and you'll soon realise that what you want has been available and used by perhaps millions and for many years.

Then look.

Microsoft is great at screwing you up with new versions of its software and I believe it is a deliberate ploy to sell more training to the corporate users. They seem to 'hide' the useful features that you tend to use and it takes a lot of effort aka steep learning curve to get familiar with a new version.

Cheers,

DV
Click to expand...

Thanks DV.. I think..

Not entirely sure how a cryptic response about MS works with a query about Android Apps.. but I'm sure the penny will drop eventually...:confused:
 
guest said:
First clue:

Playlists, in most systems, have options (often toggled) represented by icon buttons for 'repeat/shuffle', then 'play one, play all, repeat one, repeat all. This can be within artist songs, artist album(s), or any given playlist of tracks that may be themed.

Some systems like LMS, also give setting option for 'play just track' from any 'LP' or 'play all songs in LP'. These can then be shuffled as before.

Once you get your head around it, it's quite logical and straightforward
Click to expand...

LMS?
 
I’ve never used playlists, so feel a bit left out. Some people seem very attached to using them. I just play albums or track/artist-based radio. Good luck!
 
See now.... My Tab A is switched on.. it appears to be working through a playlist (though f8** knows where it came from. volume is up on the main app controls, and volume is up on the Tablet, but no sound is issuing from the silly little speakers in the Tablet. Headphones are switched off. Bluetooth off. Wifi on.

I'm getting more wine....
 
Nagraboy said:
I’ve never used playlists, so feel a bit left out. Some people seem very attached to using them. I just play albums or track/artist-based radio. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Same for me. Playlists seem, IIUC, to be a sort of mix-tape idea. I never really got that either.
Mullardman said:
I'm getting more wine....
Click to expand...
IME ‘getting more wine’ and ‘trying to understand frustrating nerdy concept late at night’ do not make good bedfellows.
 
Marchbanks said:
Same for me. Playlists seem, IIUC, to be a sort of mix-tape idea. I never really got that either.
Click to expand...

But not really... The point seems to be.. IIUC, that the whole of playback is subsumed to the concept of the playlist. It can be a single song, a single album, a series of songs, a series cof albums..a 'mix' or any thing between. That I don't have an issue with as it's 'Horses for Courses'... my issue is with trying to understand how the imposed playlist regime actually functions.

IME ‘getting more wine’ and ‘trying to understand frustrating nerdy concept late at night’ do not make good bedfellows.
Click to expand...

You are of course correct, but I'm not talking to my Tablet 'til it starts behaving in a civilised manner..

In the interim.. wine is more fun.
 
Mullardman said:
But not really... The point seems to be.. IIUC, that the whole of playback is subsumed to the concept of the playlist. It can be a single song, a single album, a series of songs, a series cof albums..a 'mix' or any thing between. That I don't have an issue with as it's 'Horses for Courses'... my issue is with trying to understand how the imposed playlist regime actually functions.
Click to expand...
I think what you are saying is correct - on the iPeng menu there is a section marked ‘Playlists’ that I never use, but which is full of stuff I have presumably created without knowing it. And sometimes I see messages about ‘Playlist saved’ but usually after pressing the wrong button (after getting more wine or not getting specs.) But it isn’t a function that I need to understand in order to listen to (say) a single album from start to finish. Having to select ‘all items’ doesn’t seem quite right to me - just ‘play’ should to the job. But then I admit I have to answer ‘er... not certain, TBH...’ to your question ‘with me so far?’ above!

Mullardman said:
In the interim.. wine is more fun.
Click to expand...
There are very few things to which that doesn’t apply.
 
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