More than one playlist on an iPod Shuffle

GO TO ADMIN PANEL > ADD-ONS AND INSTALL VERTIFORO SIDEBAR TO SEE FORUMS AND SIDEBAR

maconvert

New member
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
6
Points
0
Hello,

I just received my new iPod Shuffle (2G) in the mail and I have a question.

Is it possible to load more than one playlist onto it and, if so, how do I access the playlists individually?

For instance, I have a “Cardio” playlist and a “Strength Training” playlist.
There are some songs that are common to both lists, but the cardio playlist has more beat-intensive tunes (i.e. New Order) and the strength training has more aggressive-style tunes (i.e. Rage Against the Machine). I want to use the cardio playlist when running and the strength training playlist when weightlifting.

Anyway, please let me know if this can be done, because I can’t find anything in the manual.

Cheers.
 
Last edited:

JazzyMac

Jazzy Smooth
Joined
May 1, 2004
Messages
2,098
Points
0
Location
Jupiter...But Closer To The Sun
You can put both playlists on the shuffle as long as it has enough room to fit all the songs, however, it will not separate the playlists during your workout...as it's so named "shuffle".
 

maconvert

New member
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
6
Points
0
That’s a bit dissappointing.

I’m sure that Apple could easily add a feature in software that could accommodate this.

For instance, holding down the center button while pressing the volume-up button (+) could advance to the next playlist - or - holding down the center button while pressing the volume-down button (-) could jump back to the previous playlist.

It would be trivial to add this feature and include it in a subsequent firmware update.

Anyway, that’s just my 2 cents.

Cheers.
 

JazzyMac

Jazzy Smooth
Joined
May 1, 2004
Messages
2,098
Points
0
Location
Jupiter...But Closer To The Sun
The Shuffle was designed for folks who just wanted to add a bunch of songs to their ipod and not worry about order, artist, album, etc. Also, the small footprint and lowest price makes it ideal for those "on the go" looking for value.

You may want to opt for the new nano. Not only can you change out playlists, but during your cardio runs on the treadmill or the elliptical, you can watch a couple of your favorite vids.
 

maconvert

New member
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
6
Points
0
JazzyMac said:
The Shuffle was designed for folks who just wanted to add a bunch of songs to their ipod and not worry about order, artist, album, etc. Also, the small footprint and lowest price makes it ideal for those "on the go" looking for value.

You may want to opt for the new nano. Not only can you change out playlists, but during your cardio runs on the treadmill or the elliptical, you can watch a couple of your favorite vids.
Do you work for Apple or something?

;)

I got my iPod Shuffle for free through a bank promotion and that's the only reason I have it.
I already own an iPod Video (5G), but it's a bit big for running.
Plus, due to the fact that my larger iPod is harddrive based, any kind of impact exercises cause the battery to be drained rather quickly, because bumps result in more errors when reading the drive and, as a result, the drive needs to be accessed more.

In any case, I couldn't really justify owning an iPod Video AND an iPod Nano.

The problem I have with the lack of this functionality is that, well, it's unnecessary. If Apple designs their products like I believe they do, then adding the functionality I've described would take an afternoon at best and then maybe the remainder of a week to do some repetitive sanity testing in the background.

Personally, I think that the real reason that Apple doesn't add this capability is because they've calculated that, if they add that feature, they will sell a few more Shuffles, but they will also lose just enough sales of the bigger-margin Nanos to result in a net loss of revenue.

Conspiracy!!!

:)

In any case, I guess it's no big deal. I DID get it for free now didn't I?
I suppose I'll just put my cardio mix on the Shuffle and continue to use my iPod Video for my strength training mix.

It's interesting though, in a CNET review of the second generation iPod Shuffle, they wrote that quickly pressing the "play/pause" button 3 times would allow the user to advance through the playlists. This is of course wrong because this key sequence simply brings one to the start of the music list (when not in shuffle mode) and re-shuffles all of the music (when in shuffle mode).

Here's a link to the review:
http://www.cnet.com.au/mp3players/mp3players/0,239036128,339270996,00.htm

Anyway, I should get back to work.

Cheers!
 

maconvert

New member
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
6
Points
0
Suspended?

Hey JazzyMac,

Why does your status read "Suspended"?

If it means what I suspect it means, can anybody else tell me why JazzyMac got suspended?

Curious.
 

heatguts58

New member
Joined
Sep 17, 2006
Messages
35
Points
0
thats funny, i too have a playlist when i run and strength train. when i lift its actually a mix of hip hop and whatnot, while running is when i put on rock and anger music like linkin park for example. my reason for the opposite is because i get really tired when running, like REALLY tired sometimes, and for that extra juice, linkin park rocks in back of my head to keep me pumped.
 

paranoidxe

New member
Joined
Jan 14, 2006
Messages
3,315
Points
0
Well the iPod Shuffle is designed to do exactly what the name suggests..shuffle your songs there is no reason to pick and choose what kind of music you want to play at a given time (playlists) when the unit has no screen.

The shuffle is actually one of my favorites, if not my favorite iPod out of the line I got. Its amazingly simple to operate (attach to your collar and the buttons are all right there no need to fiddle in the pocket) and if you have ONLY your favorite songs on there you rarely have to skip tracks. No fuss just musical bliss.

Its also the most durable of the entire iPod line, scratch resistant and no screen to break. Makes it the perfect companion for working out, biking, aerobics, etc.

The shuffle isn't for you, I think the nano would better suit your needs.

The closest solution I can offer for you is to organize your shuffle's playlist where your agressive or upbeat tunes are first and the other is last in the list. i.e. linkin park (1-20), 50 cent (20-40), then right-click the shuffle in iTunes select "Copy to play order", eject it. Put the shuffle on cycle mode and skip through the first set of songs when you want to change the style.
 
Last edited:

maconvert

New member
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
6
Points
0
Hello,

OK. First, I love Apple products.
I'm not criticizing them.

Second, no, the Nano is not for me.
Even without the ability to switch to a separate playlist, I still prefer the small size of the Shuffle. Besides, if I really wanted to, for less than the price of a Nano I could buy 2 Shuffles and my problem would be solved.

:)

Actually, if I really wanted a small MP3 player with multiple playlist support, there are other products out there. I just prefer to stick with Apple. However, someone who does not own any Apple products yet and who gets kind of annoyed with the whole Apple mindset (i.e. cult) might opt for one of these other players just because the feature I described is not there on the Shuffle.

I just think that I think the ability to toggle between two playlists would be a really simple feature for Apple to add. The operation could be simple as well. I was thinking about it and an easy to implement method would be to have the user hold down the volume up button (+) or volume down button (-) when they turned the unit on with the switch. It would then jump up to the next playlist or down to the previous playlist. Since this feature would be invoked when the iPod was first turned (i.e. at the start of the boot-up process if you will) it would be really easy for the developers to add, because they would not have to dovetail the code in with all of the other code that looks at button presses while the unit is running. You could only do this when the unit was first turned on.

Anyway, that's how I feel anyway.

Cheers.
 

paranoidxe

New member
Joined
Jan 14, 2006
Messages
3,315
Points
0
maconvert said:
Hello,

OK. First, I love Apple products.
I'm not criticizing them.

Second, no, the Nano is not for me.
Even without the ability to switch to a separate playlist, I still prefer the small size of the Shuffle. Besides, if I really wanted to, for less than the price of a Nano I could buy 2 Shuffles and my problem would be solved.

:)

Actually, if I really wanted a small MP3 player with multiple playlist support, there are other products out there. I just prefer to stick with Apple. However, someone who does not own any Apple products yet and who gets kind of annoyed with the whole Apple mindset (i.e. cult) might opt for one of these other players just because the feature I described is not there on the Shuffle.

I just think that I think the ability to toggle between two playlists would be a really simple feature for Apple to add. The operation could be simple as well. I was thinking about it and an easy to implement method would be to have the user hold down the volume up button (+) or volume down button (-) when they turned the unit on with the switch. It would then jump up to the next playlist or down to the previous playlist. Since this feature would be invoked when the iPod was first turned (i.e. at the start of the boot-up process if you will) it would be really easy for the developers to add, because they would not have to dovetail the code in with all of the other code that looks at button presses while the unit is running. You could only do this when the unit was first turned on.

Anyway, that's how I feel anyway.

Cheers.
Well people who've explored the mp3 market know that the iPods aren't actually the most feature rich players. Sure they could easily implement it as you say but apparently it isn't in high demand.

In fact I'm not sure even leading competitors like the Zen Stone Plus have the ability to switch between playlists.
 

kelseyirene1985

New member
Joined
Nov 23, 2010
Messages
1
Points
0
Yes, you can choose your playlist

There is a way to choose a playlist. There has since the newest shuffle came out, which is the one I assume you have. I don't know about older models. This comes directly from the user manual.

Hear Playlist Menu

Click the Center button until you hear a
tone, and then release to hear the
playlist menu. When you hear the name
of the playlist you want, click to select it.
You can click ∂ or D to move quickly
through the playlist menu.

The center button it talks about is the one on the volume control on the head phone chord.

Hope this helps.
 

maconvert

New member
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
6
Points
0
There is a way to choose a playlist. There has since the newest shuffle came out, which is the one I assume you have. I don't know about older models. This comes directly from the user manual.

Hear Playlist Menu

Click the Center button until you hear a
tone, and then release to hear the
playlist menu. When you hear the name
of the playlist you want, click to select it.
You can click ∂ or D to move quickly
through the playlist menu.

The center button it talks about is the one on the volume control on the head phone chord.

Hope this helps.
Check out the date.
I posted this over 3 years ago when the iPod Shuffles did NOT have the ability to handle multiple playlists. I have since bought a new one that DOES have this ability and it is AWESOME!
 
Top