mp3 player track sequence

[henry_crun]

Can't find an mp3 player (hardware or software) that will play classical music with the tracks in the correct sequence.

Simple techniques like renaming tracks or downloading tracks individually in sequence don't seem to work. At least one player not only scrambles the sequence but also interleaves movements from different works.

At present my only solution is to 'record' on SD cards which I insert individually, with the works separated manually into folders, and use the resident file browser to select what I wish to play. The crude resident player copes far better than any player software, plays all the tracks in the correct sequence, and has the advantage of stopping at the end, rather than endless looping.

Is there a player software app that actually copes with serious music?

Hardware: Acer Chromebook CB3-111
With: Sandisc 8GB HCSD class 4

Or: Kubik Evo mp3 player (now passed to a better home)
With: Samsung micro SD 16GB class 10 (overkill in this application)

[Bushfiva]

If you're ripping the tracks yourself, are you sure the ID3 metadata is being written correctly (if at all)?


I can't think of any software or hardware I've ever used not getting the play order correct, other than an odd thing by Transcend.

[mixture]

henry_crun,

Are you sure the problem is not located between the chair and the keyboard ?

MP3 players are generally perfectly capable of playing albums in the order they were on the CD. MP3 players are generally perfectly capable of playing custom playlists in the order they were configured on the computer.

Suggesting that MP3 players discriminate against classical music is pure codswallop for which you deserve to be slapped on the face with a dead fish for even contemplating ! That's just a stupid supposition.

Have a good night's rest and try again with a fresh pair of eyes would be my advice.

[henry_crun]

Thanks, guys, for your kind comments.

I have just checked, and music which was ripped from cd and nicely foldered up is playable in sequence using the resident file manager.

When I let the Enjoy Music Player app find the same music, it displays the tracks out of sequence and interleaved. So I have Schostakovich Cello Concerto No 1 in random sequence, interleaved with Schostakovich Jazz Suite No 2 in random sequence.

Reviews of the Kubik Evo mp3 player report similar problems with classical music.

Pop music and jazz also get scrambled but of course it really doesn't matter to the listener what the track sequence is. On Classical music, Mr Mixture, it does matter, one wishes to hear the movements in the correct sequence.

[mixture]

Reviews of the Kubik Evo mp3 player report similar problems with classical music.

In which case just bin it and buy a proper mp3 player. There's not much point fighting battles that don't need to be fought, if the software developers at Kubik are as dumb as you suggest then there's not much you can do about it. :cool:

[henry_crun]

Yes, I did bin it, or rather took it round to that nice High Street store that gives folding money for unwanted goods.

I agree about software developers being dumb, I've worked alongside sooo many of them. Trouble is they don't know just how dumb they are. And they really, really hate XP. :E

[Ancient Observer]

henry,
I suspect that you have discovered a very unusual problem. I have not encountered this issue with either Apple or Android devices..........and if anyone is likely to mess up music transfer (or other bits of tech) it is me.
SWMBO is rather keen on Classical music, so my tiny amount of IT cred about the house depends on me getting that bit right.
Is it possible that somewhere deep in the mystery that is IT, you might have put a tick in a Random Play box somewhere?

[henry_crun]

AO - Thanks, I've tried with and without 'Shuffle'. Without 'Shuffle', the tracks come up on-screen in the wrong sequence, which is fixed. With 'Shuffle' they play in a sequence which differs from that on-screen.

Bushfiva - Thanks, I've read up on ID3 tags and it is a vast subject quite beyond my limitations. Even if I were able to edit ID3 tags, the prospect of doing this for hundreds of cds sounds like a lifetime mission. I get the same results with tracks auto-ripped by Amazon and tracks ripped with WMP. I was hoping to find an in-Chrome app which is compatible.

[SCHEDULING]

Apologies in advance to such an erudite and intelligent person such as yourself, Mr C., but are you really really sure you don't have the "play in random order" button pressed ? No, thought not, shouldn't have mentioned it.

My own devices play firstly in alphabetical order and then numerical order,
so Rolling Stones track 8 is played before The Who track 6. (Gives you an idea of my musical taste).

Incidently the whole of the Magic Flute is played in the correct numerical order, although the volume needs turning down for The Queen of the Night's magnificent blast. Would have been nice to hear Keith Moon do the percussion on that little number.....

[Bushfiva]

Have you ever changed WMP settings to stop it going online when you rip stuff? It should ask you the first time you ever use it. Otherwise, depending on your version, go somewhere like tools, options, library, "retrieve additional information from the internet".


It's also possible to add the metatags to existing files, but it's a bit laborious, and then re-order your library according to the new tags but you need to start hitting the help button for that.


This ID3 metatag stuff isn't all that difficult to master: it's the the audio equivalent of EXIF data for jpeg files. You can adjust your folder headings to show all this tag info when you browse your folders, to get an idea of what it's all about.


Edit: here you go: not saying this fixes your exact issue, but this (http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/15693/update-metadata-and-cover-art-in-windows-media-player-12/) is the sort of thing you can do with WMP.

[mixture]

henry_crun's MP3 player:

R7GeKLE0x3s

[henry_crun]

Thank you good sirs for all those kind comments (dead fish excepted).

I have been ripping classical cds at our library, on WMP set to mp3 and 256 kb/s. I use only a single level of folder, renamed for example 'Vaughan Williams - Symphony No 4'. My chromebook lists these in alphabetical sequence, resulting in a simple list of composers and works. Very straightforward, easier than trying to use a 'Music Player' app.

I can rip six cds in an hour, so it won't take too long to work my way through a hundred or two. The big bonus is that I can now listen to the work I want, rather than sitting through the other items used to fill each cd.

I am running the first few works now, and no probs so far. :ok:

[Saab Dastard]

I have been ripping classical cds at our library
And in so doing you are in breach of copyright, unless you own the CDs.

SD

[henry_crun]

Mr SAAB, sir, they are indeed my own bought-and-paid-for cds. Mostly bought from Amazon, who provide an autorip service. But, as described above, player problems have caused me to rip them myself.

The driving logic is that I may lose mobility and have to move into a care home, where space limitations may prevent me from taking my cd collection, whereas mp3 rips on SD cards take no space at all.

[Saab Dastard]

Henry, sorry for doubting you! :)

Good luck to you sir - hopefully your hearing will not go the way of your mobility, and you can enjoy your music for years to come.

SD

[henry_crun]

Thanks, Saab :ok:

I have to rip at the library because my chromebook doesn't have one of those ancient optical drive thingies.

I'm also downloading some of the cds direct from Amazon cloud using the chromebook Amazon Music app, which works very well and can access individual tracks.

[Keef]

Greetings, Mr Crun, sir.

I have a load of music on my PC, copied onto the iPod and the iPad. It's all classical, sorted into playlists as appropriate, and it plays movements in the correct order every time. Daughter 1 copied some of our choir onto a little MP3 player, and that behaved nicely.

You may be suffering from something in the library PC that isn't ripping the CDs correctly.

Does your Chromebook have a USB socket on it where you could connect an external CD player to start the ripping process? I have a nifty little external CD unit here that I rarely use - you're welcome to it if it'll help. PM me an address and it's yours.

Could you run something downloadable like iTunes on the Chromebook? I wouldn't use iTunes itself if you don't have to - it's bloated and very user-unfriendly but pretty much mandatory for iThings. There's a variety of software available for the purpose - I'd defer to mixture as to which is most suitable.

[henry_crun]

Many thanks, Keef, for your kind offer. Alas there seems to be no way of ripping cds within chromebooks, so the external usb drive option won't work.

I rather think it is a player problem, because cds display equally badly whether I use WMP to rip at the library, or use the Amazon autoripped cds.

At present I am simply saving tracks in folders, a separate folder for each work. This works really well because the tracks are grouped as I want them, in alpha sequence, with each symphony or whatever in a separate folder. So each plays in the right sequence and stops at the end, without running on into something else. No player, just the resident file manager.

Thanks for your kindness,
henry