iTunes 3 Tip: Never Play the Same MP3 Twice
Apple's latest release of iTunes, now at version 3.0, has a new feature called "Smart Playlists" that allows users to automatically construct custom playlists according to a customized group of search criteria - artist name, track length, genre, decade, etc. With just a few mouse clicks users can automatically build playlists with all songs in their library, for example, by The Beatles, or all Electronica songs, or in my case - a smart list containing all the songs I haven't listened to yet.
Here's the deal - when you add mp3s to iTunes 3, the application tags a "play count" variable onto the song, and increments the number every time you play it. New mp3s are automatically tagged with a play count of zero.
To create a smart playlist with all your "zero-played" songs, select "New Smart Playlist" from the File menu. In the Smart Playlist window, click Advanced. Activate the "Match the following condition:" option. In the first drop down form field, select "Play Count." When selected, a "0" should appear in the third text field. Your condition should read, "Play Count - is - 0." Then make sure the "Live updating" option is turned ON. When finished, click OK.
Your "Source" window on the left side of the iTunes application will then contain a purple smart playlist called "untitled playlist" (why Apple didn't include a name field in the "New Smart Playlist" window is beyond me). Click once on it to rename the list to "Unplayed" or something similar.
Presto! You can now play all the zero-played songs in the list randomly or one at a time. Every time you finish a song (a song has to play the whole way through for the play count variable to change) the song is removed from your "Unplayed" smart playlist (but remains, as it should, in your main iTunes Library). If you add some new mp3s to your library, iTunes will automatically add them to your unplayed collection.
You now have a playlist of songs that's always fresh - zero repeats. With my setup, I would have to play iTunes for 24 hours a day for 18 days straight in order to listen to every mp3 I own at least once. Cool, ey?
Comments
Neat! Too bad commercial radio doesn't have something like this. I'm so tired of hearing "Without Me" on my colleague's radio every hour that I could puke.
Posted by: Bob at August 28, 2002 12:36 PM
So easy I had already figured out this one (although thanks for the hint anyway!), but an additional piece of advice if you're using this technique ... if you hit a song that you don't like, but you don't want to zap from your library (just skip it), then you can just skip (the slide bar is easiest) to the last second or two of the song.
Posted by: Mike at August 28, 2002 12:53 PM
t+,
i've been looking for some neato ways to use these smartplaylists to my advantage. sounds like a good idea. how much space (file size) do your mp3s take up, t?
me = ~700m of tunes. yours must = !!!
:)
-mathew
Posted by: mathew at August 28, 2002 1:18 PM
Assuming they were ripped at 192 kbps.18 days worth would be in the range of 30GB. plus/minus a coulge GB.
Posted by: Shawn at August 28, 2002 2:57 PM
I am really digging iTunes 3 as well. The Smart Playlists are awesome for making quick mixes for any mood!
Todd, are you using Kung-Tunes for your "listening" sidebar? I just discovered it, it's great!
Posted by: courtney at August 28, 2002 3:06 PM
Yes, Kung-Tunes supplies the side info. I dig it.
Posted by: Todd at August 28, 2002 3:09 PM
I had one of those playlists until I did away with all of my unlistented to songs.
A few other ideas for Smart Playlists that I've created are: Heard Longest Ago (set last played to be before some relative date), Most Played (no criteria, just rank by play count), and Recently Played (again, no search criteria, just rank by last played).
Also, you can create smart playlists by option clicking on the add playlist button in the lower left corner of the main window.
Posted by: Phil Dokas at August 28, 2002 3:26 PM
