iPod Random Plays Same Songs

[ScootPatoot]

Okay, I have the iPhone 3G phone. I have turned repeat off and play all songs on random. Now I know that this makes a list of my songs and puts them in random order so there is no way for them to play multiple times.

But say I am listening to a song and I want to watch an episode of The Sopranos. I pause the song and start the episode. After Hesh advised Tony to cut the canoli off of the son-in-law who doesn't want a divorce without compensation, I start listening to music again. I go to shuffle my songs again and most of the time I hear songs that I have already heard an hour earlier before watching the episode.

My question is, can the iPhone save the random list so that after I do something else in the iPod application, it will start off where I left it?

Say I am listening to my music and pause it, exit the iPod program and do something else (or for that matter, nothing else) with the phone. When I go back to the iPod app, the music IS where I left it with the songs in the same random list. Why can't the same random list be saved when doing something in the iPod program??

Sorry for the long post and TIA for any/all help.

By the way, I have 1,000 + songs loaded on the iPod...I wouldn't think that it would play 1 song 4 times before it plays a different song once...

 

[Macrimonious]

I've got the same problem basically

I listen to my music library on shuffle, nearly 1400 songs, and I swear that the same songs keep popping up. I've heard that the shuffle feature isn't really random at all and actually favors some songs...can anyone confirm this or let me know if I am just imagining this phenomenon?

 

[Osarkon]

There is a Smart Shuffle setting in iTunes that you can toggle with and it varies how it shuffles songs, I'm not sure if the iPhone has a similar setting, but perhaps if you changed it in iTunes, it would do the same on the iPhone?

 

[OutThere]

Generally I believe that iTunes/iPods make the random order based on the song you start with, so if you start with the same song every time, you'll get the same order of songs following it. Generally if I'm hearing the same order of songs every time I listen, I realize that I always start with my current favorite song....the solution is to start on another song.

 

[ScootPatoot]

There is a Smart Shuffle setting in iTunes that you can toggle with and it varies how it shuffles songs, I'm not sure if the iPhone has a similar setting, but perhaps if you changed it in iTunes, it would do the same on the iPhone?

I've seen this in iTunes an adjusted it accordingly. I haven't seen anything in the iPhone for something like this and I don't think the setting from iTunes carries over. Thanks for the idea though

Generally I believe that iTunes/iPods make the random order based on the song you start with, so if you start with the same song every time, you'll get the same order of songs following it. Generally if I'm hearing the same order of songs every time I listen, I realize that I always start with my current favorite song....the solution is to start on another song.

Well I don't start with any song in particular. I go to the iPod app, go to the "Songs" list and there is a button to shuffle songs. So i don't start playing a song and then hit the random switch...If that makes sense.

 

[Brinkman]

For me my iPhone 3GS and now 4 both randomize based on title of the song. So if I have a live album on my phone along with the studio album and one of the songs comes up, the very next song will be it's live counter part (or vise versa).

Apple needs to recode their shuffle for large music directories.

 

[Labaguette]

no problems here with random playback. 17000+ Songs on iTunes, 14000 on iPod classic for random playback. even after syncing i don't have these issues.

i guess this is only iOS problem?

Regards,
Baguette

 

[brn2ski00]

Well, to be perfectly frank, there is no such thing as random in computers.

The shuffle function uses some sort of random number generator and we all know from our CS classes that a computer cannot actually generate a random number.

But fwiw, I have noticed the same.

 

[Labaguette]

BTW iPod classic/nano don't play a song twice in shuffle mode. they play all songs located and assigned for random once before starting over again with a different song... and no, they don't adjust the playlists genius-like style.

Regards