iPod question - creating playlist?

[munchies]

I have an iPod mini that DH got me a while back. I use it while exercising and am really happy with it, except that I can't seem to create a playlist! YIKES.

I can get a playlist created in my iTunes (well, I think I'm doing it right, but maybe that's part of my issue!). But when I "drag and drop" that playlist onto my "iPod selection", it doesn't register as a playlist. It does copy all of those songs though (which ends up creating duplicates, as I have these songs in my generic iPod selection.).

Does this make sense? What am I doing wrong?
I think so many years of over-thinking things with my IBM has gotten to my brain :rolleyes:

Thanks for any help -
Heather :)

[blazedog]

Do you have the mini or the shuffle?

Is the library bigger than the capacity of your mini.

I use MAC's but assume Windows is similar. You need to go into preferences and opt for the way you synch the iPOD.

I have mine on autosynch and it will synch everything (all playlists) but NOT synch any songs that are unchecked.

You can also opt for synching only checked playlists -- this would seem to make the most sense for you.

What you have chosen is the completely manual synch which is probably the least desireable alternative.

Modify your preferences and then select the playlists you want and it should all work out. :)

[donleyk]

I can't help. I have the Dell DJ and have the same problem and I swear there are no directions. The market is for these kids that just keep hitting keys until they get what they're after :o I'm old. I need directions. :(

On an aside, I got a new weather station and I managed to set both of the alarms on it without trying. I couldn't undo the alarms so I ended having to pull the batteries. :eek: :( :o How embarrassing is that!

[Miss Giggles]

I got a nano and I don't know how to do it either, I went in the options, but there is only one playlist that actually syncs!

[Kristal]

I use my IPod while exercising and usually just have it in shuffle mode, but I was thinking I'd like to create a playlist, too.

I don't have the mini, but on my version, there is a playlist selection under "Music". The playlist options are: purchased, recently added, and on-the-go. When I click on "On-The-Go" it says, "When a song is selected, press and hold the center button to add it to the On-The-Go playlist. Press and hold on a playlist, artist, or album to add all of its songs to the On-The-Go playlist."

I'm not sure if this is much help if the mini doesn't offer this. (And I haven't tried it yet, myself, because I'm not confident I will do it correctly.)

[funnybone]

I have the mini but because my son is using it now until he gets his new one (waiting on the warranty replacement), I'm going by memory, so I hope this is right.

When in i-Tunes, from the top menu, go to Edit, preferences, and click iPod. I think this is where you go to click on the playlists you want to download onto your iPod. If you click the playlist, then it will show as a playlist on your iPod. I have several playlists on mine, so I know it works. I should have mine back in a couple of weeks from DS. Let me know if it works.

edited to say that Blazedog already explained it up above.

[blazedog]

I use my IPod while exercising and usually just have it in shuffle mode, but I was thinking I'd like to create a playlist, too.

I don't have the mini, but on my version, there is a playlist selection under "Music". The playlist options are: purchased, recently added, and on-the-go. When I click on "On-The-Go" it says, "When a song is selected, press and hold the center button to add it to the On-The-Go playlist. Press and hold on a playlist, artist, or album to add all of its songs to the On-The-Go playlist."

I'm not sure if this is much help if the mini doesn't offer this. (And I haven't tried it yet, myself, because I'm not confident I will do it correctly.)

A brief digression on playlists as they truly maximize listening pleasure -- I've got almost 20,000 songs on my computer and continuing to add so this is the only way to get a handle on it.

iTunes comes with default playlists but the real fun stuff is creating your own playlists.

You can do this manually -- i.e. add a playlist, name it and select the songs to add to it.

Smart Playlists are fantastic -- you set up smart playlists and they will auto fill with songs that fit the criteria you have chosen -- it can be any type of combination -- from words in a title, to genre, plus you can eliminate stuff you don't want on that playlist.

What I do is use the "comments' section and then add keywords to the mp3 -- some of the obvious ones are cardio, lazy Sunday, drive, specific times or places etc. It's really up to you, your imagination and how you want to experience your music collection. There are some sites that offer tips on structuring play lists.

I also got this fun application that uses a "seed" song and then automatically generates playlists -- This is great to help me listen to forgotten stuff.

And of course since it's digital, you can create and delete lists to your heart's content as the actual mp3's or AAC files will live in your library.

The On-The-Go playlist will work in a pinch but it's fairly cumbersome because you have to go through your songs through the scroll wheel as opposed to finding them quickly through iTunes on the computer. Of course this is where smart lists are helpful -- i.e. I have comments that are cardio and also excellentstair -- If I needed to create a new workout playlist away from the computer, I would be able to have a less extensive list to work with -- thus easier to use. The same principle would be true for every kind of on the go list.

[munchies]

WAHOOO!!!! Thank you all so much - that worked! I actually followed funnybone's instructions because I could get my mind around those :)

blazedog - sounds like you've got a great system for you music. I'm inspired!

Off to create more playlists!

Thanks again everyone.
Heather
:)

[Miss Giggles]

Ok I feel so stupid! I am miss tech support lady! Anyway I kept checking the playlist under preferences and it wasn't saving the stinking checkmark! But now it did..


Thanks :)