digital audio player - track order play problem

[WebPilot]

I just bought an RCA Pearl - TH1611 mp3 player at WalMart for $20.00 .



It's neat, I do like it, even if it has only 1 GB of storage capacity, but it's working in Linux as far as moving .mp3s to and fro.

However, I've got a track order play problem; I using native linux GNOME, not any of the software that is on the player. I've gotten 5 other albums to play in the proper order by just naming the tracks in a folder, 01- , 02- , etc.

It just doesn't like my Rolling Stones Let It Bleed album, and randomizes the play.

Anybody got some ideas that I haven't found on the I'net yet?

[Viv]

Hi Forrest

There is extra information attached to the basic music file and the track info and other related album information is in that, the player is taking the track info from the file not the file name

hope that helps

Viv

[WebPilot]

Thanks for the input, Viv. I know about the additional info, known as tags.

It seemed to me the player wasn't reading any track info at all ... thus, getting confused and randomizing play for this mp3 folder.

EasyTAG and Grip did not help me id the problem; but it did show I had tags.

Last night I did a google on 'ubuntu mp3 tag convertor' and found

Mass mp3 tag conversion?
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=527725

It proposed the idea that my player may only recognize ID3 v2.3 tags.

So, I downloaded via

sudo apt-get install eyeD3



and ran this program (display mode) on a file from a folder that 'tracked' properly



and on one that did not.



It is indeed an ID3 tag version related problem, and eyeD3 can be used to fix it.

[Viv]

Hi Forrest

I have to chuckle as I would never have even considered the tags would have a version problem omg welcome to the new world

Viv

[WebPilot]

1. So, I downloaded
   sudo apt-get install eyeD3
2. changed to my files directory in a terminal window
   cd /media/PEARL/Music/Let It Bleed (1969)
3. and copied pasted at the command prompt
   find . -type f -print0 |xargs -0 eyeD3 --to-v2.3
   it took a few seconds to complete (complained of error with .m3u playlist)

I unmounted the player from the computer and does it now play properly?

No.

[WebPilot]

The files on my computer were tagless due to may fooling around with EasyTAG.

So, I performed the eyeD3 operation on the files residing on the RCA TH1611. When finished I copied them over to my computer.

I deleted the supposedly fixed 'Let It Bleed' file directory from my RCA TH1611, unmounted it and turned it on to ensure the directory was gone and then turned it back off.

I then reconnected it to my computer and copied the fixed files back to RCA TH1611. I unmounted it and turned it back on to find not only the directory, but it started with the song GIMME SHELTER.

It works! The songs now play in order.

So, it seems I had to clear the RCA TH1611 database and force it to reread the repaired files. It wasn't enough to just 'convert' file tags to a different version.

[WebPilot]

Another mp3 album/cd, Abbey Road, that I wished to transfer had ID3 v1.x tags. So, I ran eyeD3 to convert the tags to v2.3 . However, after I copied the files to the RCA TH1611, it played the songs out of sequence! wtf

Having connected the player again to my pc, I inspected the music folder with EasyTAG 2.1.4 and found the Track # fields were empty. So, I filled them in uniquely for each song, clicked File - Save File, went to another folder and came back to this one, and indeed, tags were saved.

The album songs now play in their proper order.

Settings I used in EasyTAG 2.1.4 are:

Settings - Preferences - ID3 Tag Settings are set to

• Automatically convert old ID3v2 tag versions
• Write ID3v2 tag
• Version: ID3v2.3
• Charset: Unicode

(screenshot of my EasyTAG session )

[WebPilot]

mp3 players are so cool; both portables and ones for your desktop.

It's really enjoyable to hear some of my old fav's again; and carry 10 albums/cds around with me in a package the size of a lighter.


Electric Warrior (1971)

[WebPilot]

I like to listen to my choice of music when I work in the garage. I just found a $30 dvd cd player I bought 3 years ago and use in the basement also plays mp3's - GTFO! I popped in a data cd full of mp3s and sure enough, it started cranking them through my amp and speakers.

Now I can put 6 or 7 albums on a single CD!

[WebPilot]

Here's a recent addition to my garage music collection:



"That's why they call me full throttle. I like to have a good time.
...
Because I'm a crazed country rebel and I'm driftin' state to state."



G'it it!

[WebPilot]

For that matter, his debut is good, too.

[WebPilot]

The Heat has been in the garage for several years already ... timeless.



The song, 'On the road again', has special significance, now.

[WebPilot]

[WebPilot]

There is some cussin' and swearin' on this one ...

✩✩✩✩✩ Me And My Friends
✩✩✩✩✩ Long Hauls And Close Calls

[WebPilot]

This is early psychedelic rock (aka Hippy music) that I happened to stumble across this spring. It never made the air waves of normal radio, save for some college radio stations. However, it's worth the effort to find and listen to. He and his band did play at Woodstock.

✩✩✩✩✩