Why is Random/Shuffle playing only a limited subset of songs?

For no reason that I can discern, the Random function is playing only from a small number of songs -- mainly ones I added today and yesterday. I noticed this because I have a custom "Shuffle" playlist that I've used for years and today I dumped about 125 new songs into my music library. All I was hearing was the new songs. When I quit the playlist and went directly to my library, with Random still selected, no matter what song I started with the queue would still contain only the new songs.
When I turn the random function off everything plays in the order it should.
I have a huge library -- over 25,000 files. Have I hit the limit that Random can deal with? (Just kidding, I don't really think that's it.)
I've tried trashing com.apple.iTunes.plist in Preferences and restarting the computer, which made no difference. I've turned off the Remote app on my iPad, which I often use to control playback. Beyond that I'm stymied.
Cary

As a follow-up, I tried reinstalling iTunes. No change. Then I tried editing my playlist so that it didn't include any songs added after last month, which resulted in it coming to a grinding halt after playing whatever song I selected.
Now, in fact, when I try to play anything from a playlist I can only play one song. Clicking on the "Up Next" queue brings up the message "No upcoming songs."
Curiouser ...

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Can I set the ipod to shuffle play only a playlist?

I have an iPod classic. Can I set it to shuffle play only a selected playlist? It looks as though I can only shuffle all the songs on the iPod.

Usually, in addition to the "Shuffle All" function on the main menu, there's a shuffle play mode that can be toggled during playback.
Start playing your desired playlist, then press the center button and see if there's an option to toggle shuffle mode on.

Random Shuffle Play

New iPOD user! My old .mp3 player had a random shuffle play. Basically, it would randomly play songs within a playlist. I've figured out how to shuffle a playlist, but that is a one time shuffle...not a random play. Is there a way to play songs in a random order within a playlist?
Thanks!

I didn't have my iPod with me when I wrote that, but when I try that, it still works for me.
First of all, you have the "Shuffle" under Settings set for "Songs", correct?
Then, navigate to Music > Playlists. You will se one or more playlists that you've synced to your iPod.
Highlight (with the clickwheel) the playlist that you want to play with shuffled songs. Do not click on the playlist's name, but simply highlight it as if you were going to click on it.
Then, clicking on the Play/pause button on your iPod, you should begin to play that playlist's content that you've highlighted, just in shuffled order.
Doing that exact method, it works for me. Does it work and shuffle the playlist's content for you when you try that?
-Kylene

Does iTunes 10.5.2 allow you to control how random shuffle play acts?

I seem to remember a previous version of iTunes that allowed you to adjust the randomness of shuffle-play. There was a slide bar that you could move, and I believe that it was based on the songs you most listened to.
Does the current version still have that function? I can't seem to find it, and my shuffle-play doesn't seem to be as random at the moment. My impression is that I'm hearing more the songs that have a high play count already than not.

I have this problem too, and I want to make random shuffles such that play counts for each song is uniformly distributed. But how come nobody even notice this thread?

Playlist in shuffle plays only (the same) 5 songs, then stops

One of my playlists in iTunes in shuffle plays the same 5 songs (out of 83) and then stops. If I uncheck those 5, and start with another, it plays that song and stops. I've tried deleting the playlist and recreating it, both in Smart form and not, all with identical results. I've tried unchecking and re-checking songs, no help. Putting the playlist on "Repeat all" does not help (it just repeats the 5). Playing without shuffle works fine.
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Select all the songs.
Right click - get info. Tick *Skip when shuffling* and set to No then Apply.

2G Shuffle plays only some of the music loaded on it

As the subject says, when I download songs (either by Autofill or dragging from an iTunes playlist), all the songs appear to be moved to my 2G Shuffle. However, when I try to play them, either in random or straight-through, only about 1 in 4 will actually play. Nevertheless, they continue to appear on the shuffle when I reconnect to iTunes. I have attempted restoring multiple times, and the same thing keeps happening. Also, the selection of songs that it will play is consistent. For instance, here in the summary for one of the songs that will play:
Kind: AAC Audio file
Size: 7 MB
Bit Rate: 256 kpbs
Sample Rate: 44.100 kHz
Date Modified: 12/27/06 12:01 PM
Play Count: 1
Last Played: 1/6/07 4:34 PM
Volume: -10.6 dB
Profile: Low Complexity
Channels: Stereo
Encoded with: iTunes v7.0.2, Quicktime 7.1.3
Here is one that will not:
Kind: AAC audio file
Size: 4.4 MB
Bit Rate: 128 kpbs
Sample Rate: 44.100 kHz
Date Modified: 12/27/06 11:59 AM
Play Count: 0
Last Played: Not available.
Volume: -12.7 dB
Profile: Low Complexity
Channels: Stereo
Encoded with: iTunes v.6.0.4, Quicktime 7.0.4
Has anyone seen this before or have any clue how to fix it? Thank you in advance.

How do you have your Shuffle set up to sync music?
B-rock

Why wont my shuffle play? Also, my serial number is not recognized!

My shuffle can be connected to my computer fine, I can take songs on and off it. When I disconnect it, plug in my ear buds and hit play, the little green light comes on, but no music comes out. The light does not blink, it is just on. Even when I hit the play/Pause button again, the light stays on. (It always used to blink when it was paused). My ear buds work on other devices, so it is not them. When I tried to get help from apple, they told me they don't recognize my serial number, and yes, I gave them the right one, the one that is in my settings when I plug in the ipod and inscribed under the clip. I have already returned this once, I fear I may have to again, if I can.

Did you ever get an answer to your question? I have the same problem - the shuffle will not play and the serial number is not recognized on the apple website. iTunes recognizes the shuffle and shows the same serial number as what is on the box and under the clip. I have tried restoring the shuffle to factory settings but it still does not play. I tried registering the shuffle (using the model part number) and it says it is registered but it still does not recognize the serial number. I have no idea what to do.

ICloud plays only a portion of many songs... Why? How to fix?

After purchasing iCloud, my MacPro started its sync to the cloud. Once uploaded, I turned on iCloud on my iPhone 4, iPad (1), and MacBook Pro.
On all these devices, many songs play approx 50% of the song and then stops...
If I wait about 5 minutes, I can advance the timeline to about 3/4 of the way across the length of the song and press play. The "dot" on the timeline will begin moving, but no audio will play.
Has anyone else experienced this problem?
This is happening on 30-50% of the songs (5000+).
By the way, the song plays in its entirity on my MacPro.

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ITunes is playing only part of a song. Why?

About two and a half years ago I discovered a fan site for my favorite band that allowed other fans to download (for free!) bootleg recordings of the band's concerts. I've played the files a zillion times with no problems. Recently, I discovered that at least two of these files are not playing correctly in iTunes. iTunes will play only a portion of the song before it abruptly switches to the next song in the list.
For example, one of the songs is 8:28, but iTunes will only play the first 1:38 before it switches to the next song. Even more curious, if I allow the first 1:37 to play and then force iTunes to pick the song up again at 1:41 by dragging the cursor on the horizontal line indicating song progression (in the small window that also lists song title/album name/artist), iTunes will begin to play the first 1:38 again (although the horizontal line indicating progression shows that you are 1:41+ seconds into the song).
I cannot replace these files because the site where I found them has been taken down. Does anyone have any idea how to fix this problem? Thanks!
By the way, I am running iTunes version 8.0.2

I should add that I downloaded 34 tracks (including the two affected files) from the fan site on 6.2.2006 and 6.3.2006. After looking at the 'Date Added' column, 6 songs (including the two affected tracks) are listed as having been added on 4.3.2007 and 1 song is listed as having been added on 11.18.2006. In fact, those songs would have been downloaded on the same days as all the other files--6.2.2006 and 6.3.2006.

Shuffle play - can I "force" iTunes to play an un-played track

I've got just over 6000 tunes on my iTunes ... that's not meant to be boastful, just a way of putting what comes next into context.
When running iTunes on random shuffle play it seems to have a knack of re-playing one of the thousand-or-so tracks that have been played already out of the library already instead of selecting something new. This seems to be happening sufficiently often that I am beginning to suspect it's not coincidence. I am not aware I have any Genius functions or similar running ... well I haven't set them up (nor am I aware I am paranoid!).
Is there any way of "encouraging" iTunes to play something different? Fairly frequently the re-played track is not just something that's been played before but is something I only heard a couple of days ago which is why I started to notice this was happening.
It suggests there's something going on in the track selection algorithm. Can I instruct iTunes to "algo-playsomethingdifferentrhythmsforachange"?

Start with File > New Smart Playlist
Edit the initial rule by changing the drop down lists and adding values where appropriate.
Use the + or - buttons to add or remove rules.
Use Match all or Match any to control how multiple rules interact.
The ellipsis ... lets you create more complex rules without requiring supplemental playlists, E.g. (A OR B) AND (C OR D) where A,B,C & D are different rules that match a subset of the library.
tt2

Why isn't "shuffle" random?

This is something that's bugged me for a couple generations. Why isn't random RANDOM? Why does it always pick songs that have a high play count and constantly ignore my lesser-played songs? Why does it play the same song twice when there are dozens more songs that haven't been played yet?
I pick shuffle so that it plays songs I wouldn't normally choose. What's the point of playing songs I listen to all the time anyway? I can use playlists for that.
Is there a way to actually turn random ON? CD players have had this option since the 90s...surely it can't be that hard Apple...

Hi David,
David M Brewer wrote:
If you have 20 songs on the nano. When the nano is set to shuffle it shuffles all the songs for starters. When that song is over the nano shuffles all the songs again. You could hear the same song twice in a row. The nano doesn't remember the song played from shuffle to shuffle. The nano doesn't shuffle once and makes a playlist of the order of the songs/shuffle and then goes by that playlist order.
song 1 shuffle song 2 shuffle song 1
The nano doesn't do this:
Shuffle song 9, song 3, song 10, and so forth until all 20 song play. There's a shuffle between each song.
I'm not sure what you're saying. The iPods I've had have always shuffled the songs once, then played them all without repeats until you shuffled again. If you had 1000 songs on your iPod, it would play all 1000 as long as you didn't shuffle it again. If you don't play all 1000, though, and reshuffle part through, you can end up hearing some songs more than others.
Here's an example using the output of a Perl script I wrote for testing something else, but it works for this. I have 10 songs, I "shuffle" the 10 songs four time. Each time I do that, there are no repeats within that shuffle. So, if you listened to each shuffle all the way through, you'd hear each of the 10 songs once and only once per shuffle, and over the four shuffles, you'd hear them 4 times each:
Shuffle 1:
song 7
song 0
song 2
song 5
song 9
song 1
song 8
song 3
song 6
song 4
Shuffle 2:
song 7
song 3
song 2
song 6
song 1
song 4
song 8
song 0
song 5
song 9
Shuffle 3:
song 7
song 1
song 2
song 3
song 5
song 4
song 0
song 8
song 9
song 6
Shuffle 4:
song 1
song 6
song 9
song 2
song 5
song 8
song 4
song 0
song 7
song 3
But, look at them and now imagine that you listened only to the first 5 each time you shuffled. First off, note that three of the four times, song 7 got picked as the first one in the list. And song 2 would have played all four times. Song 8, on the other hand, would never have played, because it always came up in the second half of the shuffle.
As for playing two or three songs by the same artist in a row, that could happen with random number selection. Suppose in my library of 10 songs above that the first five songs were from the same artist. In a couple of the shuffles, there'd be a section where they'd play back to back. In one they'd even play in the exact order they were on the album, even though they were picked at random.
Now, if you have more songs, obviously these effects wouldn't be as pronounced. But they'd still be there.
charlie

I have a new 160GB iPod Classic. I often listen to it for many hours at a time. Even with Itunes and the Classic set on shuffle it repeats songs often and only plays a small fraction of my songs. Help! of my

When listening for hours to my new Clasic 160 with several thousand songs and both itunes and the Classic set to shuffle all songs it only plays a small fraction of my library and plays many songs several times over that period. It also seems to pick a small different group of songs to repeat without touching many of most of my songs each time I start listening. Over 98% of the music is legally owned in my CD collection. A few are down loads which play! There should be no issues with ownership. Please help. As much as I like all my tunes I want to actually hear them all. There are many many albums that have never been played.

Okay, well we've eliminated a couple of things.
One thing I have noticed about the iPod Classic: I suspect that "shuffle" is actually a Playlist, not a real shuffle. The Classic is not as powerful as iTunes or a desktop/computer, so it cannot truely "shuffle songs". I suspect what happens is that every Sync of the Classic with its iTunes Library causes a revised "shuffle playlist" to be put on the iPod and then, when you choose Shuffle play, it actually uses that special hidden "shuffle playlist".
So one trick is to Sync your iPod with iTunes frequently. This would change the "shuffle playlist". Another trick would be to create your own Playlists, either by adding what you want to a Regular Playlist or by creating a Smart Playlist which adds and removes songs by itself.
Smart Playlists: for example, you can create a Smart Playlist (in iTunes) which contains a random selection of all songs, or a random selection of a particular group of songs, provided the song has not been played for a period of time, say six months, or 300 days. Every Sync of the iPod with iTunes would remove any song from that Smart Playlist if it has been played. That same song cannot go back into the Playlist for a period of six months, or whatever you choose.
This way, you can reduce the likelyhood of hearing the same songs too often. This brings me to another point. If you have the same song, on different albums, then it's possible that you are hearing that same song but from both albums.
Try this: in your iTunes Library,
look for and click on the big + button and choose New Smart Playlist..., if you do not have the Sidebar displayed, switch to the Playlists view where you will find it in the bottom left corner,
Set it up to look like this:
It creates a list of songs that have not been played for fifteen weeks. It excludes videos and in my iTunes Library, it has 527 songs in it. If you would like a smaller list than that, click on the Limit to and fill in the number of songs you want.
Having set it up, play some songs from it (in shuffle mode if you wish) and watch how it changes . The song must play through to the end of the track before it is classed as "played". If you like it, let it go onto your iPod. You could set up a few Playlists, each with their own rules. Even if a song appears in two different Smart Playlists, if you have the "last played is not in the last" rule in both lists, then playing the song will eliminate it from both lists. None of this removes songs from the iPod (unless you use Sync selected Playlists...).

Playing unchecked tunes during random shuffle. Is it possible?

Hello,
I was wondering if there is a way to have unchecked tunes in my library play when I have a random shuffle going--while still keeping them unchecked. Specifically, I want to keep unchecked songs off of my iPod, but I still want to be able to play them on iTunes on my computer during a random shuffle.
Thanks.
-V

No, unchecked songs won't play during random shuffle. They will only play if you specifically select them and press Play.
My advice would be to stop using checked and unchecked as the (exclusive) way to determine what goes on your iPod. It's quite cumbersome. I used to do it that way. Now, I use "Sync selected playlists". It's much more flexible and then you don't have the problem that led you to post. One simple way to do it is to create a playlist that's the right size for your iPod. For example, if you have a 4 gig Nano, you might have a playlist that selects 3 gigs of music least recently played, rating 3 or above, live updating. Then, just sync that playlist. I also make playlists of things I specifically want to hear, like the last couple of albums I bought. It's worth thinking about.

Why does my computer play strange music at random times and how can I stop it?

why does my computer play strange music at random times and how can I stop it? The music isn't anything on my machine and the only way I can switch it off is to reboot. Can anyone advise me please. It's driving me nuts ... I don't even like the music it's playing!

What apps are open and are you really still only on 10.5.1??????? At the very least please update your profile, also please remember to post more information. I suspect it's something going on with just your user account. You can verify that by creating another user account (call it TEST ACCOUNT) and log into that account and test. Once this has been verified then you will need to check which apps are running to determine what is causing your issue.

My ipod starts voicing song data, artist data, and playlist data while I am listening to music. Is this a feature or a defect? I do not know why it occurs, but the only way to stop it is to stop the music then play the playlist again.

My ipod starts voicing song data, artist data, and playlist data while I am listening to music. Is this a feature or a defect? I do not know why it occurs, but the only way to stop it is to stop the music then play the playlist again.

To make sure voiceover is off, you need to go to summary screen then click the "Configure Universal Access" button. Then you will get a dialog where you can make sure voiceover is off. All of the boxes in the dialog should be unchecked.
i

Why is Random/Shuffle playing only a limited subset of songs?

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