iPod 'shuffle' mode

[Simon]

I have about 300 songs on my iPhone / iPod, and regularly play them in 'shuffle' mode to get a random selection.  However, I find it tends to play the same few songs, and ignores a lot of others.  Does anyone else find this?  If the 'shuffle' feature is supposed to be random, how can it keep picking the same songs?

[pctech]

Does this happen over a number of hours?

[Rik]

At a guess, Simon, it's not using a truly random system - most computer-generated random numbers follow a predictable sequence.

[Gary]

There is no true random in computer terms I belive, so for things like MP3 players repetition is bound to happen at some point. Thankfully I doubt I would notice as I would have forgotten what i had listened to

What Rik said

[Simon]

Does this happen over a number of hours?

If I play it continually for a number of hours, I may get one or two tracks played more than once, but generally, it seems random.  It's when I stop and start playback again that it seems to play the same tracks that it played last time, albeit in a different sequence.  It can tell me how many times a track has been played, in iTunes, so why can't it select tracks that haven't been previously played?

At a guess, Simon, it's not using a truly random system - most computer-generated random numbers follow a predictable sequence.

I think that too, but I've yet to work out it's system.  You do tend to get a number of 'similar' tracks played in sequence, so it must be linking them somehow.

[Gary]

If I play it continually for a number of hours, I may get one or two tracks played more than once, but generally, it seems random.  It's when I stop and start playback again that it seems to play the same tracks that it played last time, albeit in a different sequence.  It can tell me how many times a track has been played, in iTunes, so why can't it select tracks that haven't been previously played?

I think that too, but I've yet to work out it's system.  You do tend to get a number of 'similar' tracks played in sequence, so it must be linking them somehow.

Call Oceans 11

[Simon]

 

[pctech]

If I play it continually for a number of hours, I may get one or two tracks played more than once, but generally, it seems random.  It's when I stop and start playback again that it seems to play the same tracks that it played last time, albeit in a different sequence.  It can tell me how many times a track has been played, in iTunes, so why can't it select tracks that haven't been previously played?

I think that too, but I've yet to work out it's system.  You do tend to get a number of 'similar' tracks played in sequence, so it must be linking them somehow.

I think the algorithm starts from scratch when you press play which is probably why Simon.

[Rik]

I think that too, but I've yet to work out it's system.  You do tend to get a number of 'similar' tracks played in sequence, so it must be linking them somehow.

Are you running the Genius thing?

[Simon]

No.  It's too clever. 

[Rik]

 

[Lona]

I have the same problem, Simon.  What I do is put the ipod back to normal playing, play a couple of tracks then switch it back to shuffle and it selects a different mode.

I have a Nano and today it kept playing the same four tunes over and over again until I switched it off then on again.

[Simon]

Yes, if I select a song myself first, it tends to follow that 'theme' for a while. 

[Technical Ben]

I have about 300 songs on my iPhone / iPod, and regularly play them in 'shuffle' mode to get a random selection.  However, I find it tends to play the same few songs, and ignores a lot of others.  Does anyone else find this?  If the 'shuffle' feature is supposed to be random, how can it keep picking the same songs?

This is either memory bias (your forgetting it did play the song as you don't like it anyway) or the "random" button is far from random.
It can either be a poor selection of numbers "Hey, Mr Apple programmer, how about 123456978 for random song selection?" or the program using "popularity" to factor into the selections, always playing your favourites over.
Do a search on google, I'm certain you are not the only one to notice.

There is no true random in computer terms I belive, so for things like MP3 players repetition is bound to happen at some point. Thankfully I doubt I would notice as I would have forgotten what i had listened to

What Rik said

Oh, it does if it has a "noise" listener. Getting some fuzz or snow from off your TV for example. However we then meet the problem "is anything truly random". I don't know the answer.