"Random Play" and Pioneer HUs

[vebmetal]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

!!!!DO TAKE A BACKUP BEFORE THIS!!!!

Create this batch file (fixorder.bat) in root directory on USB drive



then run this command:

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

Did you try this script ? http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/produc...tml#post743867 ("Random Play" and Pioneer HUs)

No man, it didn't work. Didn't make a difference at all.

[someshb]

I have purchased a Pioneer5050UB, when you turn on the 'Random' function and press 'next song' button, ideally it should play the next 'random' song. Instead it plays the next track in order which is bad, if u don't like a song that is played in Random mode, you have to go to the song list and select the next song, or u have listen to the next track in order.

People who are buying this model please take note of this, its a major drawback i feel :-(
Also my fellow pioneer users, please provide the list of other models with this drawback.

[nishantgandhi]

Originally Posted by gunbir

Yes. I guess I should have been more explicit.



Yup, thats the one. I have it in mom's car and its a really nice HU. Lets you do separate HPF for front and rear. That helps when you have different sized speakers, like the front 4" coax ser is HPF at 100Hz and the rear 5.25" coax set is HPF at 80Hz.

Besides, it sounds fabulous.

Gunbir,
Would you rate it better than 5050 in terms of SQ and user-friendliness?

I am looking to buy 5050 but I am not too happy with reviews read on TBHP.

Which would be comparable models to Pio 5050/6050 in Kenwood's lineup (in terms of price, features and ease of use)? iPod and USB compatibility are essential to me.

[gunbir]

Originally Posted by nishantgandhi

Gunbir, Would you rate it better than 5050 in terms of SQ and user-friendliness?

Yes, I would. But thats my opinion alone. Do try before you buy.

[bblost]

Try this:

CD must contain at least 3 or more very short length mp3 tracks in the root folder and nothing else.
All the other mp3 to be inside other folders.

When playing with Random set you have two choices.
1. press next song to go to the next song.

2 a.press scan to go to first song in the root folder.
2 b.press next song to go to the short song in the root folder. This will also cancel the scan mode.
2 c. as soon as the short song is done a random song will be played.

Let me know if it works.

[vebmetal]

To clarify, I am using a USB pen drive, but yes the problem is the same in both CD and USB. It's coincidental that you renewed this thread today, as in my 2 hours of driving this morning, the random feature misbehaved so much that I thought about coming home and putting a classified ad selling my HU on team-BHP. (But I will wait on that at least till the new Kenwood HUs come out and/or I make a final decision on getting a carputer).


Anyway, I am using a simpler workaround than what you suggest, albeit a little similar. Basically I created an empty file (by right-clicking anywhere on your computer and pressing New | Text Document and renaming it AAA.mp3). Since it has 0 bytes in it, the switchover to the next actually-random song is instant. So then I transferred this file (and this file only) in my root, and then all the actual mp3 songs in various folders according to Artist -> Album.

So whenever I want a new random song, I hit "List" and press right. (This can be done alternatively by pressing the round button on the remote and pressing right). This works because AAA.mp3 being the only file in the root folder comes as the default first selection when you hit "List."

As you can see this is a much more elegant solution than yours. (Though nothing would be more elegant than the @$%#@$ random feature to work right in the first place ). But Thanks! I do truly appreciate your suggestion.

[praveen_v]

Originally Posted by vebmetal

To clarify, I am using a USB pen drive, but yes the problem is the same in both CD and USB. It's coincidental that you renewed this thread today, as in my 2 hours of driving this morning, the random feature misbehaved so much that I thought about coming home and putting a classified ad selling my HU on team-BHP. (But I will wait on that at least till the new Kenwood HUs come out and/or I make a final decision on getting a carputer).

So there is a workaround . Good now I can put it to use in my Pio 4050.
Veb I dont think the random feature will be much different in other HU's. If you select next, they may play the next random song but still they might play a song repetadly.

I dont know about IPod, but my media players(an iriver and my sony ericsson walkman) do not play in perfect random mode without any repeat of the songs. And my guess is that most of the HU's will keep repeating the same song in random mode. The probablity of repetiton increases as you keep listening to the list, meaning there will be more repeat of songs as you progress through the list

[nishantgandhi]

Originally Posted by praveen_v

Veb I dont think the random feature will be much different in other HU's. If you select next, they may play the next random song but still they might play a song repetadly.

I think the same. Can Kenwood/Alpine users confirm how the Random feature works in their HUs?

My guess is that the software would randomize the songs based on last 'n' listening sessions. i.e. if out of 100 songs, you listen to 25 most often, these would have a higher probability of being repeated 'randomly' as opposed to the other 75 songs.

Originally Posted by praveen_v

I dont know about IPod, but my media players(an iriver and my sony ericsson walkman) do not play in perfect random mode without any repeat of the songs. And my guess is that most of the HU's will keep repeating the same song in random mode. The probablity of repetiton increases as you keep listening to the list, meaning there will be more repeat of songs as you progress through the list

In my iPod and Nokia E50, the random feature is quite random, to put it mildly. It plays some songs which even I forgot were a part of my collection. Though this might be assumed as true randomization function,it can get bugging at times as it plays really old songs from my collection, which sometimes I dont prefer/not in the mood to listen to.

[Eddy]

I have a Pio4050 in my Swift and a Sony Explod in my Ikon. The Sony HU is much more intelligent while playing random songs, including going to a random track on the press of the next button (of course, when in random mode).

[vebmetal]

Originally Posted by praveen_v

The probablity of repetiton increases as you keep listening to the list, meaning there will be more repeat of songs as you progress through the list

Originally Posted by nishantgandhi

My guess is that the software would randomize the songs based on last 'n' listening sessions. i.e. if out of 100 songs, you listen to 25 most often, these would have a higher probability of being repeated 'randomly' as opposed to the other 75 songs.

I wish it was that simple. But it's not repeating songs that I listen to a lot. (That may however have been a feature that some people would have liked). What it does is that after I hear a song (regardless of whether I have heard it 20 times on the HU or just that once) it often repeats it and plays it back with a gap of one other "ranodm" song in between. So to put it simply, it often does something like this: (With the > arrow representing the change of a new random song using my above-mentioned workaround):

• "Metallica - One" > "RHCP - One Hot Minute" > "Metallica - One"

The probability of this happening (as I have explained before in this thread somewhere) is very very very minute (on a 8GB drive filled with music). But yet this happens to me at least once or twice in a 2 hour listening session. So to me it's clearly a bug.

Originally Posted by Eddy

I have a Pio4050 in my Swift and a Sony Explod in my Ikon. The Sony HU is much more intelligent while playing random songs, including going to a random track on the press of the next button (of course, when in random mode).

Thanks for letting us know. It's a shame that Sony Xplod despite its notoriety in the ICE world can get a feature right, and the VFM kings Pioneer cannot.

[clipto333]

Hi veb,

i have a pio 6850. i dont use random but i will sure check it out in the morning is there is a work around.

Try this. it might work. will try it out first thing tomorrow and let you know.

what you have to do is : Switch off the HU. Then keep the Function key pressed. You will enter the setup menu. There will be an option titled Rew/FF or something like that. There will be two options by which you can change the was rew/ff works. The option IIRC would be: 1. RW/FF 2: Rough. Keep it on rough.

Now when you want to change a track with the random mode, keep the FF key pressed(for next track or the rewind key for going backwards) The next track would be a random selection.

The drawback (if this works) will be that you will not be able to ff or rw a track. Do try it if you haven't.


cheers
clip

[clipto333]

I just couldn't wait so i went to check my HU. lol.

First, let me correct myself. You don't have to go in the setup menu to vhange the option. It is done from the function menu with the Head Unit switched on and on the source you are playing.

It seems the rough thing jumps to a track with a preset gap. It jumped from the 1st track to 11th(or 13th dont remember)every time i tried. So IMO, this is not the solution you were looking for. but thiis could be useful if you are playing an mp3 disc or a usb drive with alot of songs in the folder.

one thing i wanted to mention is if your HU has the bigger remote with number, ENT etc keysyou can jump to any track using the 'DIRECT' key. This, for me would be a beer choice as one can just play any track one wants.


Honestly saying, it is really a stupid thing it doesn't select a random track if one wants to do it manually. I don't know if this is the way random works on other but if it does, then i think they should Doobofy in chullu bhar paani

I hope im clear and what i wrote makes sense( im half asleep lol)
cheers
clip


P.S. - Thia not a duplicats post. I couldn't efit my earlier post in time

[vebmetal]

I am planning on writing to Pioneer as soon as I can figure out the contact details of anyone who would actually do anything other than toss my letter in the dustbin.

But yeah, Clipto, that doesn't solve the problem. But I didn't know about this feature, so thanks! Will try it out nevertheless.

[clipto333]

Originally Posted by vebmetal

I am planning on writing to Pioneer as soon as I can figure out the contact details of anyone who would actually do anything other than toss my letter in the dustbin.

But yeah, Clipto, that doesn't solve the problem. But I didn't know about this feature, so thanks! Will try it out nevertheless.

hi veb,

send your mail to as many pio addresses you can find. maybe some one listens. sending your mail to an indian pio official will not help IMO. Send you mail to the PIO HQs. That might help.

cheers
clip

[greenhorn]

a little googling came up with this solution

What I used to do is tap Back once and then hold Back for about a second so the head unit would go back to the last few seconds of the previous song. When it finished playing, it would pick out a song at random. A bit of a hassle, but it did work.

Another

If you press the advance button to the right while in random play, it simply goes to the next track on the disk. However, if you press the advance button up or down it will advance to a random track on the disk.

Guys , could you check out the second one and let me know if it works ? it seems kinda obvious. Even my buying decision depends on whether this issue is resolved...