iPod Unshuffle?

[jebus197]

Hi I have a large number of audio books in MP3 format and I want to put them on my 160GB iPod classic. However the trouble is, how do I prevent random chapters of my books being played back when I have my iPod set to do the shuffle? (I invariably have my iPod set on shuffle, but it seems incapable of differentiating anything tagged as an 'audiobook' from everything else).

It would be nice if there was an audiobook folder on my iPod - perhaps accessible through iTunes - that would be excluded from the shuffle songs feature. I obviously only want my music/songs to be shuffled - as shuffling chapters of a book would just be silly anyway.

[Guest]

Can't you make a playlist and play though that, but on shuffle?

(I've never used an iPod before, so no idea if it can do this.)

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

Isn't there a tag in iTunes to exclude songs from shuffle

[houlty]

the only way i know is to convert to aac, which will give a file called ~.m4a. then rename to ~.m4b.

itunes and ipods will then officially recognise them as audiobooks.

heres a guide : http://www.dagondesign.com/articles/turnin...pod-audiobooks/

[jebus197]

Can't you make a playlist and play though that, but on shuffle?

(I've never used an iPod before, so no idea if it can do this.)

I don't know what you mean?

There is a Podcast feature in iTunes - but no corresponding Podcast folder on the iPod that I can see. Surely people don't want Podcasts shuffled in with the rest of their music?

There is a 'recordings' folder which is only accessible during disk mode. Which as far as I can tell is simply drag and drop.

But audiobooks are often broken up into a dozen or more separate chapters in MP3 format. The problem is if you dump them in this folder and click on the file/first chapter of a book, the iPod isn't 'smart enough' to play the next chapter consecutively - so you have to put up with the audio stopping at the end of each chapter and having to navigate to the next chapter and start playing it manually.

Isn't there a tag in iTunes to exclude songs from shuffle

I don't know? Is there?

[cpu killer]

Right Click -> Get Info -> Options

"Skip When Shuffling". I'm not sure, but I think this transfers over to the iPod.

[jebus197]

Well that would be nice. But there's lots of things that iTunes can do that the iPod can't, like a simple crossfade between songs to eliminate gaps. So I doubt this would carry over.

[cpu killer]

Well that would be nice. But there's lots of things that iTunes can do that the iPod can't, like a simple crossfade between songs to eliminate gaps. So I doubt this would carry over.

..have you tried it?

[jebus197]

It seems obvious to do it, but to do so would involve re-adding over 1100 mp3's to the iPod that I just deleted in preparation for doing the conversion process suggested by houlty.

To be fair I have no idea how long it will take to convert all of those files to .m4a (and then presumably manually rename them all one by one to m4b?)

But given that I am some way through the conversion process now and at least this method is certain to work - while the one that was suggested may not, I guess I'll just run with it for now.

The reason I don't think this method will work is because I'm willing to bet it isn't tag info you are writing. It's just an iTunes setting. So when the files are transferred, the iPod is as dumb as the day it was made about how to treat files that users want excluded from shuffle.

It would be much simpler (and patently obvious) if there was an Podcast folder (along with Music, movies and TV shows) that could be used for audiobooks actually on the iPod and that was excluded from shuffle by default.

But trust a major manufacturer not to think of a huge flaw like this.

[jebus197]

Well as ever, someone else has thought of this already.

Here is a completely free mp3 to m4b converter. No spyware/viruses etc. Comes recommended via lifehacker.

It's GPL too, so even better.

http://www.freeipodsoftware.com./download.php

Just posted in case anyone needs it.

[jebus197]

Also a great source for free public domain audiobooks:

http://librivox.org/

[Rob Veteran]

Just set to Skip when shuffling, I believe it's carried over when synced.

[jebus197]

Well given that the software I pointed to ius saying it will take 1.7 million years to convert the 1100 or so mp3 files to m4b - I guess I will give it a go.

[ZappBrannigan]

There is no need to do any converting,

Any files you have in Podcasts or Audiobooks don't play in shuffle mode.?

I use Winamp to do my ipod syncing, but i'm sure it's the same in itunes.

[jebus197]

Yeah but they have to actually be in that format don't they? (As in not be MP3's). Which means they do need converting.

Besides which I want my audiobooks to show up in my audiobooks list - so again there seems to be no choice. (Simply tagging them audiobooks does not appear to work)

[ZappBrannigan]

It must just be in winamp then, because i have podcasts and audiobooks all in mp3 format and all in their appropriate audiobooks and podcast menus on my ipod.