I have a new pc with (unfortunately) Windows 8. Previously with Windows Vista I was using Acoutica MP3 Maker which was great for creating a long playlist file with crossfaded songs. I’d name them A, B…etc and transfer the files, about an hour long each to the Sandisk player which resulted in a great listening experience. Acoustica is not compatible with Windows 8. Are there any known programs that can do the same file rendering?
At this point I’d settle for something to simply retai the playlist order. Vista’s Window Media Player would create a playlist file (.pla) and place it in the Sandisk Playlist folder which would play the songs in selected order. Again, another big drwaback with Windows 8, the media player version does not have that feature nor could I find any option. I tried Realplayer with various device settings, no luck. iTunes doesn’t even see the device - but I used iTunes for a workaround. I burned an mp3 CD, then copied that CD to a folder on the pc. The songs are preceded by 01 02… etc. I then copied that folder to the Albums folder on the Sandisk. I can play the ‘playlist’ as desired by going to internl memory - MTP - Albums, select the file any Play All.
Just as an aside, have you tried running Acoustica under Windows 8 using the OS’s compatibility mode? (If you’re not familiar with it, right click on the program’s executable file and either choose troubleshoot compatibility or chose Properties and then go under the compatibility tab.)
I did try compatibility mode, no luck. The only alternative I’ve found so far that wouldn’t involve a CD is a filename renaming utility. It’s ok, but not as easy to work with as with a basic playlist in an audio program. It’s so disappointing Acoustica has no plans to revise the MP3 Maker since they consider it ‘old’ and suggested that there’s many free programs available. None come close to theirs, I guess they don’t realize it. The fact that you can create a long music file with everything desired makes it compatible with anything that will play mp3. Fortunately for now, while slow and doesn’t have a working CD drive - my Vista PC still works so I can run Acoustica on that with all of it’s features. I have no desire to buy an pod for tunes, the Sansa works great.
I can’t believe it was this simple. Changed USB mode to MTP and Windows Media Player 12 will now create a playlist. I’m still trying to find which device Realplayer should be set to. I tried Sansa E250R and generic mp3, no luck yet.
@stelcom66 wrote:
_ I can’t believe it was this simple. Changed USB mode to MTP and Windows Media Player 12 will now create a playlist. _
And that is MTP mode’s ONLY redeeming quality (in my opinion). 
But playlists can also be made in MSC mode, albeit a different format and not as ‘automated’ as WMP makes it.
Noted re: MSC mode. I was previously set to ‘Auto Detect’ which did work in whatever WMP Vista has. I wonder what other devices use .pla playlists. There’s many choices in Realplayer that I tried, most end up being .pls. I was hoping maybe I could choose another manufacturer’s settings and use it with the Sansa Clip. The drawback of WMP for me is when burning an mp3 disk, which
they refer to as a Data disk, there’s no playlist at all, the songs play alphabetically. At least iTunes will number them in order, effectively making a playlist on the CD.
