How to organize music

I bought a Sansa mp3 and am totally clueless how to organize the music I added.  I didn’t understand how to do itat the beginning so I began to move songs to the device via the computer (not on Windows Media Player) and I ended up with a running list of 70 songs in alphabetical order!  I still haven’t figured out WMP but I did discover that I could move folders (holding albums) to the mp3 device, so some of my songs are organized but I don’t know how to delete / get rid of the list of 70 songs which are hogging all my memory.

Should I reformat the mp3 player and begin all over? I could delete the list of songs but I don’t want to delete each individually.    I have all the songs on my computer so there won’t be any problem reloading them.  I just don’t want to do something that will “screw up” the mp3 player.

Don’t worry, you won’t screw the Clip up.  And good practice/idea in keeping the original files on your computer!

Under the Clip’s settings, select format–that will erase the content on the Clip and you can start fresh.

You can organize your files on the Clip just like on your computer.  Personally, I set the Clip’s USB mode (under settings) to MSC, in which the Clip then is seen and treated as a drive when connected to your computer.  Then, I just copy my music folders over (each CD that I’ve ripped is in its own folder) and store it in the Clip’s Music folder, using copy and paste or drag and drop–no need for special software or WMP. 

Note:  as a general matter, the Clip uses ID3 tags for navigation and display on the screen–so best to have your files’ ID3 tags in order.  A good tag editor (Internet freeware):  MP3Tag; Windows also can be used to edit tags.

(Exceptions to the ID3 tag need:  tagless files in the Clip’s Audiobooks and Podcasts folders will display the files’ folder and file names on the Clip’s display; also, files with the genre ID3 tag field set to Podcast or Audiobook, stored elsewhere on the Clip, will do similarly.  Finally, you can navigate by folder and file name on the Clip+ (but not the original Clip), under the Folders option under the player’s Music listing, at the bottom.)

And one addition:  once you have your files on your Clip, when you are connected to your computer, you can move the Clip’s files around just like on your computer:  deleting them, creating new folders, moving between folders, renaming them, etc. 

Personally, I use the Clip’s pre-established Music, Podcasts, and Audiobooks folders for files of those types, and then have my content in subfolders (and sometimes subfolders of subfolders) under those master folders.  Some people like an alphabet system:  create folders labeled A through Z under the Music folder, and then put your folders and files in the A through Z subfolders.  In the end, really, whatever works for you. 

(And this is a reason I like the Clip–you, not the device, largely are in charge.) 

Thanks for the information.  When I first got the device, that’s how I put the music on - dragging songs but then something happened to the connection between the device and the computer a few days later.  I tried to drag music to the device and the process never stopped.  I just couldn’t transfer any media.  I went back to the store and they changed my USB settings to something else and then I couldn’t add anything.  The device seems to screw up my computer (Windows 7) and makes it freeze up.  Do you think that something happened to the device?

Does it make sense that it takes 10 minutes to download one song?  I tried to drag an album with 7 songs and gave up after 10 minutes. (I had reformatted the device so it was empty.)  When I checked the device, only one song had been transferred and then my computer froze and I had to restart.

This is a new device so there’s a warrantee.  Maybe I should just send it to be checked?  There just seems to be a real problem of communication with my computer.

Nope, that’s not normal.  Something has gone bulloxed …

I’d try starting over with a clean slate, resetting the Clip (hold the on switch down for 20-30 seconds or more), reformatting it from its settings, and reapplying the latest firmware (see the firmware upgrade sticky thread at the top of the forum).  Hopefully, between the 3 of those, that’ll do the trick.

And then I would set the USB selection to MSC mode (unless you use DRM’ed files) and keep it there. 

I followed your instructions and a miracle happened! I can drag files and in seconds move them to the player.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Hopefully I won’t encounter any more problems.

Is there a thread that explains the ID tags that you mentioned in an earlier post?  I was so involved in getting the device to work that I didn’t realize that I don’t exactly know what you mean.

Great to hear!

ID3 tags:  pieces of data put into music or spoken word files that identify the files by categories of information, typically artist/author, track name, genre, year, and album/audiobook/podcast series name.  Sometimes files come this way, with the tags pre-filled in, from whomever created the files.  Modern players use this information to create a database of the files on the player, that you can use to choose music or spoken word files from, under categories such as artist, song title, genre, year, etc.  If your files don’t already have the ID3 tags filled in, you can use Internet freeware such as MP3Tag, a tag editor, to add the information; Microsoft Windows also will edit the by right clipping on the file(s) and then going to the ID3 tag area (in different locations, depending on Windows version).  http://www.mp3tag.de/en/

Like other players, the Clip+ uses ID3 tags to display what’s playing and to allow you to choose what to play.  You also can choose what to play on the Clip+ without the use of ID3 tags, by using the Folders option at the bottom of the Clip+'s Music listing–navigation there is done by folder and file names, just like on your computer.

ID3 tags:  pieces of data put into music or spoken word files that identify the files by categories of information, typically artist/author, track name, genre, year, and album/audiobook/podcast series name.  Sometimes files come with the ID3 tags pre-filled in, from whomever created the files (such as, commerical sources).  Modern players use this information to create a database of the files on the player, that you use to choose music or spoken word files to play, under categories such as artist, album/audiobook/podcast, song title, genre, year, etc.  This process and system tends to be the norm for players nowadays, and generally is invisible to the user unless files don’t have the ID3 tags filled in, in which case the player may list the files as “Unknown”. 

If your files don’t already have their ID3 tags filled in, you can use Internet freeware such as MP3Tag, a tag editor, to add the information; although perhaps a bit intimidating at first, it actually is fairly easy to use, and it can edit your files and their ID3 tags in batches (such as, adding in an album title or the album year to all song files from a CD, all at 1 time) rather than having to do this 1-by-1.  http://www.mp3tag.de/en/  Microsoft Windows also will edit tags by right clipping on the file(s) (you can select more than 1 file to do at a time) and choosing Properties, and then going to the ID3 tag area (in different locations, depending on Windows version–in Windows 7, it’s under the Details tab).

Like other players, the Clip uses ID3 tags to display what’s playing on its screen, and to allow you to choose what to play. 

Some exceptions to the need for ID3 tags on the Clip:

– If a file does not have ID3 tags added in, the Clip will display the file name and folder name for the file, if the file is stored under the Podcasts or Audiobooks folders on the Clip. The same if a file is stored elsewhere on the Clip but the genre ID3 tag for the file is set to Audiobook or Podcast.

– For the Clip+ (but not the original Clip), there is a separate Folders listing at the bottom of the player’s Music listing, which lets you select music by folder and file name just like on your computer, rather than by using ID3 tags.

Great to hear–congratulations!    :slight_smile:

ID3 tags:  pieces of data put into music or spoken word files that identify the files by categories of information, typically artist/author, track name, genre, year, and album/audiobook/podcast series name.  Sometimes files come with the ID3 tags pre-filled in, from whomever created the files (such as, commerical sources).  Modern players use this information to create a database of the files on the player, that you use to choose music or spoken word files to play, under categories such as artist, album/audiobook/podcast, song title, genre, year, etc.  This process and system tends to be the norm for players nowadays, and generally is invisible to the user unless files don’t have the ID3 tags filled in, in which case the player may list the files as “Unknown”. 

If your files don’t already have their ID3 tags filled in, you can use Internet freeware such as MP3Tag, a tag editor, to add the information; although perhaps a bit intimidating at first, it actually is fairly easy to use, and it can edit your files and their ID3 tags in batches (such as, adding in an album title or the album year to all song files from a CD, all at 1 time) rather than having to do this 1-by-1.  http://www.mp3tag.de/en/  Microsoft Windows also will edit tags by right clipping on the file(s) (you can select more than 1 file to do at a time) and choosing Properties, and then going to the ID3 tag area (in different locations, depending on Windows version–in Windows 7, it’s under the Details tab).

Like other players, the Clip uses ID3 tags to display what’s playing on its screen, and to allow you to choose what to play. 

Some exceptions to the need for ID3 tags on the Clip:

– If a file does not have ID3 tags added in, the Clip will display the file name and folder name for the file, if the file is stored under the Podcasts or Audiobooks folders on the Clip. The same if a file is stored elsewhere on the Clip but the genre ID3 tag for the file is set to Audiobook or Podcast.

– For the Clip+ (but not the original Clip), there is a separate Folders listing at the bottom of the player’s Music listing, which lets you select music by folder and file name just like on your computer, rather than by using ID3 tags.

I just ordered a Sansa Clip.   I have had Sansa Connect and a Sansa.  When yhou play  the music on shuffle you hear, music, podcast, and audiobooks.  Are you saying that with the Sansa Clip there are seperate folders for each and that you can shuffle the music without als playing the audiobooks and podcast?

Thank you

@cliff wrote:

I just ordered a Sansa Clip.   I have had Sansa Connect and a Sansa.  When yhou play  the music on shuffle you hear, music, podcast, and audiobooks.  Are you saying that with the Sansa Clip there are seperate folders for each and that you can shuffle the music without als playing the audiobooks and podcast?

 

Thank you

From what I hear about shuffling on the fuze and the clip+, shuffle all will not include anything in the Audiobooks nor Podcasts folders.  I’m guessing that the same is true for the original clip.

I believe that you can choose to play, for example, all your albums (not including podcasts and audiobooks) and shuffle those.

@mags1230 wrote:


@cliff wrote:

I just ordered a Sansa Clip.   I have had Sansa Connect and a Sansa.  When yhou play  the music on shuffle you hear, music, podcast, and audiobooks.  Are you saying that with the Sansa Clip there are seperate folders for each and that you can shuffle the music without als playing the audiobooks and podcast?

 

Thank you


 True.

 

From what I hear about shuffling on the fuze and the clip+, shuffle all will not include anything in the Audiobooks nor Podcasts folders.  I’m guessing that the same is true for the original clip.

I went through all that ■■■■ with the program freezing up and all that. I finally wnet into WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER and used the “SYNC” option. I just dragged and dropped albums/artists, and IT WORKED just dandy!!!  Ok, so this is great, and I went into the flash drive and created a bunch of A through Z folders, and just dragged all the stuff to the right alphabetical folder. NOW, to get the stuff to play in correct order, I renamed all the artists by their LAST NAME (like changing Bryan Adams to Adams, Bryan) and put it under the MUSIC-B folder. I am used to seeing things that way. This flash drive I use in my truck and it all works great until you want to play something from the MUSIC-P folder… Then you have to keep hitting the “forward” button 50 fifty times to get past everything else. I have tried EVERYTHING including subfolders of subfolders, etc. in order to try and make it so I can simply hit the “forward” button and bypass everything I want to, but nothing works… Anyone out there got any bright ideas???

p.s. my email is crazybones888@gmail.com. thanks

I have the original sansa 260e …NOT the CLIP …Do you know how i can organize  my songs on this model…Also this original model does not have aa delete eature when i try to delete the songs from the computer (windows 7) it only sends the song into the recyclyling bin not from  the device.

Sorry for the typo’s in the last post…:I have the original sansa 260e …NOT the CLIP …Do you know how i can organize  my songs on this model…Also this original model does not have a delete feature when i try to delete the songs from the computer (windows 7) it only sends the song into the recyclyling bin not from  the device.

First, see if your firmware is up to date.

Go to Settings/System Settings/Info and look at your firmware version. It should be 1.02. 24 or 3.01.16. If it is, skip the next chunk.


If it starts with 1, you have a version 1 player. If it starts with 3, you have a version 2 player. Those are two different pieces of hardware even though they look alike.

Look at this link and use Method 2, way down, to update the firmware. Don’t install the updater (Method 1)–it’s useless now for such an old device.

http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/306

If your version starts with 1, download the version 1 software, if it’s 3 download version 2.


OK, firmware in place.

All Sansas work alike. There are two ways of getting music onto the player–MSC, which sees the player as a basic flash drive, or MTP, which controls the player via Windows Media Player. 

That is set through Settings/System Settings/USB Mode on the player. If it is Auto Detect then it goes to MTP, since you have Windows 7 with Windows Media Player included. WIndows Media Player should be organizing your files if that is what you have been using.  It has its own weird, illogical ways of naming things but it can find them that way.

The player lists songs from information in ID3 tags, electronic labels inside the files for Artist, Album, etc. WMP should have those in order.

If you want to start again in a human-readable way, and you have all your music backed up elsewhere, then clean off the device, set it to MSC and do things manually.

Settings/System Settings/Format will wipe your content off the unit.

Change Settings/System Settings/USB  mode to MSC. When you connect you will see two disc drives, X: Sansa E200 (or something like that) and Y: Removable disc for the card in the MicroSD slot (whether or not you have one inserted). I’m using X: and Y: as examples–it might be F: and G:, or two other letters.

Drag and drop whatever folders you want onto the unit. You can put them in a Music folder or just drag them onto whatever driveletter the unit is. It actually doesn’t matter to the unit because it finds the music files and reads their tags, whatever folder they are in (except for Audiobooks, Photos and Podcasts, which behave a little differently–don’t put music in those). 

The unit should read the tags and organize them by Artist, Album, etc.

@ppehs wrote:

_ I have the original sansa 260e …NOT the CLIP … _

Then why are you posting in the Clip | Clip+ board instead of in the All Other MP3 Players board as you should be? :confounded:

Thanks for your input, but I’m still missing one critical piece. How do you work with Playlists? I’m using a Mac, with VOX to create playlists (m3U). I can drag and drop the music into folders into “Music” on the Sansa (Clip Sport), but what do I do with the playlist file that was created? All of my music is on a 32GB external card and not on the Sansa’s internal memory. 

So I’m dealing with 4 elements: 1. Internal memory, external memory, music folders, and playlist files. Can you please advise me as to what is the best way to go, and where do I transfer the various files described.

Thanks a lot.