When I transfer mp3 files to the Clip by connecting it to my computer, I have the following folder structure:
Music
Folder1
Name1.mp3
Name2.mp3
…
Folder2
Name1.mp3 (A different file from the one in Folder1!)
Name2.mp3
…
However when I try to play the files, I see only
Music
Albums
Name1
Name1
Name2
Name2
That is, the mp3 files that I had separated into 2 different subfolders are all shown together.
Is there a way to get the Clip to recognize the folder structure when playing files that exists when transferring them?
Album, Artist, etc. are not folders–they are lists gathered from the ID3 tags in the mp3 files.
However, if you scroll way down past them in Music–or just one click up–you’ll see Folders and your own file structure.
Make sure that in Settings/System Settings/USB you have it set to MSC. That makes the Clip act like a standard USB flash drive.
MTP mode was designed to help Windows Media Player sync with the Clip, and it can alter your folder names for its own peculiar indexing reasons. Auto Detect will choose MTP if your computer has Windows Media Player, so it’s best to leave it on MSC.
Your computer can only see one mode at a time, so if you transferred files via MTP, go back into MTP, take them off, and re-transfer them via MSC.
Thanks very much - I would never have guessed the answer from the description of “USB Mode” in the owner’s manual! I did indeed have it set on the default Auto Detect and changing it to MSC fixed things.
Actually, the answer is the Folder selection at the bottom of the Music list. But setting the USB mode to MSC just can tend to make the player work more smoothly (although MTP mode is needed to play back DRM-protected files)–and “Auto” USB mode should be avoided, in my humble opinion, as it can lead to confusion later, especially if you use more than 1 computer to connect to.
Could someone please give an idea of which is better: MTP or MSC? I mean, what are the advantages of each? I’ve always had my player in MSC mode but wanted to switch to MTP because apparently that’s the only way to generate a playlist. But it sounds more complicated, from what I’ve read here. What is the MTP interface like? I do like my simple folder method which matches the folders on my computer, but I would like to make playlists if it won’t mess up everything else. Thanks.
I’m not sure, but if you do this it may be true that all the files have to be on the same drive–that is, you can’t play one from the internal memory followed by one from the external card. Test and see for yourself–I could be mis-remembering.
I use Windows Media Player as little as possible, but you might try leaving the Clip in MSC mode and seeing if you can get WMP playlists to work on it in that mode.
MTP was originally intended to have the Sansa controlled by Windows Media Player, in order to be (supposedly) ■■■■■-proof like iTunes and doPi players. However, WMP has quirks–like renaming folders for its own mysterious indexing processes. Instead of just copying things directly, as in MSC mode, you are processing everything through WMP–your Sansa is no longer a couple of storage drives, it’s a Virtual Device in your computer. Whatever.
The real point of MTP mode is for things like subscription services–Rhapsody–and library audiobook downloads. Those come with DRM (Digital Rights Misery) codes that unlock the files for specific conditions (like the length of a library checkout). Those HAVE to go via MTP mode, which transmits the hidden codes along with the files. If you’re not using DRM material, MSC gives you more control and less weirdness.
