foo_pod - Foobar2000 meets the iPod, iPod -> Foobar2000 0.8 Options

[ReD-BaRoN]

Hey Folks,

I've got a question on playlists.

I have a bunch of songs in the default IPod playlist in Foobar. These songs are already on the iPod.

I added a new playlist, and put a subset of the files in the default playlist into the new playlist. I then select Send Playlist to iPod, and it doesn't show up on the iPod. I get all the warnings about the songs already on the iPod and I expect that, but I also though that the playlist would have been added to the iPod.

Is this expected behavior?

Thanks,
Brian

[FreydNot]

Sorry for the off topic but I figure it would be useful info here...

I took the time to go through all of the iPod updaters to figure out what firmware versions are in which updater.

CODE

Release     Click  iPod Dock Touch                File
Date        Wheel  Mini Conn Wheel Photo Shuffle  Size
2004-07-15  3.0    1.1   2.2  1.4
2004-08-06  3.0.1  1.1   2.2  1.4
2004-10-20  3.0.1  1.1   2.2  1.4   1.0           31,840,184 bytes
2004-11-15  3.0.2  1.2   2.2  1.4   1.0           37,284,280 bytes
2005-01-11  3.0.2  1.2   2.2  1.4   1.0    1.0    41,204,592 bytes
2005-02-22  3.0.2  1.3   2.3  1.5   1.0    1.1    44,011,816 bytes
2005-03-23  3.0.2  1.3   2.3  1.5   1.1    1.1    49,164,072 bytes
2005-06-26  3.1    1.4   2.3  1.5   1.2    1.1    49,312,016 bytes

You can find instructions on how to downgrade your firmware Here

As far as I know, 3.1 and 1.4 are the bad ones that do not update SPL's.

This post has been edited by FreydNot: Aug 3 2005, 06:44

[fakeplastictrees]

Hi guys, need some help with this.

"Rebuild iTunesDB Database on iPod
Searches for iPod-playable music anywhere on the iPod, not just in the Music directories. This allows you to create a working database after copying music anywhere on the iPod. This is useful if you want to store your songs in human-readable directories, rather than in F00 - F99.

Note: The iPod cannot read files with a total path and filename of greater than 127 characters. During transfer, foo_pod truncates long filenames to alleviate this.

It deletes existing playlists, and dynamic data: rating, playcounts, and last played time. It preserves Smart Playlists."

Will this actually sort all the current folders into Artist/Album instead of the F00-F99 folder sequence? I need to do this as i bring my iPod to work and i would want to actually put folder.jpg into the folders so i can view the albumart at work.

[Slaanesh]

My iPod is being detected by foo_pod, because it can update the iTunesDB on it. Unfortunately, I don't see any other options for controlling the iPod (there are no "Send song(s) to iPod" or iPod playlists available). My iPod is being detected by the computer and iTunes.

[Otto42]

"Rebuild iTunesDB Database on iPod
...
Will this actually sort all the current folders into Artist/Album instead of the F00-F99 folder sequence?

No. It will scan the iPod for any files it finds that are playable by the iPod and build an iTunesDB out of them, but it doesn't change the location of the music on the iPod.

If you manually put the music on the iPod thru explorer and used that artist/album method for your naming, then this would rebuild the database such that the iPod would then be able to play that music. But it won't do that for you.

[richard123]

"Rebuild iTunesDB Database on iPod
...
Will this actually sort all the current folders into Artist/Album instead of the F00-F99 folder sequence?

No. It will scan the iPod for any files it finds that are playable by the iPod and build an iTunesDB out of them, but it doesn't change the location of the music on the iPod.

If you manually put the music on the iPod thru explorer and used that artist/album method for your naming, then this would rebuild the database such that the iPod would then be able to play that music. But it won't do that for you.

You probably could use FooBar's masstagger, then rebuild using foo_pod

[eyemthatguy]

I am prepared to be beaten down for this question... knowing that here goes..

how, if its possible, do I send my lossless (flac/ape) to my ipod as .wav?

Set up the transcoder in foo_pod to convert all lossless files to wav. Its in the options, and pretty straightforward. However I recommend you don't use wav. It'll waste battery and space on the ipod. Instead, convert it to ALAC (or even LAME/AAC unless you have some insanely good headphones and really can ABX lossy audio). Same audio, smaller file size.

I'm not sure that transcoding to .wav will work. I haven't tried it, but it might fail when foo_pod tries to write metadata to the WAV file.

But MG is right - transcoding to ALAC (using Otto's iTunesEncoder script) is probably a better idea than writing uncompressed WAV files.

Thanks for the input guys...

I guess I should clarify more specifically my reasoning.

I couldnt care less about battery life, as I use my IPOD mostly in the truck connected to the cigarette lighter power plug. When Its not plugged in the truck, I may use it while jogging, hiking a few hours, or bicycling to and from work. The point being battery life isnt all that important.

As for space, I only have a 15 gigger, roughly 13 and some change. I dont really mind not carrying more songs as updating/transferring a playlist should be easy to handle overnight.

My main issue: I would prefer not to have 2 sets of files (flac and mp3) for each album.

I guess I was wrong in assuming transcoding would only create a temp file for xfer and then delete it.

I had all my lossless mass transcoded to apx, but found I didnt like managing 2 sets of files. Anyone have any advice for my situation?

IM tired and hopefully Im making sense.

Thanks for reading.

[ReD-BaRoN]

Thanks for the input guys...

I guess I should clarify more specifically my reasoning. 

I couldnt care less about battery life, as I use my IPOD mostly in the truck connected to the cigarette lighter power plug.  When Its not plugged in the truck, I may use it while jogging, hiking a few hours, or bicycling to and from work.  The point being battery life isnt all that important.

As for space, I only have a 15 gigger, roughly 13 and some change.  I dont really mind not carrying more songs as updating/transferring a playlist should be easy to handle overnight.

My main issue:  I would prefer not to have 2 sets of files (flac and mp3) for each album.

I guess I was wrong in assuming transcoding would only create a temp file for xfer and then delete it.

I had all my lossless mass transcoded to apx, but found I didnt like managing 2 sets of files.  Anyone have any advice for my situation?

IM tired and hopefully Im making sense.

Thanks for reading.

I do this, and there shouldn't be an issue. I have all my CDs ripped to FLAC on my computer harddrive. Then I just setup foo_pod to transcode the files to MP3s prior to sending them to the iPod. No MP3s are required on your computer harddrive, as foo_pod does this all for you (this is why I started using foo_pod actually).

The iPod can't decode FLAC/APE, so MP3 is the way to go since ALAC won't leave you with much spaced on a 15GB. That being said, I would use aps or the medium setting, cuz I doubt you're getting much more out of apx, and with a 15 gigger, space is an issue.

Thanks!

[eyemthatguy]

[/quote]

I do this, and there shouldn't be an issue. I have all my CDs ripped to FLAC on my computer harddrive. Then I just setup foo_pod to transcode the files to MP3s prior to sending them to the iPod. No MP3s are required on your computer harddrive, as foo_pod does this all for you (this is why I started using foo_pod actually).

The iPod can't decode FLAC/APE, so MP3 is the way to go since ALAC won't leave you with much spaced on a 15GB. That being said, I would use aps or the medium setting, cuz I doubt you're getting much more out of apx, and with a 15 gigger, space is an issue.

Thanks!

[/quote]
Yo thanks for the great info! Im looking forward to a successful transcode/transfer.

can anyone fill me in on what I may be doing wrong here getting this message trying:

Components > foo_pod > Send Current Playlist to IPOD

I get this:

ERROR (foo_podtranscoder) : Error opening transcoder exe
ERROR (foo_podtranscoder) : foo_podtranscoder: transcoding failed for file://d:\Lossless\2Pac [1996] All Eyez On Me (Disc 1)\02 All Bout U.flac
ERROR (foo_pod) : Transcoding failed!

(it happens for all the songs until i can manually cancel the xfer)



win xp sp2
foobar 0.8.3

thanks.

This post has been edited by eyemthatguy: Aug 6 2005, 01:48

[ReD-BaRoN]

Yo thanks for the great info!  Im looking forward to a successful transcode/transfer.

can anyone fill me in on what I may be doing wrong here getting this message trying:

Components > foo_pod > Send Current Playlist to IPOD

I get this:

ERROR (foo_podtranscoder) : Error opening transcoder exe
ERROR (foo_podtranscoder) : foo_podtranscoder: transcoding failed for file://d:\Lossless\2Pac [1996] All Eyez On Me (Disc 1)\02 All Bout U.flac
ERROR (foo_pod) : Transcoding failed!

(it happens for all the songs until i can manually cancel the xfer)



win xp sp2
foobar 0.8.3

thanks.

First let's make sure your transcoder is setup properly. You need to make sure that you have the foo_podtranscoder.dll, foo_podclienc.dll, and foo_pod.dll in foobar2000/components directory.

Then go to the transcoder tab. You can use some of the presets, or you can make your own. If you use the presets, you need to make sure the encoder, either LAME of FAAC are in the foobar2000 top level directory. I've made my own, so under the configuration of Use Custom Encoder Settings I have:

Encoder: C:\Program Files\LAME-3.96.1\lame.exe
Extension: mp3
Parameters: --preset standard - %d
Format is: lossy
Highest BPS mode supported: 24 (I don't know what this should be set to, maybe someone can tell me)
Tag: ID3v2
Pass floating point data (some lossy encoders only) is not checked. (I don't know if this should be set or not with LAME/mp3, maybe somone can clarify if this is needed)
Encoder requires accurate length is not checked. (I don't know if this should be set or not with LAME/mp3, maybe someone can clarify if this is needed)
Display name: LAME 3.96.1
Neither box under Generic Setting are checked.

This has worked for me for a while.

Edit: Fixed quote'ing problem.

This post has been edited by ReD-BaRoN: Aug 6 2005, 03:30

[KnightR]

foo_pod does not support packed mp3-files? (*.zip etc..)
if not support, please support 'unpack' URL.

# I expect that foo_pod cuts first 7 characters of 'location'.
# excuse me about poor english by Jp.

[RDJ]

Thank you for this program. I even paid for Anapod, but now that I've finally figured it out, I use foo_pod exclusively.

Also, http://www.tinkafoo.com/log/foo_pod.html is an excellent resouce, though I'd love to see the information it's missing added.


I've been seeing the perpetual reboot cycle bug with my 60 GB PhotoPod. It seems to happen most often after I've transferred a large amount of music to my ipod.

I'm using itunes 4.7, and running the firmware/itunesDB format 1.1. I transcode some mp3s to audiobooks, and just in the course of figuring foo_pod out, I've had foo_pod backup/restore/rebuild/update the itunesdb multiple times.

As with others, putting it into Disk Mode through diagnostics, and then adding one song through itunes fixes it.

This post has been edited by RDJ: Aug 8 2005, 18:44

[Alzer]

Hello.

Just got foo_pod. It works just fine.

But there's one thing I'm wondering about.

Is there any way to make foo_pod read the taginfo from det foobar database instead of the file itself?

Thanks
/Alzer

[KyPeN]

Yo thanks for the great info!  Im looking forward to a successful transcode/transfer.

can anyone fill me in on what I may be doing wrong here getting this message trying:

Components > foo_pod > Send Current Playlist to IPOD

I get this:

ERROR (foo_podtranscoder) : Error opening transcoder exe
ERROR (foo_podtranscoder) : foo_podtranscoder: transcoding failed for file://d:\Lossless\2Pac [1996] All Eyez On Me (Disc 1)\02 All Bout U.flac
ERROR (foo_pod) : Transcoding failed!

(it happens for all the songs until i can manually cancel the xfer)



win xp sp2
foobar 0.8.3

thanks.

I am having the exact same problem and have been for about 3 releases. I end up switching between preset transcoder setting (error), manual (error), back to preset, and it finally works. Sometimes it takes 3-4 switches, but it will finally go.

This post has been edited by KyPeN: Aug 10 2005, 04:44

[fakeplastictrees]

"Rebuild iTunesDB Database on iPod
...
Will this actually sort all the current folders into Artist/Album instead of the F00-F99 folder sequence?

No. It will scan the iPod for any files it finds that are playable by the iPod and build an iTunesDB out of them, but it doesn't change the location of the music on the iPod.

If you manually put the music on the iPod thru explorer and used that artist/album method for your naming, then this would rebuild the database such that the iPod would then be able to play that music. But it won't do that for you.

You probably could use FooBar's masstagger, then rebuild using foo_pod

Hi, how do i use masstagger to sort into Artist/Album directory structure?

[richard123]

Hi, how do i use masstagger to sort into Artist/Album directory structure?

masstagger -> rename, move or copy files -> artist/album/nn - title
then remember to click the create subdirectories checkbox

This assumes songs are tagged properly

[fakeplastictrees]

Hi, how do i use masstagger to sort into Artist/Album directory structure?

masstagger -> rename, move or copy files -> artist/album/nn - title
then remember to click the create subdirectories checkbox

This assumes songs are tagged properly

thank you, that did the trick!

[Mike Giacomelli]

Hello.

Just got foo_pod. It works just fine.

But there's one thing I'm wondering about.

Is there any way to make foo_pod read the taginfo from det foobar database instead of the file itself?

Thanks
/Alzer

AFAIK foo_pod always uses the foobar database. I don't think it can read tags at all, instead it just uses whatever info in the foobar database. However, I haven't looked at the code, so I could be mistaken.

[RDJ]

AFAIK foo_pod always uses the foobar database. I don't think it can read tags at all, instead it just uses whatever info in the foobar database. However, I haven't looked at the code, so I could be mistaken.

I don't use the foobar database at all and foo_pod works just fine (with the minor exception of the occasional perpetual reboot cycle).

If I guessed, I'd say that perhaps foo_pod uses both database info and tags, and one has precedent over the other.


Is there a command to update all playlists? Having to update each playlist one by one is a key usabiilty frustration for me. (Maybe it's a sync thing? Though I tried that and almost wiped out all my music).

[ReD-BaRoN]

AFAIK foo_pod always uses the foobar database. I don't think it can read tags at all, instead it just uses whatever info in the foobar database. However, I haven't looked at the code, so I could be mistaken.

I don't use the foobar database at all and foo_pod works just fine (with the minor exception of the occasional perpetual reboot cycle).

If I guessed, I'd say that perhaps foo_pod uses both database info and tags, and one has precedent over the other.


Is there a command to update all playlists? Having to update each playlist one by one is a key usabiilty frustration for me. (Maybe it's a sync thing? Though I tried that and almost wiped out all my music).

How do you go about updating playlists now? How about creating new ones?

[Mike Giacomelli]

AFAIK foo_pod always uses the foobar database. I don't think it can read tags at all, instead it just uses whatever info in the foobar database. However, I haven't looked at the code, so I could be mistaken.

I don't use the foobar database at all and foo_pod works just fine (with the minor exception of the occasional perpetual reboot cycle).

AFAIK you can't actually disable the entire database. When you choose that option theres just no central store of song info. Your playlists (like the one foo_pod constructs) still contain database entries for each song in them. So from foo_pod's perspective, you're still using the database, even if you don't want to.

At least thats what I've gathered.

If I guessed, I'd say that perhaps foo_pod uses both database info and tags, and one has precedent over the other.

I really doubt theres a parser built into foo_pod for all tag and file types it supports. I'm pretty sure its just reading the info that foobar gives it. Unless Areo's been busy writing code to handle reading not just AAC/MP3 but also tags on FLAC/APE/etc files transcoded into MP3/AAC by foo_pod

[RDJ]

AFAIK you can't actually disable the entire database. When you choose that option theres just no central store of song info. Your playlists (like the one foo_pod constructs) still contain database entries for each song in them. So from foo_pod's perspective, you're still using the database, even if you don't want to.

Fair enough. Though it's a database entry created instantly from tags, and exists only as long as the song is in a playlist. Point granted though; if we take this any further it'll just be an exercise in semantics.

I guess the more helpful question to Alzer would be: what are you trying to do?

How do you go about updating playlists now? How about creating new ones?

I right click on the playlist tab and choose "update this playlist." I use the playlist editor to create new ones. I tried using "Send all playlists to ipod," but then I just end up with two copies of every playlist.

Update: I just tried "Sync all playlists." Foobar crashed, and all my playlists dissappeared. Sigh.

This post has been edited by RDJ: Aug 11 2005, 02:37

[ReD-BaRoN]

AFAIK you can't actually disable the entire database. When you choose that option theres just no central store of song info. Your playlists (like the one foo_pod constructs) still contain database entries for each song in them. So from foo_pod's perspective, you're still using the database, even if you don't want to.

Fair enough. Though it's a database entry created instantly from tags, and exists only as long as the song is in a playlist. Point granted though; if we take this any further it'll just be an exercise in semantics.

I guess the more helpful question to Alzer would be: what are you trying to do?

How do you go about updating playlists now? How about creating new ones?

I right click on the playlist tab and choose "update this playlist." I use the playlist editor to create new ones. I tried using "Send all playlists to ipod," but then I just end up with two copies of every playlist.

Update: I just tried "Sync all playlists." Foobar crashed, and all my playlists dissappeared. Sigh.

When you use the Playlist Editor, how do you get the playlists to showup in foobar? When I add a playlist in the playlist editor, I don't see the equivalent playlist in foobar. Maybe I'm missing something.

[RDJ]

After creating the playlists in Playlist Editor, I then do: components>foo_pod>load ipod playlists as tabs, and they show up.

It'd be nice if there was the option for smart playlists and regular playlists to show up at the same time.

[ReD-BaRoN]

Is there a quick tutorial on how to get ratings working with fb2k and foo_pod so that I can start to use SmartPlaylists? I went to tinkafoo and didn't see anything related to this.

Searching the thread for this information has gotten a little unweildy, so I'm hoping someone has a concise pointer.

Thanks!