I have about 1600 songs in mp3 format in a folder. I have tried using Windows Media Player and J. River Media Jukebox to play them back in shuffle order with a simple screen display and neither will do what I want a player to do. Here's the deal: I want a player that will take my list of songs and play them back in random order--according to the titles of the files. I have labelled the files using this simple format: Ben E King - Spanish Harlem.mp3 and THAT's how I want the list to appear on the screen, so that I can manually choose to play selections--that is, bypass a song or two on the list if I choose. What's happening with these other programs is that the sort is being done according to the mp3 tags that are embedded in the files, causing odd listings onscreen--such as labelling the artist on some songs as "Various" or "Diverse," sometimes putting the name of the song first OR (worst case scenario) displaying something like "Track 6." Surely there's an audio or media player that will use my files names rather than using the tag information. But I haven't found it yet, so that's why I'm posting here, asking you for help. I realize an older player of some kind may be in order. I'd appreciate any help forum members can provide. Thanks for your time and attention.
Maybe--maybe not. I downloaded Winamp (free version) and it "saw" all the songs in the playlist, as opposed to Windows Media Player not "seeing" about 200! However, I set Winamp to shuffle play and while it did that, it did not change the playlist accordingly (at least visibly, where I needit), so I'm still a bit away from what I want and need. I'm a fairly adept user, but someone needs to explain to me what to do if the answer lies in the screen shot that was provided (probably the reply just above this one). Thanks!
That didn't seem to be what you asked. WinAmp can randomize a playlist, too. I use the 'Classic' skin, so here it is for that skin. 'MiSC' chicklet at the bottom of the playlist -> SORT LIST -> Randomize list. PS: my previous post shows you how to format the displayed name to use parts of the filename, like you asked for in your OP.