MoodShuffle Support

FAQ

General

Using MoodShuffle


Known Issues:



How can I get a copy of MoodShuffle?

You're in the right spot. You can download MoodShuffle from the following url: www.moodshuffle.com/download.php


Will MoodShuffle work on my system?

There are a few requirements to run MoodShuffle on your system. Currently you must be running Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later, and iTunes 6.x or later. iTunes is free and can be downloaded from www.apple.com/itunes


Why is MoodShuffle free?

Ultimately we know that MoodShuffle belongs on portable mp3 players. Unfortunately all of the major brands have a closed architecture. MoodShuffle is free for desktop computers, so it will hopefully gain a large enough user base and the mp3-player manufactures take notice.

We then hope that we can license the MoodShuffle engine to the mp3-player manufactures.


Can I use MoodShuffle commercially?

No. You are allowed to download and use as many copies of MoodShuffle as you would like, but you are not allowed to distribute or sell it. If you want to give it to a friend, please give them the www.moodshuffle.com url, so we can keep a somewhat accurate count of our install-base.


What are the future plans for MoodShuffle?

To get it into as many hands as possible. Actually check out the Roadmap page to see a list of future plans.


How come I hear a new song start, then it switches to a different song?

Screenshot snippet for iTunes Crossfade Playback setting

There is a setting in the iTunes Playback preferences called "Crossfade Playback." If that is turned on, iTunes tries to blend the end of the current song with the beginning of the next song. The problem is that iTunes doesn't know what song MoodShuffle is going to pick next, so it just plays cross-fades with whatever song is next in your library.

MoodShuffle waits for the actual ending of the current song, then switches to the next song. If you turn off crossfade playback (uncheck the Crossfade Playback box in the iTunes->Preferences->Playback dialog box) it works much better. We have a solution in the works to allow crossfade playback support, but it is not ready for release yet.


MoodShuffle won't run / crashes immediately

If you have met the system requirements, the only reason why MoodShuffle wouldn't run is if you don't actually have any songs in your library. MoodShuffle only uses songs on your computer that are actually loaded into the iTunes application.


Why does the song switch in the middle?

This occurs if you use iTunes directly to pause or switch songs while MoodShuffle is running. MoodShuffle is not currently able to recognize anything that you do directly through the iTunes interface. When running MoodShuffle, you should only use the music controls on its application window.


Why won't MoodShuffle play my music?

MoodShuffle is only able to see songs on your computer that are actually loaded into iTunes. If you have other mp3 files on your computer, but you have not loaded them into iTunes, MoodShuffle will not be able to play them. The reason for this is because MoodShuffle does not maintain an independent database of your songs and their associated data. It uses the iTunes song database and updates it accordingly.

This may change in the future, but for now all of your songs need to be loaded into iTunes if you want to hear them through MoodShuffle.


Why are non-music files playing?

The current version of MoodShuffle looks at every file you have in your iTunes library. So if you have a lecture or audio-book file, etc., it might actually be selected to play. Simply skip the selection via the MoodShuffle interface, and it should not return to similar type files for the remainder of that MoodShuffle session.

However, if you leave MoodShuffle running long enough, it will eventually go through all of your media files in iTunes. So it may in fact circle back through similar files that you didn't want to listen to.


Why does iTunes launch when I run MoodShuffle?

MoodShuffle currently requires iTunes in order to work. MoodShuffle drives iTunes, telling it what songs to play. In order for MoodShuffle to do so, it needs to make sure that iTunes is currently running. If you accidentally close iTunes while MoodShuffle is running, don't be surprised when it starts up again when it is time for the next song to play.


How come iTunes doesn't close when I quit MoodShuffle?

MoodShuffle does not currently determine whether it started iTunes, or if you already had it running. Since you might have already had iTunes running on your computer, MoodShuffle does not quit iTunes as it shuts down.


Why won't MoodShuffle play the song I want to hear?

MoodShuffle is for when you aren't sure what you want to listen to. It will eventually get to the song you want to hear, but it could take a very long time depending on the size of your music library. If you know the song that you want to listen to, you should just play it through iTunes directly.

Here is an example of what might happen if you use iTunes to try to play a song you know you want to listen to; Let's say you want to hear track 128, from artist xyz. If a song from xyz is played, but it is not the one you wanted to hear so you skip it, the MoodShuffle engine might think you don't want to hear songs from the artist xyz. So in that case it could take a long time to cycle back through songs by xyz.


Why does MoodShuffle appear to lock-up?

MoodShuffle sends commands to iTunes. If you have what is called a "modal" dialog box open in iTunes, like the Preferences, Song-Info, or even the About Box, iTunes will not respond to any commands sent to it from MoodShuffle. Once you close the dialog box, by clicking OK or Cancel, iTunes will then process the MoodShuffle request, and all will be back to normal.