How to Create a Great Smart Playlist in iTunes
Rate most of your music., Make a smart playlist for songs you haven't listened to, and songs you haven't rated yet by clicking File>New Smart Playlist., Begin making "helper lists"., Put it all together into one master playlist., Listen to your...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Rate most of your music.
Rate each song individually, rather than rating every song five stars.
The rating system is up to you, but, ideally, the more you like the song, the more stars it should have.
Consider rating the skits and other dialogue as one star. -
Step 2: Make a smart playlist for songs you haven't listened to
(The brackets represent the choices in the dialog box.
To add a new rule, click the beside the previous rule.) Unlistened music Name:
Unlistened Music Match the following rule: is Live updating Unrated music Name:
Unrated Music Match the following rule: is Live updating , The first list should comprised of songs rated five stars, that don't have as many plays as other five star songs.
Name: Ω Best Playlist 1 Match of the following rules:
Limit to selected by Live updating Of course, you want your favorite songs to play sometimes.
Chances are your favorite songs are in the "Top 25 Most Played" list, but just in case a skit you don't like much got in there, go ahead and specify a five star rating.
Name: Ω Best Playlist 2 Match of the following rules:
Limit to selected by Live Updating Next, songs that are rated high but don't have many plays should get their share of airtime.
Name: Ω Best Playlist 3 Match of the following rules: to Limit to selected by Live updating Of course you probably don't love every song in your library, but you don't want those lower rated songs to fall too far behind in play counts.
Name: Ω Best Playlist 4 Match of the following rules: to Limit to selected by Live updating If you have some songs that are unrated, they will never get played according to the previous rules.
Name: Ω Best Playlist 5 Match of the following rules:
Limit to selected by Live updating Maybe you added a CD to your library and rated all the songs, but haven't listened to any of the tracks yet.
Name: Ω Best Playlist 6 Match the following rule:
Limit to selected by Live updating After you've been listening to this playlist for a while, you may notice that a few of your higher rated songs aren't getting played as often as they used to.
Name: Ω Best Playlist 7 Match of the following rules: to Limit to selected by Live updating , Name:
Best Playlist Ever Match of the following rules:
Limit to selected by Live updating , As you accumulate play counts, change the rules in your helper lists.
If you find that there isn't enough variety, change the limits. -
Step 3: and songs you haven't rated yet by clicking File>New Smart Playlist.
-
Step 4: Begin making "helper lists".
-
Step 5: Put it all together into one master playlist.
-
Step 6: Listen to your playlist.
Detailed Guide
Rate each song individually, rather than rating every song five stars.
The rating system is up to you, but, ideally, the more you like the song, the more stars it should have.
Consider rating the skits and other dialogue as one star.
(The brackets represent the choices in the dialog box.
To add a new rule, click the beside the previous rule.) Unlistened music Name:
Unlistened Music Match the following rule: is Live updating Unrated music Name:
Unrated Music Match the following rule: is Live updating , The first list should comprised of songs rated five stars, that don't have as many plays as other five star songs.
Name: Ω Best Playlist 1 Match of the following rules:
Limit to selected by Live updating Of course, you want your favorite songs to play sometimes.
Chances are your favorite songs are in the "Top 25 Most Played" list, but just in case a skit you don't like much got in there, go ahead and specify a five star rating.
Name: Ω Best Playlist 2 Match of the following rules:
Limit to selected by Live Updating Next, songs that are rated high but don't have many plays should get their share of airtime.
Name: Ω Best Playlist 3 Match of the following rules: to Limit to selected by Live updating Of course you probably don't love every song in your library, but you don't want those lower rated songs to fall too far behind in play counts.
Name: Ω Best Playlist 4 Match of the following rules: to Limit to selected by Live updating If you have some songs that are unrated, they will never get played according to the previous rules.
Name: Ω Best Playlist 5 Match of the following rules:
Limit to selected by Live updating Maybe you added a CD to your library and rated all the songs, but haven't listened to any of the tracks yet.
Name: Ω Best Playlist 6 Match the following rule:
Limit to selected by Live updating After you've been listening to this playlist for a while, you may notice that a few of your higher rated songs aren't getting played as often as they used to.
Name: Ω Best Playlist 7 Match of the following rules: to Limit to selected by Live updating , Name:
Best Playlist Ever Match of the following rules:
Limit to selected by Live updating , As you accumulate play counts, change the rules in your helper lists.
If you find that there isn't enough variety, change the limits.
About the Author
Brenda Wright
Committed to making DIY projects accessible and understandable for everyone.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: