Playlist Manager How To

Preserve Your Playlist Order

Drew's Playlist Manager Tutorial How to Preserve Track Order, Print Playlists, Rename Files and much More. IT WAS NEVER POSSIBLE BEFORE. But, now it's all easy and fast with DAK's new Playlist Manager & CD Ripper.

The Playlist Manager & Ripper is a new concept in taking complete control of all your digital music. I've put together a compilation of tools that have been badly needed for getting and keeping your music the way you want it.

THE GENESIS of this program comes from a basic Windows Problem. When you:

1) Rip CDs
2) Copy LPs or cassettes to your computer
3) Burn Tracks to a CD
4) Copy Tracks to your MP3 Player
5 ) Simply load any music files on your computer

Windows will automatically put it all in alphabetical order. THERE WAS NO EASY WAY AROUND THIS PROBLEM till now.

Why do you care? It’s really awful when you copy a musical such as Phantom of the Opera, the Overture comes out as Track 7 because it starts with an O. So, when you listen to it on your computer, burn a CD or load it in your MP3 player, you're hearing everything in the WRONG order, TILL NOW.

And it’s the same for symphonies, concertos and even rock and roll or folk music. You can’t easily get the tracks in the order you want them AND KEEP THEM THERE.

What we've done is to invent and implement an elegant solution to this problem. And it’s not just available to you when you Rip CDs or manually when you burn CDs or load your MP3 Player.

You just do this once using DAK's New Playlist Manager. So, your music will be in the order you want, sound the way you want and be totally under your control 1) on your computer, 2) when you burn CDs and 3) when you transfer it to an MP3 player.

OK that was the genesis, but there's much more.

Here's a brief list of 5 of the most important features. Below you'll learn all about using them to dramatically enhance the way you store, track and listen to your music.

Click Each Link For More Details.

1. Preserve Playlist Order – Windows wants to alphabetize all the tracks you put in your computer, burn to CDs and load in your MP3 Players. Now you can preserve the proper order so overtures come first, movements are in order and songs are in the order that they were intended.

2. Print Playlist - Sure you can print a list from some CD burner programs. But never before can you print a list of all or any of the tracks you've recorded, ripped or just have in a folder on your computer. Just load them and print them. Now for the car, for your MP3 player or for your CDs, you can print all the track names or import them into a fancy label printing program.

3. Rename Files - When you record from LPs and cassettes the files aren't named, or they are just numbered. Now just click the file and instantly give it any name you'd like. Change a Name, lengthen it or shorten it. It's all easy and instant.

4. Direct Export to MP3 players - No need to drag and drop. Just choose your MP3 player or other device and export the current playlist right into the unit.

5. Create Playlists - M3U playlists are the standard format for virtually all MP3 and Wave Players in your computer. All you do is load the tracks you want. Put them in the order you want and save the ‘Playlist’. Then whenever you click the Playlist Icon on any computer, Windows Media Player (or your default music player) will load and play all the tracks you put in the playlist in the order you chose. It’s very powerful, but for you, now it’s just one click.

Much more. OK, let’s get started with the tutorial.

That's it. Let's go.

Quick Index
Of Major Functions
Click Buttons For Details

The Main Playlist Interface

We've kept this interface really clean. Just RIGHT CLICK to bring up the main menu to get things done.

Arrow 1.) Right Click Main Menu. Just right click anywhere in the white section of the Manager to access this Main Menu. Then Left Click the Name of the Tool you want to use. This is how you access all the powers of the Manager.

Arrow 2.) I've highlighted a track. Just left click a track you want to use a tool for. Then click the tool.

Arrow 3.) This is the Player Section of the Manager. You can play any track here to be sure what it is or just to enjoy it. To move up to another track or down to another track just click the up/down buttons. It’s very fast to switch from track to track so you can check out your music. And we've specially made it so you can skip from track to track without stopping the music to make it fast and easy to use.

Arrow 4.) These are the MOVE TRACK Buttons. Highlight a track. Then as you click either the up or down buttons you can effortlessly move it through the playlist till it’s exactly where you want it. This is a very quick and powerful way to arrange your tracks.

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Add Tracks - Open A File

First, just open your files in the Manager. It’s easy.

Arrow 1.) Right Click the Main Menu and select Add File.

Arrow 2.) Navigate to the folder where the files you want to open are stored.

Arrow 3.) Click a file that you'd like to bring into the Playlist Manager. If you double click it will show up in the File Name Box at the bottom.

Arrow 4.) Click Open file.

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Add Tracks - Open A Folder

To open one or many tracks in a folder, do this:

Arrow 1.) Choose Add Folder or Multi-Files

Arrow 2.) Navigate to where the folder is.

Arrow 3.) Choose the Folder You want to open.

Arrow 4.) Choose to load Wav or MP3 Files. You must choose one or the other.

Arrow 5.) Here are all the files in the folder you have chosen

TIP- By default, all files in the folder are selected for you. And that's what you'll use most of the time. But what if you want a few of the files. No problem.

First, click anywhere within the selected tracks to deselect them. To select adjacent files click one and then HOLD DOWN the Shift Key and select the track or tracks next to it. This is for tracks that are next to each other.

If you want some random tracks, click the first track you want. Then HOLD DOWN the Control Key and click any other tracks that you want, one at a time while holding down the Control Key. This lets you select any random tracks within the folder that you want.

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Add Tracks - Open A Playlist

OK, a Playlist is a standard Windows File that's actually called an M3U Playlist File. In short it's a little piece of code that's used internationally to identify a group of files and to have just about any computer music player play it in the order in which you saved it.

We support both the M3U files that we write and virtually all the files written by all the other Playlist Players on the market. So if you already have playlists on your computer, just use this function to open them in the Playlist Manager.

Arrow 1.) Right Click the Main Menu and Left Click Load Playlist.

Arrow 2.) Navigate to the folder (or your desktop) where the Playlist is stored.

Arrow 3.) Select the Playlist that you want. You can have dozens and the same song can appear in many depending on where you want it. You could have mood playlists or artist playlists and as stated, the same song/track can appear anywhere.

Arrow 4.) Here's the M3U Playlist File Type Box.

Arrow 5.) Here's the name you gave your playlist.

Arrow 6.) Just click open.

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Clear Playlist

Clear Playlist simply clears all the tracks loaded in the Playlist Manager out of the Manager. It has nothing to do with creating or opening playlists. It just clears the Manager.

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Export To MP3 Player

Forget dragging and dropping a bunch of files. Just load your playlist the way you want it for your MP3 player. Then:

Arrow 1.) . Right Click the Main Menu and Left Click Copy Playlist to Media.

Arrow 2.) Navigate to your MP3 Player.

Arrow 3.) Click OK.

It's quick. It's easy and it's a direct digital transfer to your USB connected MP3 player.

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Remove A File From Playlist

Change your mind? Don't want that song? No problem.

Arrow 1.) Highlight the track

Arrow 2.) Right Click the Main Menu and Left Click Remove File

The file is gone.

Name Or Rename Any Wave Or MP3 Files Instantly.

Renaming files is a really big deal. Sometimes you'll only have the track numbers and you'll want the names. Other times you'll want to correct or change or modify the names of the tracks.

Unlike the MP3 tag editor, this Tool actually renames the file itself. And there's no limit to what you can change. You can add on a suffix, you can modify a name or you can start from scratch and dream up a new name. Just use the standard Windows characters and you'll be all set. Don't use . , / > etc. Use Letters and numbers.

Arrow 1.) Highlight the track you want to Name or Rename.

Note: You can't actually be playing a track while you rename it.

Arrow 2.) Right Click the Main Menu and then Left Click Rename File to get the pre-filled dialog box. It will have the current track name in it.

Arrow 3.) Type anything over, or in addition to, what's already there.

Arrow 4.) Click OK and the file is renamed.

This is one of the most powerful tools you can use.

Arrange Your Tracks Easily And Instantly

If your tracks aren't already in the order you want them, no problem. Just move them into order. Then EITHER save them as a playlist or use the Preserve Playlist Order Tool.

You'll find them both on the Main Menu which you access by Right Clicking anywhere in the white area of the Playlist Screen. Here's how to Move Tracks.

Arrow 1.) Highlight the track you want to move.

Arrow 2.) Use the UP or Down Buttons to put the track where you want it.

Arrow 3.) Just shows you where Track 6 Started.

It's just this easy to put all the tracks exactly where you want them. Of course if you're ripping CDs, you'll use the Preserve Playlist Order on that tool to keep the tracks in order before they ever get to the Playlist Manager.

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Preserve Track Order!!!!
The Windows Alphabetizing Problem And What To Do About It

OK, here's the crux of the problem so you can see it yourself in living color.

The playlist on the LEFT is how Windows organizes your tracks. Everything will be in alphabetical order. AND THERE’S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT. Till now.

The CENTER Playlist is the result of DAK's Playlist manager putting the track number in front so that even though Windows still puts the tracks in Alpha/Numeric order, the tracks stay in the order that they were planned.

The 3rd Column Goes the Final step. Not only is it in the correct track order, but you can add a Suffix such as the Album or Artist's Name.

Why is this important? We'll it's the critical last piece because if you want to load an MP3 player with 10 albums worth of music or burn CDs with several album's worth of tracks, Windows will sort it first by the Album name and finally by the track number.

So you'll have all the songs from one album grouped together and in perfect track order from now on.

And while in this list you might not see that there is an order that matters, in fact if you're like me, you are used to hearing your tracks in the order they were originally put on your records, cassettes and CDs. Don't let Windows dictate to you how you are going to enjoy your music any more.

AND THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT. Here's where the problem gets really bad.

Issue 1.) You've got tracks from several artists or records. Windows will alpha/numeric sort them so they are all mixed. So Sinatra might be mixed with the Limeliters, with Beethoven's 5th and Britney Spears. Now you'll be in control.

Issue 2.) You have symphonies and concertos or operas. Don't you want to hear the First Movement or overture before the Finale?

Issue 3.) Broadway musicals are the worst. Below you'll see my example of Phantom Of The Opera. But, it's the same for all of them.

SO, FOR:

Burning CDs
Transferring files to your MP3 Player
Listening to music on your computer:

You need DAK's Preserve Playlist Tool to save your music the way you want it from now on.

Another Example of Windows Track Order Major Problems

Oh the poor Phantom. He'll be lost in the catacombs if he has to rely on Windows to sort the music.

You can see clearly that the overture will end up as TRACK 7 if you let Windows have its way. And just check out the order of the rest of the tracks.

The new DAK Playlist Manager's Preserve Track Order is long overdue and sorely needed.

The DAK Preserve Playlist Order Wonder

Here you can see that the Limeliter's Harmony CD has been improperly sorted in alpha order, not in the track order that it needs to be.

To fix this just put the tracks back in order using the up down arrows at the lower right and then Right Click the Main Menu and Left Click the Preserve Playlist Order Tool.

Actually at this point there would be no Prefix or Track Number shown as I have shown in the picture above, but I wanted you to see how the prefix looks and how easy it will be from now on for you to organize and listen to your music.

Arrow 1.) Right Click the white area, then Left Click Preserve Playlist order.

Arrow 2.) Here are the tracks as Windows put them. Use the up down arrows to arrange them properly.

Arrow 3.) After you have run Preserve Playlist order this is what the tracks will look like and they'll stay in perfect order in your MP3 player, in Windows or just about anywhere. Anyway to get this done, as you saw in Arrow 1, just click Preserve Playlist order.

Arrow 4.) After You click Preserve Playlist order, you'll get this dialog box asking if you'd like to add a prefix to the track name. If you do, type it in here. Then Click OK with or without the Prefix.

Then You'll be asked to choose a target folder to put the tracks in that have been altered to preserve their order from now on.

Preserved Tracks Destination Folder

After you choose a prefix name, just click the Proceed Button and select a folder in which to put your Perfectly Ordered Tracks so you can burn CDs, put them in your MP3 Player or play them on your computer. Now they will play in the order you want them to from now on.
Arrow 1.) Choose A Folder.

Arrow 2.) Click OK.

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Create an M3U Playlist Automatically.

Forget Programming. There's really nothing for you to do to harness all the power of the M3U playlists. The Manager does 100% of the heavy lifting. All you do is:

Arrow 1.) Right Click the Main Menu and Left Click Save As Playlist.

Arrow 2.) Just check to be sure your tracks are in the order you want them played in the Playlist. This is another way of preserving order so you get the songs you want in the order you want them.

Arrow 3.) Select a place to put your playlist. A folder or on your desktop is perfect. Plus, Note - You don't have to save it within the tracks it controls unless you want to. You can save it anywhere on your computer and it will control your tracks.

Arrow 4.) It knows where the tracks are stored. So all you have to do is give it a name.

Arrow 5.) Nothing for you to do, but this is what it's called.

Arrow 6.) In the file type box you'll see it's a Windows MU3 Playlist.

Arrow 7.) Click Save.

That's it. All the coding and programming is done for you. You'll never see a line of code. Just click the Icon you created and whatever default music player you have on your computer will automatically play your tracks and just the tracks you've put in the playlist in just the order you've chosen. This is very powerful.

Note: You can have lots of playlists and any track can be included in an unlimited number of playlists.

It's Like Magic. Just Click The Playlist Icon And Your Playlist Will Play Automatically

Yes, right on your computer. Just click the Icon at the top. What you see here is the free Windows Media Player that came with your computer. And it responds flawlessly to our Playlists. There's nothing for you to do but sit back and enjoy the music.

Arrow 1.) Click the Playlist Icon.

Arrow 2.) See the Playlist Name.

Arrow 3.) See the track numbers and names.

All you've done will really pay off big for you now. The first time you click the Playlist Icon you'll be amazed and awed.

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PRINT!!! Your Playlist, CD, MP3 List Or Any Folder

It's Nothing Short of Amazing. Sure there are burners that will let you print playlists and even CD labels.

But I've never seen anywhere that you could take 100 tracks you're about to transfer to your MP3 player and PRINT OR EXPORT a playlist. Or have you ever found a way to print a playlist of the tracks you have on your computer?

Finally, yes you can print the tracks you are going to put on a CD too. So now when you have 12 CDs in your car's changer you'll be able to see exactly what's on each with no muss and no fuss.

Right Click To Get The Main Menu and Left Click Print Playlist. And you'll have an instant list in front of you which you can either print on a sheet of paper or save and import into a fancy label printing program. Plus you can just save the list for later too.

WHY SAVE THE LIST? Combine it with other playlists you've done so you can have a complete searchable list of all your tracks using Word, Excel or any program you have.

This is easy, effortless and fast.

Your Playlist Is Printed

And here's the paper printout of this playlist. From 1 to 1000 tracks. You're just a few seconds away from all this power.

1.) Print your list on plain paper so you always have a printed list with you wherever you go.

2.) Setup a file with all your tracks so you can always search to see what you have and where it is.

3.) Save the file as a text file so it can be imported into virtually any CD label printing program or card printing program to put in a jewel case.

Remember, this is the ONLY program I've ever seen that allows you to create and print lists of MP3 & Wave files on your computer or Wave & MP3 files that you are putting into your MP3 Player. If it's on your computer, now you can print it.

I hate to be trite and say:

This is the Swiss Army Knife of music programs.
These are all the tools that everyone else forgot to put in.
If you had a wish list this would take care of all of it.
Don't you wish someone had thought of this before?

But these are all true. And someday when some other company figures it all out and/or if the owner actually uses their programs like I do, these are the powerful tools they'll include too.

Enjoy . . . Drew

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