So, how do you listen to your music collection?

[cknight]

Ok, you've got your large digital music collection and settled on your favorite music player. But, do share, what's your favorite way to listen to your collection?

[EDIT] lol, option 4 above should of course read "I let my music player choose random albums"

[Lostincyberspace]

I do the third option there it works well except for when my audio books start playing.

[ynnhoj]

i choose specific albums to listen to. sometimes i'll turn on random, rather than listening to the album in order.. but normally i simply let it play.

[Pethegreat]

I just let the album play. No point listening to one song in Pink Floyd's The Wall, and then jumping to something else. I will dig up stuff I have not herd in a while.

[wheredidrealitygo]

random play of specific genres, which particular genre depends on mood.

[-grubby]

It's just kind of in a preassembled playlist

[barbedsaber]

I do the third option there it works well except for when my audio books start playing.

I do that with my mp3 player, but it is my podcasts that start playing, and I have more of them than music.

[mrgnash]

All of the above.

[Lostincyberspace]

I do that with my mp3 player, but it is my podcasts that start playing, and I have more of them than music.
The reason I have the problem with it is that the story is in like 100 tracks or something and it will jump from the end of the story to the beginning and back to the end.

[nikoPSK]

I am for # 2 :D

[Skarjoko]

I usually browse by artist, trying to figure out what kind of songs I want to hear. I like it when the music I'm listening to is 'consistent', with either the same overall genre or style. I only make playlists when I have lone songs (only one song by that artist) that I feel like listening to...in which case they go into my only playlist, called "Songs".

[got awesome?]

I have 400GB+ of music, plus an enourmous (1000+) vinyl collection (all my CDs are ripped to my computer), so I'm constantly sifting through my collection and digging stuff out. I don't really have a rigorous procedure that I follow, I just make sure to look through my collection regularly and listen to everything, it's easy to forget about ones I haven't heard for a while!

It's my lifeblood really, I don't know what I'd do without all my music, and it almost makes up for not having a girlfriend (I'm not sure she could compete)! :S

[rabid9797]

browse by artist, but sometimes i do random play

[inversekinetix]

i have over 50,000 albums spread between 8 track (yes I still have some), 78s, open reels, compact cassettes, LPs, CDs and digital formats. I select the album I want and listen to it from beginning to end. There is nothing I hate more than applications trying to decide what I listen to, random/shuffle functions are an abomination. Digital music and the ability to flick at speed through masses of tracks/artists/genres is destroying albums. I prefer so sit down and listen to an album that has been made as a whole, where each track/song is part of the concept of the album. If I want a selection of music for a specific purpose I will make a custom compilation of music I feel compliments each other.

[got awesome?]

Yes I agree, I like to listen to albums in their entirety, and am not a fan of the disposable, iPod shuffle style of listening.

Particularly because my favoured genres tend to be prog, ambient and psychedelic - all styles that benefit from prolonged listening sessions.

[Crashmaxx]

I don't even have a music collection (gasp). I've never kept track of who sings what song or even the title of the song half the time. So I've never bought CD's really. I don't like stealing music and at $1 a song, I don't want to buy it.

So I just listen to XM radio in the car and use the online stream of it at home. Pretty much just one station too, Squizz 48. As long as some hard rock is playing, I'm fine.

[Sam]

Random by genre. Thanks to rhythmbox, I can choose several genres by ctrl-clicking the list !

[el_ricardo]

browse by artist and then play on random repeat

i also have a series of playlists, but they're specifically for:

1. chilling out
2. fragging (quake, CS, UT etc)
3. trackmania
4. turning my speakers up and enjoying my powerful subwoofer (i call this one the "BASSILICIOUS" playlist)

[allforcarrie]

i do a little of all of those.

[~LoKe]

I put it on random, but keep hitting next until I find one I like. I know, I'm weird.

[Lostincyberspace]

I put it on random, but keep hitting next until I find one I like. I know, I'm weird.
Exact same here.

[TeaSwigger]

I usually pick a specific track and thank God for Sr. Joe Grado and the SR-60.

[nat6138]

Usually making a playlist, or I'm picking an artist, and choosing albums or songs to listen to.

[Bruce M.]

Ok, you've got your large digital music collection and settled on your favorite music player. But, do share, what's your favorite way to listen to your collection?

[EDIT] lol, option 4 above should of course read "I let my music player choose random albums"

I chose "Other", because you're not being fair.
The title reads: So, how do you listen to your music collection?
Not "So, how do you listen to your digital music collection", and I demand my right to vote!

Well, OK, may I vote please? (to late) :-\"

I have a few hundred CD's, pop them into my stereo 3 at a time and turn it on. I don't know, call me old fashioned, but isn't that what stereos are for? And sometimes, now I'll really age myself here, I even listen to the ... do I dare say it: radio!

Bruce

[apothecaryaaron]

Mostly use the MP3 function of my Kenwood in my truck, so I sort of have specific playlists. ~130 songs, that I then put to random play. So can I choose both?

I keep a 4 Gb Zen V Plus around for workouts, but I still transfer the stuff I'm currently up for over to the player, then do random.

I guess I also search for specific songs as well. Sometimes there is just nothing better than having a 1100 watts of bass in the cab of a compact pickup...

[Lostincyberspace]

I listen to radio My very own station. I have wireless head phones.

[ntowakbh]

I build a playlist, but the way I build it, bands are always together. I found the solution to be for it to randomly select from the playlist of my favorite songs.

[earobinson]

wow i dident know hat there was so many ways

[IYY]

Good music generally comes in album form, and an album is meant to be listened to all together.

[allforcarrie]

I just recently made a smart playlist on my ipod of 25 most played. :-)

[insane_alien]

i have my collection playing on random from 7am(in place of alarm clock) to 9pm everyday. i also have a few custom playlists for stuff like parties and that (you don't want to suddenly find you have a forgotten mcfly .mp3 that you ripped for your wee brother in your collection in a room full of drunken heavy metal fans.)

[ShadowVlican]

i have several custom playlists (like japanese favourites, english favourites, and classical favourites, etc....)

otherwise, i would browse my hard drives for the album i want to play