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iPod iPod Classic won't play some songs that work fine in iTunes

T

tyrell456

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 28, 2011
50
0
Salt Lake City, Utah
Recently my iPod classic has been having this weird problem where it won't play some songs that work perfectly fine in iTunes on my MBP that it's synced with. It's only been happening for the last 2 or 3 months, and only with songs I've added in this time.

When I attempt to play these songs, the iPod will show the songs information like any other song, and then just skip to the next song in the list without playing it.

It's always the same songs too, so it's not like a random problem that affects different songs each time. I've tried completely removing the songs from my iTunes library, syncing the iPod without the offending songs, and then re-adding the song and syncing the iPod again attempting to force the iPod to re-sync the song in case there was a problem when it originally synced, but that doesn't work either.

Any ideas?
 
0dev said:
Sounds like a possible hard drive issue with the iPod. Have you tried restoring?
Click to expand...

Yep, multiple times. I thought I could be a hard drive failure as well (though I've had it for less than a year), but when I restore it and completely resync it like new, it's still the same handful of 10-15 songs (out of a 20GB library) that won't work. Wouldn't it change up if it was a drive failure rather than having the same songs? And I know for sure that the files aren't corrupt or anything like that, as they work just fine in iTunes as well as any other media player I try them with on my computer, just not with my iPod.
 
If the files aren't corrupt, it points to a problem with the iPod. It does seem strange it's the exact same songs, but if it's songs you've added after a certain date maybe those files are just getting pushed to the bad part of the HD?

Either way, if it's under a year old and a restore isn't sorting it, and you know for certain the files aren't corrupted, then just bring it back to Apple.
 
found a fix for similar problem

For a few days recently my old ipod classic 5th gen has failed to play new mp3s synced from that particular starting point, all the existing tracks in itunes and on the ipod played fine but new tracks from online or ripped from CD just wouldn't play, they showed up on the ipod after sync but wouldn't play.
I've scoured forums for a solution but nothing worked, from restoring ipod to moving files to desktop then back into itunes and also using an mp3 repairer. Anyway, I finally found a solution, and it was very simple.
I just actually played the tracks in itunes first and then they synced in a normal working way into the ipod!
You don't have to play all of the track, just click on each one in itunes for a second then on to the next one, a few seconds work per new downloaded album.
My guess is this is a glitch to do with the way itunes and the ipod are communicating with each other re some sort of tags (or whatever).
 
Having so much trouble with iTunes and my iPod only as of recently...
I *think* I have managed to get my purchased tracks to play on my iPod (after having a great amount of trouble getting them to play properly in full) But I imported a new CD to iTunes yesterday and it seemed to transfer fine but the tracks don't play on my iPod... only like the first 5 or so secs play. I will try that playing the first few seconds though and see where that gets me.. :S


** Okay so I tried what was suggested about letting each song play for a second and that didn't work for me unfortunately. I'll have to try to import the CD again, I guess and see what happens. I can't believe how much trouble I'm having though, it's really upsetting...
 
Last edited:
same problem

I have two ipod 160GB classics. Bought them both a couple months ago, so they are both relatively new. Both will skip whole albums that my iTunes, ipod touch, and iphones will play just fine. Both are running the latest firmware. I have restored one of them twice as a test and it still skips the same albums.
 
Solved!

I found the answer to my problem. Maybe it will fix yours as well. I found the songs that skipped were encoded by Lame 3.97. Earlier and later versions of Lame mp3 codec played fine. It must be the Lame 3.97 and the firmware version on the ipod classic. I reencoded the songs with the latest Lame codec, and they now play on my ipod classic. As I was checking the file properties of the songs that didn't play, the Lame 3.97 is what they all had in common. I upgraded to 3.99 release 5.
 
Thanks! I have since bought myself a touch as an xmas pressie to myself so all probs solved haha. Thanks so much for the reply.
 
weekend777 said:
I found the answer to my problem. Maybe it will fix yours as well. I found the songs that skipped were encoded by Lame 3.97. Earlier and later versions of Lame mp3 codec played fine. It must be the Lame 3.97 and the firmware version on the ipod classic. I reencoded the songs with the latest Lame codec, and they now play on my ipod classic. As I was checking the file properties of the songs that didn't play, the Lame 3.97 is what they all had in common. I upgraded to 3.99 release 5.
Click to expand...

Oh wow I wonder if that's my problem. My classic died last year so I bought a new one (latest gen 160gb). I don't use itunes (I prefer Medimonkey on my PC) and some albums will skip entirely but they play fine on the computer. I'm pretty sure the ipod that died played all of them, but I cannot remember. I will look at which encoding I used.
 
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Tombleboo said:
found a fix for similar problem

For a few days recently my old ipod classic 5th gen has failed to play new mp3s synced from that particular starting point, all the existing tracks in itunes and on the ipod played fine but new tracks from online or ripped from CD just wouldn't play, they showed up on the ipod after sync but wouldn't play.
I've scoured forums for a solution but nothing worked, from restoring ipod to moving files to desktop then back into itunes and also using an mp3 repairer. Anyway, I finally found a solution, and it was very simple.
I just actually played the tracks in itunes first and then they synced in a normal working way into the ipod!
You don't have to play all of the track, just click on each one in itunes for a second then on to the next one, a few seconds work per new downloaded album.
My guess is this is a glitch to do with the way itunes and the ipod are communicating with each other re some sort of tags (or whatever).
Click to expand...

Created an account to say thank you, this problem has bugged me for ages and I couldn't figure out how to get imported songs to work on my Ipod. You saved me quite a lot of stress! :)
 
weekend777 said:
Solved!

I found the answer to my problem. Maybe it will fix yours as well. I found the songs that skipped were encoded by Lame 3.97. Earlier and later versions of Lame mp3 codec played fine. It must be the Lame 3.97 and the firmware version on the ipod classic. I reencoded the songs with the latest Lame codec, and they now play on my ipod classic. As I was checking the file properties of the songs that didn't play, the Lame 3.97 is what they all had in common. I upgraded to 3.99 release 5.
Click to expand...

OH MY GOD THANK YOU VERY MUCH! I was desperate because I have a ****ing big iTunes library (up to 100 GB of music) and many many songs would play ok on iTunes but not on my iPod Classic 160 GB. I checked that thing about Lame 3.97 and you were just right, the files my iPod refused to play were encoded with Lame 3.97. Now that I got all my files encoded with Lame 3.98 or higher, all of my songs are playing normally on my iPod. Thank you very much indeed for this one :D

**UPDATE** - Well, too good to be true. I made myself sure all the files I added to my iPod were encoded with Lame 3.98 or higher, and some of my files encoded with Lame 3.99 didn't play right, while others did. I had to take them off of my iPod and put them back again and again, one by one, each of them, and it worked. The more I took the not-working files off and then put the very same files back, the more they came to work just right. It seems like there is a problem when iTunes transfers files to iPod, I don't get it...
 
Last edited:
weekend777 said:
Solved!

I found the answer to my problem. Maybe it will fix yours as well. I found the songs that skipped were encoded by Lame 3.97. Earlier and later versions of Lame mp3 codec played fine. It must be the Lame 3.97 and the firmware version on the ipod classic. I reencoded the songs with the latest Lame codec, and they now play on my ipod classic. As I was checking the file properties of the songs that didn't play, the Lame 3.97 is what they all had in common. I upgraded to 3.99 release 5.
Click to expand...

Hi weekend777. I've just created an account to pick your brains on this subject!

I've been having this problem for a long long time now and it's driving me mad! I am not very tech savvy at all so could you tell me how i actually go about doing this,step by step?

Any help would be very much appreciated.

Paul.
 
Smudge73 said:
Hi weekend777. I've just created an account to pick your brains on this subject!

I've been having this problem for a long long time now and it's driving me mad! I am not very tech savvy at all so could you tell me how i actually go about doing this,step by step?

Any help would be very much appreciated.

Paul.
Click to expand...

I think the problem here simply is the format or codec or any else of the file. You can use iTunes to convert an AAC version and copy into iPod, it will work normally.
 
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