Sony NW-A1000 series, A3000 series Operating manual

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Operation Guide

NW-A1000 series / A3000 series

2-683-714-11 (1)

About the Manuals

Included with the player are the Quick Start Guide and this PDF-format Operation Guide. Additionally, after installing SonicStage or CONNECT Player software, you can refer to the Help within each software.

–The Quick Start Guide explains set up and the basic operations, enabling you to import tracks into a computer, to transfer them to the player, and to play them back.

–This Operation Guide explains advanced features, enabling you to make full use of the player and troubleshoot problems.

–The SonicStage Help or CONNECT Player Help explains details about using each software ( page 4).

Hints

•NW-A1000 series refers to the NW-A1000 or NW-A1200 model.

•NW-A3000 series refers to the NW-A3000 model.

Note

•Depending on the country/region in which you have purchased the player, some models may not be available.

Explanations in this Operation Guide

This Operation Guide gives an explanation based on a situation where the player is connected to SonicStage CP (SonicStage Ver.4.0) or CONNECT Player.

In this Operation Guide, unless otherwise noted, “SonicStage” refers to SonicStage CP (SonicStage Ver.4.0).

For details about the minimum system requirements of SonicStage or CONNECT Player, see page 105.

Notes

•The following functions of the player are not available if you use the player with a version of SonicStage before SonicStage CP (SonicStage Ver.4.0) or “Use Intelligent Features” is not checked in the SonicStage CP settings.

-Sorting the artist list by name, ignoring the introductory “The” or “THE” of the name

-The following search functions of the Music Library

-Rating

-Release Date

-Recent Transfers

-Rating a track manually( Rating)

-Artist Link

-The following shuffle functions of Intelligent Shuffle

-Artist Link Shuffle

-My Favorite Shuffle

-Time Machine Shuffle

-Restoring a track from the Trash Bin

-Favorite 100

-Play History

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Continued

•The supplied software may differ depending on the country/region in which you have purchased the player, or the model you have purchased.

•You can download the latest version of SonicStage from the following web sites:

For customers in the USA: http://www.sony.com/walkmansupport/

For customers in Canada: http://www.sony.ca/ElectronicsSupport/

For customers in Europe: http://www.sonydigital-link.com/DNA/

For customers in China: http://service.sony.com.cn/KB/

For customers in Taiwan: http://www.twsupport.css.ap.sony.com/

For customers in Korea: http://scs.sony.co.kr/walkman/

For customers in other countries/regions: http://www.css.ap.sony.com/

Browsing the Operation Guide

To use the buttons in the Operation Guide

Click the buttons located in the upper right of this manual to jump to “Table of Contents,” “Player HOME Menu Reference,” or “Index.”

Jumps to the table of contents

Find what you are looking for from a list of topics in the manual.

Jumps to the HOME menu reference

Find what you are looking for from a list of the

Option items in the player’s HOME menu.

Jumps to the index

Find what you are looking for from a list of key words mentioned in the manual.

Hints

•You can jump to the indicated page by clicking a page number in the table of contents, in the HOME menu reference, or in the index.

•You can jump to the indicated page by clicking a page reference indicated by ( page 2), etc.

•To search for a reference page by keyword, click the “Edit” menu, select “Search” of

the Adobe Reader to display the navigation frame, type the keyword into the Search text box, and click “Search.”

•You can jump to the previous or next page by clicking the and buttons located at bottom of the screen of the Adobe Reader.

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To change the page layout

The buttons at the bottom of the Adobe Reader screen enable you to select how pages are displayed.

Single Page

Pages are displayed one at a time. When you scroll, the display changes to a previous or succeeding page.

Continuous

Pages are displayed as a continuous roll of pages.

When you scroll, the previous and next pages scroll up and down continuously.

Continuous - Facing

Two pages are displayed side by side with each pair part of a continuous roll of pages. When you scroll, the previous and next pairs of pages scroll up and down continuously.

Facing

Two pages are displayed side by side. When you scroll, the display changes to previous or succeeding pairs of pages.

Using SonicStage Help or CONNECT Player Help

Refer to SonicStage Help or CONNECT Player Help for details about using each software suite for details on how to complete tasks, such as importing tracks to your computer and transferring tracks to the player.

To use SonicStage Help

1 Click “Help” – “SonicStage Help” while SonicStage is running.

Help appears.

Note

• In SonicStage Help, the player is referred to as “Device/media.”

To use CONNECT Player Help

1Click “Help” – “CONNECT Player Help” while CONNECT Player is running.

Help appears.

Note

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• In CONNECT Player Help, the player is referred to as “Device.”

Table of Contents

Supplied Accessories.............................	7
Guide to Parts and Controls ................	8
Using the Player Controls ....................	9
Playing Tracks
Searching for Tracks ..........................	11
By track name...........................................	11
By album...................................................	12
By artist.....................................................	13
By genre....................................................	14
By Rating..............................................	15
By release year..........................................	16
From albums recently transferred.............	17
Searching for Tracks by Initial Letter...	18
Playing a Playlist ................................	19
Playing Your Top 100 Tracks .............	21
Searching for Tracks by Dates Played...	22
Playing Tracks in Random Order
(Intelligent Shufﬂe Play) ..................	23
Playing your 100 favorite tracks
in random order......................................	23
Playing tracks of similar artists
in random order (Artist Link Shufﬂe) ....	25
Playing tracks released in the same year
randomly (Time Machine Shufﬂe).........	26
Playing all tracks in random order............	27
Changing the Play Mode....................	28
Displaying the Now Playing Screen...	30
Displaying the Option Menu..............	31
Searching for Tracks Based on
the Currently Playing Track............	33
Adding/Editing Tracks to
a Bookmark List...............................	34
Deleting a Track From the Player .....	41
Rating Tracks......................................	44
Using the Artist Link Feature
Searching for Artists Belonging to
Similar Genres (Artist Link) ...........	45
Settings
Customizing Sound Quality
(6-Band Equalizer) ...........................	48
Limiting the Volume from
the Headphones ................................	51

Settings (continued)
Turning Off the Player
Operation Beep.................................	52
Connecting to Other Devices .............	53
Setting the Screen Display Option.....	54
Setting a Screensaver..........................	56
Adjusting the Brightness of
the Screen..........................................	57
Displaying Player Information ..........	58
Selecting the Display Language.........	59
Setting a Clock....................................	60
Setting the Date Display ....................	62
Setting the Time Display ...................	63
Resetting to Factory Settings .............	64
Initializing the Hard Disk ..................	65
Advanced Feature
Charging the Battery Using
the AC Power Adaptor .....................	66
Maximizing Battery Life....................	68
What are Format and Bit Rate? ........	69
Playing Tracks Without Pauses .........	71
Playing Audio Files Registered in
SonicStage or CONNECT Player....	72
How is Track Information Imported
into the Player?.................................	73
Storing Data Other Than Audio Files...	74
Updating the Player’s Firmware .......	75
Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting ..................................	76
Error Messages ...................................	83
Uninstalling SonicStage or
CONNECT Player............................	88
Additional Information
WARNING ..........................................	90
Precautions..........................................	93
Notes on Disposing of the Player .......	99
On Copyrights...................................	102
Speciﬁcations.....................................	103
Optional Accessories.........................	107
Index..................................................	108

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Sony NW-A1000 series, A3000 series Operating manual

Player HOME Menu Reference

The HOME menu is the screen that appears either when you turn the player on or when you connect it to SonicStage or CONNECT Player.

The HOME menu is the starting point to play audio, search for tracks, and change settings.

To display the player’s HOME menu, press and hold BACK.

Play Mode
Normal......................................	29
Repeat .......................................	29
Shuffle.......................................	29
Shuffle&Repeat ........................	29
Repeat 1 Song...........................	29
Initial Search
Artist .........................................	18
Album .......................................	18
Song..........................................	18
Intelligent Shufﬂe
My Favorite Shuffle..................	23
Artist Link Shuffle....................	25
Time Machine Shuffle ..............	26
Shuffle All.................................	27
Favorite 100..................	21

Music Library
Playlists.....................................	19
All Songs ..................................	11
Album .......................................	12
Artist .........................................	13
Genre.........................................	14
Rating ...................................	15
Release Date .............................	16
Recent Transfers .......................	17
Play History ...................	22
Settings
Play Mode ................................	28
Sound........................................	48
Default Bookmark ....................	34
AVLS (Vol. Limit) ....................	51
Beep..........................................	52
Audio Output ............................	53
Display......................................	54
Screensaver...............................	56
Brightness .................................	57
Unit Information.......................	58
Language...................................	59
Clock Setting ............................	60
Reset all Settings.......................	64
Initialize Disk............................	65
Playlists
B.mark List 1 – 5 ................	20, 34
Playlists.....................................	20
Favorite 100 ........................	20, 21
Trash Bin............................	20, 41

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Now Playing ................

Supplied Accessories

The player includes the following items.

The built-in rechargeable battery is pre-installed in the player.

Headphones (1)	Headphone extension cord (1)
	AC power cord* (1)
	AC power adaptor* (1)
	CD-ROM** (1)
USB cable (1)	– CONNECT Player software or
	SonicStage software***
	– Operation Guide (PDF file)
	Quick Start Guide (1)

* Depending on your country/region, an AC power adaptor and AC cord may not be supplied with the player.

**Do not attempt to play this CD-ROM in an audio CD player.

***The supplied software may differ depending on the country/region in which you have purchase the player, or the model you have purchased.

For customers in the USA

The AC power adaptor supplied with this unit is not intended to be serviced. Should the AC power adaptor cease to function in its intended manner during the warranty period, the adaptor should be returned to your nearest Sony Service Center or Sony Authorized Repair Center for replacement, or if a problem occurs after the warranty period has expired, the adaptor should be discarded.

Note

•Connect the AC power adaptor to an easily accessible AC outlet. Should you notice an abnormality in the AC power adaptor, disconnect it from the AC outlet immediately.

About the serial number

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The serial number provided for this player is required for the customer registration. The number is on a label on the back of the player. Do not remove the label.

Guide to Parts and Controls

	Front	Back
	HOLD button
	(Headphones) jack
	Headphone	LINK button
	extension cord	LINK button
	extension cord

Headphones	OPTION button
	BACK button
	5-way button

VOL +/– switch

Hole for hand strap (NW-A1000 series only)

Multiple

connector RESET button

HOLD button

When you press and hold the HOLD button, “HOLD On” appears, the player is disabled, and the controls are locked. When you press and hold the HOLD button while the HOLD feature is on, “HOLD Off” appears, and the controls are unlocked again. The HOLD feature cannot be set to ON when the player is turned off.

(Headphones) jack

Insert the headphone or the headphones extension cord until you feel a click. If the plug is not securely seated, sound may not be played properly through the headphones. The headphone jack is also used for LINE OUT connections ( page 53).

LINK button

Searches for tracks by artists that belong to the similar genre to the artist of the currently playing track ( page 45).

5-way button

Starts playback and enables navigation of the player’s on-screen menus ( page 10).

BACK button

Press to go up one list screen level ( page 9), or to return to the previous screen.

Press and hold BACK to display the HOME menu.

OPTION button

Displays the Option menu ( page 31).

To turn the player off, press and hold the OPTION button or select “Shut Down” from the Option menu, and then press .

VOL +/– switch

Adjusts the volume when slid up or down.

Hole for hand strap (NW-A1000 series only)

You can attach a thin hand strap of your choice. Use tweezers to attach it.

Multiple connector

Connects the supplied USB cable ( page 66).

RESET button

Resets the player ( page 76).

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Using the Player Controls

Use the 5-way button and the BACK button to navigate through screens, play tracks, and change the player’s settings.

The diagram below shows how the screen changes when you press the operation button. For example, a player’s screen changes as shown below by selecting “Music Library”– “Album” from the HOME menu.

The HOME menu appears when you press and hold BACK.

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HOME menu

Index

Select (Music Library),

and press .

Music Library

Press BACK

Select “Album,” and press .

Album list

Press BACK

Select your desired album, and press .

Track list

2/4

Press BACK

Select your desired track,

and press .

Playback begins.

Now Playing screen

Press BACK

The 5-way button performs different functions depending upon the screen shown on the player’s display. List screens enable you to search for and select tracks. The Now Playing screen provides information about the currently playing track.

*Use the raised dot on the button as a tactile reference when operating the player.

button*

/ buttons

List screen	Now Playing screen
	Bookmark icon
Index	Track title
	Track title
	Artist name
List	Album title
	Genre
	Rating
	Playing status

button

Activates the selected item. Press and hold to play all the tracks of the selected item.

/ buttons

Moves the cursor up or down. Press and hold to scroll up or down faster.

/ buttons

Changes screens, or, when an index screen is displayed, moves the cursor left or right to display a list of items.

button

is displayed on the left bottom of the player’s display while a track is playing. When you press during playback, appears, and the track pauses. Press to resume playback. This pause and resume feature is available only on the Now Playing screen.

/ buttons

Press / to display the cursor and scroll through the displayed items. When the genre, album title, or other characteristic is selected by the cursor, press to display a list of artists or tracks matching the genre of the currently playing track.

/ buttons

Moves playback to the beginning of the current, previous, or next track when pressed once or repeatedly.

Press and hold to scan a playing track backwards or forwards quickly.

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11	Playing Tracks

Searching for Tracks

You can search for tracks by “Genre,” “Artist,” “Album,” “All Songs,” etc.

Music Library	5-way button
Music Library
	BACK button

Searching for tracks by track name

The list of tracks is displayed in alphabetical order, numerical order, or by some other method.

Press and hold BACK.

The HOME menu appears.

Press / / / to select(Music Library), and then press .

The list screen appears.

Press / to select “All Songs,” and then press .

The track list appears.

Press / / / to select a track, and then press .

Playback starts from the selected track and continues through all tracks on the list.

Hint

•You can add a track to the default Bookmark List by pressing while selecting the track in the track list ( page 34).

Continued

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12	Playing Tracks...Searching for Tracks

Searching for tracks by album

The list of albums is displayed in alphabetical order, numerical order, or by some other method.

Press and hold BACK.

The HOME menu appears.

Press / / / to select (Music Library), and then press .

The list screen appears.

Press / to select “Album,” and then press .

The album list appears.

Press / / / to select an album, and then press .

The track list appears.

Press / / / to select a track, and then press .

Playback starts from the selected track and continues through all tracks on the list.

Hint

•You can play all tracks of a list item by selecting the item from the list and pressing and holding in step .

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13	Playing Tracks...Searching for Tracks

Searching for tracks by artist

The list of artists is displayed in alphabetical order, numerical order, or by some other method.

Press and hold BACK.

The HOME menu appears.

Press / / / to select (Music Library), and then press .

The list screen appears.

Press / to select “Artist,” and then press .

The artist list appears.

Press / / / to select an artist, and then press .

The album list appears.

Press / / / to select an album, and then press .

The track list appears.

Press / / / to select a track, and then press .

Playback starts from the selected track and continues through all tracks on the list.

Hints

•If the artist name starts with “The” or “THE,” the introductory “The” or “THE” is ignored in sorting the artist list by name.

•You can play all tracks of a list item by selecting the item from the list and pressing and holding in steps to .

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14	Playing Tracks...Searching for Tracks

Searching for tracks by genre

Press and hold BACK.

The HOME menu appears.

Press / / / to select (Music Library), and then press .

The list screen appears.

Press / to select “Genre,” and then press .

The list of genres appears.

Press / / / to select a genre, and then press .

The artist list appears.

Press / / / to select an artist, and then press .

The album list appears.

Press / / / to select an album, and then press .

The track list appears.

Press / / / to select a track, and then press .

Playback starts from the selected track and continues through all tracks on the list.

Hint

•You can play all tracks of a list item by selecting the item from the list and pressing and holding in steps to .

Continued

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15	Playing Tracks...Searching for Tracks

Searching for tracks by Rating

You can rate tracks by assigning them from one to five stars () and then later search for tracks by their star rating. For details on assigning star ratings, seepage 44.

Press and hold BACK.

The HOME menu appears.

Press / / / to select (Music Library), and then press .

The list screen appears.

Press / to select “ Rating,” and then press .

The list of ratings appears.

Press / to select your desired star rating for the track (indicated by 1 to 5 s), and then press .

The track list appears.

Press / / / to select a track, and then press .

Playback starts from the selected track and continues through all tracks on the list.

Hints

•“ Rating” includes automatically assigned ratings indicated by hollow stars () and manually assigned ratings indicated by filled stars ().

•You can play all tracks of a list item by selecting the item from the list and pressing and holding in step .

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16	Playing Tracks...Searching for Tracks

Searching for tracks by release year

Press and hold BACK.

The HOME menu appears.

Press / / / to select (Music Library), and then press .

The list screen appears.

Press / to select “Release Date,” and then press .

The list of release years appears.

Press / to select a year, and then press .

The artist list appears.

Press / / / to select an artist, and then press .

The track list appears.

Press / / / to select a track, and then press .

Playback starts from the selected track and continues through all tracks on the list.

Hint

•You can play all tracks of a list item by selecting the item from the list and pressing and holding in steps to .

Continued

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17	Playing Tracks...Searching for Tracks

Searching for tracks from albums recently transferred

You can search for tracks from albums transferred during the three most recent connections to SonicStage or CONNECT Player.

Press and hold BACK.

The HOME menu appears.

Press / / / to select (Music Library), and then press .

The list screen appears.

Press / to select “Recent Transfers,” and then press .

A selection list appears for the three most recent transfer sessions with SonicStage or CONNECT Player.

Press / to select a recent transfer session, and then press

The album list from the selected session appears.

Press / / / to select an album, and then press .

The track list appears.

Press / / / to select a track, and then press .

Playback starts from the selected track and continues through all tracks on the list.

Hint

•You can play all tracks of a list item by selecting the item from the list and pressing and holding in steps to .

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18	Playing Tracks

Searching for Tracks by Initial Letter

You can search for tracks by the initial letter of the artist name, album title, or track title.

Initial Search

5-way button

BACK button

Press and hold BACK.

The HOME menu appears.

Press / / / to select (Initial Search), and then press .

A screen appears that enables you to select a character.

Press / / / to select an initial character, and then press

A list of categories you can search by appears.

“Song” searches by the track title, “Artist” searches by the artist name, and “Album” searches by the album title.

Press / to select a category, and then press .

“Searching” appears.

When the search finishes, the results are displayed.

When you select “Artist” or “Album,” you can narrow the search results and select a specific track.

When “Artist” or “Album” is selected and press and hold , all tracks on the item are played.

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19	Playing Tracks

Playing a Playlist

You can play lists of tracks (playlists) created either in SonicStage or CONNECT Player or on the player (Bookmark List).

5-way button

Playlists

BACK button

Press and hold BACK.

The HOME menu appears.

Press / / / to select (Playlists), and then press .

The screen to select a playlist type appears.

For details of each of playlist type, see page 20.

Press / / / to select a playlist, and then press .

The track list appears.

Press / / / to select a track, and then press .

Playback of the selected track starts.

Hints

•You can also access playlists by selecting “Playlists” from the “Music Library” screen.

•You can play all tracks of a list item by selecting the item from the list and pressing and holding in step .

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20	Playing Tracks...Playing a Playlist

Types of playlists

There are five types of playlists, as described below.

Playlist type	Explanation
B.mark List 1 – 51)	A playlist created in the player (called a Bookmark
	List). The player includes five Bookmark Lists. While a
	Bookmark list is being played, the currently playing
	Bookmark list appears with an icon underlined on the
	Now Playing screen. For details on Bookmark Lists, see
	page 34.
Playlists1)	A playlist created in SonicStage or CONNECT Player.
	For details on creating a playlist, refer to each Help.
Favorite 100	A playlist created automatically by SonicStage or
	CONNECT Player that includes the 100 tracks that the
	player has played the most, displayed in descending
	order by how many times they have been played. This
	playlist is updated each time you connect the player to
	SonicStage or CONNECT Player.
Trash Bin	A playlist that includes tracks to be deleted from the
	player. Tracks added to the Trash Bin are delete from
	the player the next time you connect the player to
	SonicStage or CONNECT Player. For details on adding
	tracks to the Trash Bin, see page 41.

1)If you change a Bookmark List’s name or a Playlist’s name in CONNECT Player, the list appears with the edited name.

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21	Playing Tracks

Playing Your Top 100 Tracks

The player can select and play the 100 tracks that have been played the most times.

Favorite 100	5-way button
Favorite 100
	BACK button

Press and hold BACK.

The HOME menu appears.

Press / / / to select (Favorite 100), and then press .

The list of the top 100 tracks appears.

Press / / / to select a track, and then press .

Playback starts from the selected track and continues through all tracks on the list.

Hints

•The track play counts used to select the top 100 are updated each time you connect the player to SonicStage or CONNECT Player.

•If the total number of tracks stored on the player is less than 100, all tracks on the player are played. If fewer than 100 tracks on the player have ever been played, all tracks on the player that have been played at least once are played.

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22	Playing Tracks

Searching for Tracks by Dates Played

You can search for tracks according to the dates on which the player has played them.

Play History	5-way button
Play History
	BACK button

Press and hold BACK.

The HOME menu appears.

Press / / / to select (Play History), and then press .

A list of dates on which tracks were played appears, starting with the most recent.

Press / to select a year and month, press / to select a date, and then press .

A list of tracks played on the selected date appears.

Press / / / to select a track, and then press .

Playback starts from the selected track and continues through all tracks on the list.

Hints

•The history of when tracks were played for more than 15 seconds is updated and that record is applied to the play history only when you connect the player to SonicStage or CONNECT Player.

•When a track is played for less than 15 seconds, that playback is not applied to the play history.

•You can play all tracks of a list item by selecting the item from the list and pressing and holding in step .

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23	Playing Tracks

Playing Tracks in Random Order

(Intelligent Shufﬂe Play)

The player offers four random play (also known as “shuffle play”) modes: “My Favorite Shuffle,” “Artist Link Shuffle,” “Time Machine Shuffle,” and “Shuffle All.” Each shuffle play mode plays a different selection of tracks in random order.

Intelligent
Shufﬂe	5-way button

BACK button

Playing your 100 favorite tracks in random order

The player selects the 100 tracks that have been played the most and plays them in random order.

Press and hold BACK.

The HOME menu appears.

Press / / / to select (Intelligent Shufﬂe), and then press .

The screen to select a shuffle type appears.

Press / to select “My Favorite Shufﬂe,” and then press .

“Shuffle play 100 favorite songs.” appears, and playback starts.

If you select a shuffle type while a track is playing, the track stops after the message appears, and a randomly selected track starts playing (Intelligent Shuffle play).

Continued

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24Playing Tracks...Playing Tracks in Random Order

Hints

•Intelligent Shuffle play is automatically cancelled by any of the following operations:

–Starting playback of a track by selecting it from the Music Library.

–Using the Artist Link feature.

–Changing the play mode.

•When you start Intelligent Shuffle play, the play mode changes to “Shuffle” or “Shuffle&Repeat.”

•The track play count information for “My Favorite Shuffle” is updated every time you connect the player to SonicStage or CONNECT Player.

•If fewer than 100 tracks on the player have ever been played, all tracks on the player that have been played at least once are played in random order. If the total number of tracks stored on the player is less than 100, all tracks on the player are played in random order.

Note

•To move back through as many as the last 20 tracks played during shuffle play, pressrepeatedly. Moving back more than one track to continue playing tracks, or going forward quickly or pressing resets the shuffle to create a new random track order.

Continued

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25	Playing Tracks...Playing Tracks in Random Order

Playing tracks of similar artists in random order

(Artist Link Shufﬂe)

The player selects other artists in similar musical genres to the selected artist, and plays their tracks in random order.

Press and hold BACK.

The HOME menu appears.

Press / / / to select (Intelligent Shufﬂe), and then press

The screen to select a shuffle type appears.

Press / to select “Artist Link Shufﬂe,” and then press .

The artist list appears.

Press / / / to select an artist, and then press .

“Shuffle play artist songs close to [ ] genre.” ([ ] represents the selected artist) appears, and playback starts.

If you select a shuffle type while a track is playing, the track stops after the message appears, and a randomly selected track starts playing (Intelligent Shuffle play).

Hints

•Intelligent Shuffle play is automatically cancelled by any of the following operations:

–Starting playback of a track by selecting it from the Music Library.

–Using the Artist Link feature.

–Changing the play mode.

•When you start Intelligent Shuffle play, the play mode changes to “Shuffle” or “Shuffle&Repeat.”

•If only a few artists or tracks of a genre similar to the selected artist are found, the

search range is increased automatically.

If there is no artist in a similar musical genre, “Shuffle play [ ] songs” ([ ] is the artist name you selected) appears, and then all the tracks of the selected artist are played back in random order.

Note

• While “Artist Link Shuffle” is displayed, the controls of the player cannot be operated.

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Continued

26	Playing Tracks...Playing Tracks in Random Order

Playing tracks released in the same year randomly

(Time Machine Shufﬂe)

The player selects a year at random and plays tracks released in that year.

Press and hold BACK.

The HOME menu appears.

Press / / / to select (Intelligent Shufﬂe), and then press

The screen to select a shuffle type appears.

Press / to select “Time Machine Shufﬂe,” and then press

“Shuffle play songs released in 2005.” (for example) appears, and then tracks released in the selected year are played in random order.

If you select a shuffle type while a track is playing, the track stops after the message appears, and a randomly selected track starts playing (Intelligent Shuffle play).

Hints

•Intelligent Shuffle play is automatically cancelled by any of the following operations:

–Starting playback of a track by selecting it from the Music Library.

–Using the Artist Link feature.

–Changing the play mode.

•When you start Intelligent Shuffle play, the play mode changes to “Shuffle” or “Shuffle&Repeat.”

Notes

•The controls of the player cannot be operated while a year is being selected.

•A shuffle play of all tracks begins if none of the tracks on the player have a release year assigned to them.

•If all the tracks on the player that have a release year assigned have the same release year, or some of tracks have the same release year and the rest of them have no released year assigned, the player automatically plays a random shuffle of the tracks from that year, and “Shuffle play songs released in 2005” (for example) is displayed.

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Continued

27	Playing Tracks...Playing Tracks in Random Order

Playing all tracks in random order

All the tracks stored on the player are played in random order.

Press and hold BACK.

The HOME menu appears.

Press / / / to select (Intelligent Shufﬂe), and then press

The screen to select a shuffle type appears.

Press / to select “Shufﬂe All,” and then press .

“Shuffle play all.” appears, and playback starts.

If you select a shuffle type while a track is playing, the track stops after the message appears, and a randomly selected track starts playing (Intelligent Shuffle play).

Hints

•Intelligent Shuffle play is automatically cancelled by any of the following operations:

–Starting playback of a track by selecting it from the Music Library.

–Using the Artist Link feature.

–Changing the play mode.

•When you start Intelligent Shuffle play, the play mode changes to “Shuffle” or “Shuffle&Repeat.”

Note

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28	Playing Tracks

Changing the Play Mode

The player offers a variety of play modes, including normal play and several shuffle play (random play) and repeat play options.

Play Mode

5-way button OPTION button

BACK button

Press and hold BACK.

The HOME menu appears.

Press / / / to select (Play Mode), and then press .

The list of play modes appears.

You can also display the list of play modes when playing a track by pressing OPTION and selecting “Play Mode” from the Option menu that appears.

Press / to select a play mode (see page 29), and then press .

If you selected “Play Mode” from the HOME menu, the HOME menu reappears.

If you selected “Play Mode” by pressing OPTION while playing a track, the Now Playing screen reappears.

Continued

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Playing Tracks...Changing the Play Mode

The list of play modes

Play mode type/Icon

Description

Normal/No icon

All the tracks after the selected track are played once

in the track list order, and then playback pauses.

Repeat/

After the currently playing track (or the track

selected from a track list) finishes, tracks on the

currently playing list item (such as an album or artist

list) are played repeatedly in track list order.

Shuffle/

After the currently playing track (or the track

selected from a track list) finishes, tracks on the

currently playing list item (such as an album or artist

list) are played in random order.

Shuffle&Repeat/

After the currently playing track (or the track

selected from a track list) finishes, tracks on the

currently playing list item (such as an album or artist

list) are played repeatedly in random order.

Repeat 1 Song/

The currently playing track (or the track selected

from a track list) is played repeatedly.

Notes

•When you start Intelligent Shuffle play, the play mode changes to “Shuffle” or “Shuffle&Repeat.”

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30	Playing Tracks

Displaying the Now Playing Screen

The Now Playing screen displays information about the currently playing track, such as the artist name and album title.

5-way button

Now Playing

BACK button

Press and hold BACK.

The HOME menu appears.

Press / / / to select (Now Playing), and then press .

Detailed information about the currently playing track appears.

Hint

•If you display the Option menu from the Now Playing screen and select “Detailed Information,” you can view detailed information about the track, such as release year, playing time, audio format, and bit rate*.

* If the track has a variable bit rate, “VBR” is shown for the bit rate.

Note

•When playing tracks recorded using variable bit rate (VBR) recording, the progress bar that shows the elapsed playback time, and the time itself, is not stable, which may result in incorrect information being displayed.

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+ 79 hidden pages