You might have noticed that the way database playlists are loaded has changed in mAirList 3.0. Back in v2.2, each database connection maintained its own hierarchy of playlists, and when you wanted to open one in the browser, you first picked the playlist from the tree, and then the browser appeared with the content of that playlist. That way, each database type was able to organize its playlists in a way natural to that interface. For example, eldoDB and RadioDB kept playlists in a year-month-day-hour hierarchy, while the iTunes connection simply used the names assigned in the iTunes application.

Now in mAirList 3, things have changed a bit. Database playlists are assumed to belong to a “slot”, that is, a YYYY-MM-DD-HH value. In other words, the database is supposed to keep a separate playlist for each hour of each day, and these hourly playlists are accessed accordingly by specifying the date and time of the slot. The new database browser works accordingly – you just pick a database, day and hour, and the playlist content is display instantly. This change was introduced in order to make handling of database playlists easier for the DJ, and after all it’s exactly like most database types (eldoDB, RadioDB, and also mAirListDB) are organized internally.

Now there’s one database that does not fit into the schema, namely iTunes. Because in iTunes, there isn’t anything like a date and hour schedule, but instead, you just choose the names of the playlists freely. Starting from mAirList 3.0.5, this circumstance can be exploited to emulate hourly playlists with iTunes by manually creating playlists following a particular naming scheme. It’s actually pretty simple:

First, launch mAirListConfig, navigate to the configuration of your iTunes database connection. You will see a new field named Hourly Playlist Pattern:

itunes-configIn that field, enter the desired name pattern of your playlists.You can use any of the ordinary logging variables to include date and time parts into the name. In the line below the text field, you can see what the resulting playlist name would look like for the current hour. The default value is “mAirList %Y-%M-%D-%h” which resolves to “mAirList 2009-06-19-20″ by the time this article is written.

Close and save the configuration.

Now in iTunes, create a new playlist (or a bunch of them) following the exact naming schema:

itunes-playlistAs you can see, I created a dedicated folder for the mAirList playlists, but actually it doesn’t matter because the playlist hierarchy will appear flat in mAirList.

Now it’s time for creativity. Insert some songs into the playlist:

itunes-contentFinally, open mAirList, add a new Database Playlist browser, select your iTunes database from the list and use the date and time fields to navigate to the hour slot you just created:

itunes-mairlistVoilà, there it is, your hourly playlist directly from iTunes. You can now proceed and drag the files into the main playlist, or click the small button on the right to transfer all items into the main playlist at once.

A few more tips:

  • Remember that iTunes does not store any mAirList metadata like cue points, but instead, mAirList looks for MMD files, tags, or even performs auto cue when you import an item from iTunes. This is also the case when loading a playlist, so you may expect a delay before the playlist shows up in the browser. Make sure you have MMD files for all of your files to speed up the process.
  • The mechanism can also be used in combination with the “load database playlist” action, e.g. run from an hourly event. You can automate your station this way (given that you’re willing to create all those hourly playlists manually).
  • You can also use daily playlists if you prefer. For example, use the pattern “mAirList %Y-%M-%D”, and load the playlist only once a day at midnight.
  • Usually, the iTunes XML file is loaded only once when mAirList is started. If you want to reload the file while mAirList is running, you can use this trick: Open a database browser, right-click the iTunes node, and click “Disconnection”. Then, right-click the node again and click “Connect”.

The new feature will be available from mAirList 3.0.5. A preliminary snapshot will be available this weekend.