A Random MP3 Selector

Mr. Random is a utility useful for filling a portable MP3 audio player with music randomly selected from a larger collection situated on a computer hard drive. This is a good idea if you can't make up your mind what you want to hear, you prefer to be surprised by a selection of music you may not have heard in a while, or want to hear familiar music juxtaposed in novel combinations.

Mr. Random is a Java application, so it can be run on any computer with a Java Runtime Environment version 6.0. It is also allows the look and feel to be changed by selecting different themes.

The main display

Mr. Random User Interface with the iBar theme

News:

  • Released May 26, 2008: Mr. Random 2.0
    • Choose tunes by browsing images
    • Copy progress monitor stays on top
    • Tooltip of # of days since last play
    • Option to number copied tunes
    • Can specify a custom file type to copy (eg. JPG for those fancy picture frames)
    • Can fetch cover images from Amazon
    • Support for Sansa e200 series (copies cover images)
  • Released May 10, 2007: Mr. Random 1.4
    • Java Version 6.0 is required
    • List fills as tunes are picked
    • Status bar shows messages, list size and device free space / total space
    • Can export list as a playlist file to play in your desktop media player (Amarok, Winamp, QCD,...)
    • Detects device size (new feature in Java 6) so you don't have to guess
    • 10 new themes
    • Tooltips containing artist, album and optionally, cover art
    • Checking for new versions done in the background, so you don't have to wait for a connection during startup
    • All buttons disabled while copying to avoid funny business
  • Released Nov 24, 2006: Mr. Random 1.3
    • Upgraded to Java Version 5.0
    • Copy button disabled while copying to avoid multiple simultaneous copying
    • new device: Sansa m200 which supports a different format of playlist file
    • Advanced option dialog
    • Choice of four different randomization techniques
    • Choose number of attempts to find a tune before giving up
    • Automatic new version checking
    • Submit chosen tunes to Last.fm music tracker
    • increase device limit to 20GB
    • Italian translation
  • Released Mar 10, 2006: Mr. Random 1.2
    • Add entire albums or artist collections at once
    • History reporting
    • Repackaged into a single file
  • Released Oct 30, 2005: Mr. Random 1.1
    • Support for WMA, OGG and WAV files
    • Allows multiple source directories
    • Batch operation using -fast command line option
    • Creates a playlist file (mr.random.m3u)  and will only delete files in the playlist when 'Clear Device' is selected
    • New splash screen
  • Released June 26, 2005: Mr. Random 1.0.2
    • Support added for Dutch
    • File copy time reduced up to 40%
    • Copied files numbered sequentially
    • Playlist can be reordered
  • Released April 17, 2005: Mr. Random 1.0.1
    • Support added for selecting languages
  • Released April 3, 2005: Mr. Random 1.0

Download:

Mr. Random 2.0 (HTTP):
Sourceforge.net

Known Bugs

The current list of known bugs, along with their status.
  1. If the Cover Browser is stopped by moving the slider all the way to the left, it won't start again when you move it right again.