Wow! After looking at the PowerAmp website it seems if one wants music-playing features, it would be tough to top this app.
USB port in Mini SE for music?
- Thread starter tinpanalley
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tinpanalley
Member
Ok, so clearly not an OS thing. You got it to work with a standard Android OS on a Samsung device. So my Sony Xperia shouldn't be an issue. Gonna check the formatting on the microSD card I use right now. Thank you!
UPDATE: Ok, so my card WAS formatted to exfat. Did you have any particular folder setup? I mean, was all your music in individual folders in the root? Or did you have it in "Music" or something?
UPDATE 2: To be safe, I copied out the music folders into the root directory. So ROOT -- ARTIST FOLDER, instead of ROOT -- MUSIC -- ARTIST FOLDER. It was formatted exfat, still didn't work. Now the manual does say it won't read FLAC but not all my files were FLAC so it should have read something. I will try with a USB stick, although having to convert a LOT of my music to mp3 will be a bigger nuisance than it's worth probably.
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tinpanalley
Member
At home we only listen to our huge digital database in programs and applications that let us navigate folder structures. Like a giant record shelf. In order, sorted by sections. PowerAmp has always permitted this flawlessly. Plus, you can really customise its UI not for aesthetics but for your preferred use while listening. It really can't be beat in my eyes. If I could navigate our music via Poweramp but playing out through the USB port of the car it would be great.
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Hatch
Active Member
I have a music folder (along with other folders) in the root. Under music there are individual folders for each album.
By the way - when using a flash drive (or the phone, if you get it working), i am REALLY digging the iDrive control knob for navigating folder browsing (or any other vehicle function). It really feels more comfortable and less distracting, than using the touch screen.
SameGuy
Well-Known Member
I’m ecosystem-agnostic, so I don’t wanna sound like one of those guys, but this whole thread reminds me of the Mac Dinosaurs ad.
Hatch
Active Member
It makes the sad point that Android Auto is excluded from our cars. Although what you desire above could just work fine over bluetooth correct?
I haven't tried using my phone over bluetooth yet.
Hatch
Active Member
I see what you mean about Poweramp. Looks like i'll be buying it. Love it so far.
tinpanalley
Member
No question Windows in the 90s was a mess and I don't wanna start an argument on my own topic but I would still rather have an OS I can toy with to make it work than one that only lets me learn what it wants me to learn about dinosaurs and only through the software and accessories they make available to me. Conveniently organised and bug free needn't mean best equipped to handle tasks.
tinpanalley
Member
Android Auto and Apple's solution are just mirrored UI from your phone in a basic app launcher that are actually quite laggy and limit you from using the most useful features of your phone for navigation and entertainment which is probably why Android is phasing it out and why it's not longer being put in cars. The majority of car owners with some kind of smart feature in their entertainment unit end up buying a mount and using their phone anyway. The "auto software" experience is an extra unnecessary step. Like running a software loader inside Windows, or using an app to run games from on your phone. You just wanna get to the app you already use for navigation. It woul dbe more useful to let people log into their Google account in their car and have basic search and Maps built in and nothing else. I'm sure that's where it will end up.
It really is amazing and worth buying.
JonR
Well-Known Member
I just use this: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LFV52Y6/
Super cheap, you don't even see it when it is plugged in, and it has my MP3 files on it. It shows the album covers on the radio too.
Super cheap, you don't even see it when it is plugged in, and it has my MP3 files on it. It shows the album covers on the radio too.
tinpanalley
Member
That's exactly what I'm thinking of doing. Because, actually, the UI in the car for music and the awesome joystick/turn controller are really well designed for navigating music on folders.
SameGuy
Well-Known Member
I just pulled my 2006, 80GB iPod Photo out of the storage drawer below my aftermarket Alpine head unit before I removed it and traded in my ’06 smart. It’d been plugged in to that radio since 2007, year-round, mostly outdoors, in all conditions from -30° to +35° (and much hotter inside the closed car). Simply put, it still “just works” like the day I got it and loaded some 12,000 tunes.
That said, I much prefer simply asking Siri or Alexa to just play whatever I want them to play — not limited to my collection. Pushing the mic button on the wheel and saying, “Play Soundgarden Radio,” is infinitely easier (and safer) than using the iDrive thingy to drill recursively through thousands of folders. The old way is simply more work than I’m willing to do when I’m dropping into the driver’s seat for a quick commute. And when my mood changes, I don’t want to have to find a parking spot so that I can do it all over again.
That said, I much prefer simply asking Siri or Alexa to just play whatever I want them to play — not limited to my collection. Pushing the mic button on the wheel and saying, “Play Soundgarden Radio,” is infinitely easier (and safer) than using the iDrive thingy to drill recursively through thousands of folders. The old way is simply more work than I’m willing to do when I’m dropping into the driver’s seat for a quick commute. And when my mood changes, I don’t want to have to find a parking spot so that I can do it all over again.
tinpanalley
Member
I hear ya. It's just not how we listen to music. Plus it involves having streaming services which I refuse to sign up for.
CrazyLegs17
New Member
Why can't MINI allow the phone to transfer album art via Bluetooth? Is that an Android interface issue? If I'm not mistaken, Car Play showed the artwork during the test drive.
tinpanalley
Member
I have no idea but I believe it has something to do with which version of Bluetooth they have installed in the car. All other metadata goes through but artwork doesn't work.
I'm about to try a USB flash drive with two mp3 albums and two flac albums to see if flac works. If it doesn't, I'll have to just resort to bluetooth without artwork. I'm not going to set about converting 80% of my music.
Puppethead
Well-Known Member
I test USB music with an ExFAT-formatted 256 GB SD Card via a USB reader. So really large disks work.
FLAC works, Apple Lossless does not (not surprising). My files are MP4, but I assume MP3 and WAV also play. And subfolders seem to work. In the file list below all files show up except "04 I Can Drive.m4a" which is the ALAC file (note the size).
Here's what shows up when you select the USB source.
As shown, the FLAC file shows in the artists list.
And finally, here's a song playing when searching by title. No album artwork, but it seems none of my audio files have embedded artwork. I thought I had some to test that.
teslarati97
Well-Known Member
I tried FLAC but there was no discernible difference on my Level 3 chip shortage non-HK speakers. 
tinpanalley
Member
Thanks for that. I did the same. FLAC and mp3 were no problem and all my album artwork showed up.
However, I did notice something that was a bit annoying... is there no pause button for the music when listening on a USB device? I couldn't find anything, bit weird. Also it seems it just starts playing when you select USB. It doesn't just let you go to a folder before music starts.