FAQ
partyStrands users: a partyStrands FAQ is now available. Our list of Frequently Asked Questions will grow as we receive more queries. If you have a question about MyStrands that you don't see answered below, please send it to us at: support@mystrands.com. We'll get back to you quickly, and may add your question to the list. Thanks!
Features
How do I access the features in MyStrands for Windows?
We've designed MyStrands for Windows to take up less of your desktop when you're simply listening to music. However, you can still get to all the familiar options, as well as a few that might be new.
To view the features available in MyStrands, right click on the Muzika icon in your Windows system tray. To display the familiar Main Window and see recommendations for the track you're playing, right click on Muzika, and then select Use MyStrands followed by Discover New Music. The community, tagging, and playlist builder options also appear under the Use MyStrands menu option.
Other options, including partyStrands, iPod Synch, and Auto Fill are available from the Muzika menu.
I started MyStrands and have been asked to synchronize my library. What does that mean, and how long will it take?
To provide services like playlist building and partyStrands, MyStrands needs to know what music you have in your library so that it can make connections from your music to our recommendations. When you "synchronize" your library, you provide MyStrands with information about the tracks, artists, and albums in your library. With a fast internet connection, synchronization takes about four minutes per 1000 tracks.
If you add a lot of music to your library at once, you may want to synchronize again so that MyStrands knows about all the new tracks immediately. If you tend to "add and play" music, you don't need to re-synchronize. MyStrands automatically synchronizes new songs when it plays them.
How can I use MyStrands to discover music that's new to me?
There are several ways to discover new-to-you music through MyStrands. Here are a few ideas:
Play a track in your media player, and then select Use MyStrands | Discover New Music from the Muzika menu (Windows) or check out the main screen on a Mac. You can click on track or artist names in the window to open the MyStrands website, where you can discover even more detailed recommendations and information.
Open the Community Window by selecting Use MyStrands | My Community (Windows) or clicking the community button on a Mac. The upper pane lists favorite members you have added to your community, and the lower half lists people who have recently listened to your current track. Click Show More next to any member, and a detail window will appear, showing the member's most recent tracks, links to those tracks and artists on the MyStrands website, and more information.
Check out the Recommendations area in Playlist Builder. After you create a playlist, expand the recommendations area to view songs that you could add to your collection.
How can I use MyStrands to re-discover music that I own?
MyStrands offers a few ways to rediscover the great music that you already own.
The Playlist Builder and Tag Cloud options let you create playlists from the tracks in your library. You can also set filters so that the recommendations that appear in the Discover New Music window come from your library. (See "How do I fine-tune my MyStrands recommendations" below.)
How do I use Playlist Builder?
The MyStrands Playlist Builder helps you rediscover the hidden gems in your local music library. Choose it by selecting Use MyStrands | Playlist | Playlist Builder from the Muzika menu on Windows, or clicking the playlist button on a Mac. Playlist Builder uses the MyStrands Recommender to recommend a playlist from tracks that you own. Enter a seed track, artist, or album, set some (optional) filters, click the Get tracks button, and Voila! Instant playlist. You can rearrange it, add more tracks, and save it when you're finished.
How do I use the Tag Cloud playlist builder?
Tag Cloud is the easiest way to get music from your library. Select Use MyStrands | Playlist | Tag Cloud, from the Muzika menu on Windows, or click the Tag Cloud button on a Mac, and the Tag Cloud window appears. You can show either personal tags that you've applied to tracks in your library or community tags that MyStrands members have applied. The larger and darker the font of any given tag, the more times it applies to tracks in your library. Click any tag to see a set of songs from your library with that tag. If you like what you see, click Create Playlist.
What happens when I synchronize my iPod with MyStrands?
Synchronizing your iPod with MyStrands adds your iPod play history to your MyStrands music profile so that it can be used to personalize recommendations, determine your affiliation with other users, and influence parties you join through partyStrands.
The first time you synchronize, every song you've played on your iPod will be added to your profile. After that, only the songs you've played since the last time you synchronized will be added. If you listen to your iPod regularly, we recommend that you synchronize often to keep your profile up-to-date.
Recommendations
How do I get personalized recommendations with MyStrands?
Start up your media player (MyStrands will automatically start) and play a song. To get a list of recommendations, choose Use MyStrands | Discover New Music from the Muzika menu, or simply review the main MyStrands screen on a Mac. A list of recommendations will show up on the MyStrands discovery screen. You'll see a new set of recommendations for each song you play.
How do I fine-tune my MyStrands recommendations?
Look for the gear just above the recommendation area on the Discover New Music Screen. Click the gear to open the Recommendation Filters slide-out window. You can use that window to adjust the source (in or not in your library), decade, genre, and popularity of your recommendations.
What do the colors of the music notes next to recommendations mean?
Green notes mean that the recommendation is based on the currently playing track, blue notes indicate that the recommendation is based on the last few tracks you've played (i.e. a "historical recommendation"), and orange notes designate a recommendation from MyStrands "Indie" collection.
How do I listen to sample clips of recommended tracks in Windows?
You can listen to clips directly through MyStrands for Windows. If there is a sample clip available, there will be a blue "play" icon to the right of the recommended track. You can click this icon to hear a 30 second clip. You must have Windows Media Player installed in order to play clips.
How do I listen to sample clips if I'm using MyStrands Discovery for Mac OS X?
The sample clips on the MyStrands website are in Windows Media Format. If you are using MyStrands Discovery for Mac OS X, you must install Flip4Mac to listen to clips through the MyStrands application.
To install the Flip4Mac components download and install Flip4Mac here.
Follow the installation instructions on the download page, and begin enjoying music clips through MyStrands.
Note: The requirements of the current Flip4Mac are listed on the Flip4Mac download page.
How do I buy recommended tracks?
Any track available through MyStrands includes a Buy icon next to its name. Click the icon to open a page on our website that will let you purchase the track. You can specify a favorite store in your MyStrands preferences on the web site. You can also set your preferences such that clicking the Buy icon will take you directly to your preferred vendor.
Playlist Building
In the playlist rules, how does "Playlist includes/contains track" differ from "Playlist includes/contains track similar to?"
An "include track" rule uses the specified track as a seed for the MyStrands recommender AND inserts the track into the generated playlist. An "include track similar to" rule uses the track as a seed, but does not insert it into the resulting playlist.
I can't seem to use some of the tracks in my library in Playlist Builder? What is the problem?
A track needs to be synchronized with the MyStrands catalog before it can be used to seed a playlist. You can synchronize tracks by: a) running the Synchronize MyStrands Library feature or b) playing the track.
Additionally, some tracks can't be synchronized because they are not yet part of the MyStrands catalog. We are constantly adding more music to our catalog, so we may recognize your track the next time you synchronize your library or play the song.
If a lot of your tracks are missing information such as track, artist, or album name, update this information in your music player and try synchronizing your library or playing the track again. We are more likely to recognize your track if the track, artist, and album names are complete and accurate.
What is the difference between Playlist Builder and Tag Cloud?
Both Playlist Builder and Tag Cloud can create great playlists, but they do their job in very different ways. Playlist Builder provides your specified seeds and filters to the MyStrands Recommender, which then generates a large list of possible tracks for your playlist. MyStrands checks which of those tracks are in your local music library, and returns the best set of matching tunes as your playlist.
Tag Cloud does not use the MyStrands recommender. Instead, it displays either the personal tags that you have entered for tracks in your library, or a set of MyStrands community tags that members have applied to songs that happen to be in your library. When you select a tag, tracks in your library that match that tag will be selected for your playlist.
How do I add songs to a playlist I've already created?
Choose "Search by playlist" when selecting the seed for your playlist. MyStrands will use the tracks in the playlist that you selected as seeds for the new playlist, and by default will add the existing playlist tracks to the new playlist. In reality, you end up with an extended second playlist that includes the original list.
Community
How do I add my friends to my Contacts list?
Make sure that your friends are MyStrands members - they can sign up on the MyStrands web site - then find out their MyStrands alias. After you have a friend's alias, you can add that person to your contacts list from the MyStrands Community window. In MyStrands for Windows click the Add button in the upper right corner of the Community window. In MyStrands for Mac, click the "+" in the upper right corner. Enter the member's name in the dialog, and then click Add.
How do I add someone from "Who's Listening" to my Contacts?
Highlight the "Who's Listening" member you want to add, and simply drag the member into your contacts.
In Who's Listening, why isn't the song I'm currently playing listed in the member's list of tracks?
"Who's Listening" shows a list of members who have most recently listened to the track you're currently playing. However, if it wasn't one of their last five plays, it won't appear. On the other hand, if they played your track, there's a pretty good chance they share some of your musical tastes, so you might want to look over the tunes on their list.
How can I use MyStrands to track a friend's music?
First, add your friend as a contact in the Community Window. Then, whenever you use MyStrands, open the community window. Your friend's five most recently played tracks will appear in the window.
How often does the Community window update?
The Community window updates about every 30 seconds.
Technical
Why does MyStrands need to synchronize my music library?
For playlist building and partyStrands, MyStrands needs to know what songs are available in your music library. Otherwise we might end up suggesting playlists or partyStrands play streams that include songs you don't have.
What operating systems does MyStrands support?
MyStrands for Windows supports Vista, fully-patched versions of Windows 2000, and all flavors of Windows XP. The latest version of MyStrands for Mac supports Mac OS X 10.4 or greater.
How do I use MyStrands from behind a proxy server?
For the best proxy support, first make sure that you have the latest version of MyStrands. MyStrands uses the proxy settings in the "Internet Options" control panel. If MyStrands is running, you need to exit first (right-click on the main window and choose "Exit" from the pop-up menu). Then go to Start Menu > Control Panel > Internet Options. In "Internet Options", choose the "Connections" tab and click the "LAN Settings..." button. If necessary, enter your proxy settings here... they may have already been configured by your systems administrator. Choose "OK" in both dialogs to save your settings. Now restart MyStrands. If your proxy requires password authentication, you will be prompted to login when MyStrands starts.
