musicbee for total idiots and old people (there may be overlap)

[katerken]

I switched from an iphone to a Samsung Galaxy S9. I have combed through this forum (and many other web sites) trying to figure out how to get music on my phone and play it. I chose musicbee for my desktop bcs I always hated itunes. In retrospect, maybe it wasn't so bad. I need explicit, step by step directions in plain English. Things like "you have to know the pathway for your music on your phone"  and "you need to create a directory on your phone" are NOT plain English to me. How am I supposed to to know what pathway? I don't know what a pathway is, much less how to find it. What's a directory and how do you create it on your phone? The phone manual is 217 pages long; it says nothing about pathways or directories.

I have (with great difficulty) created several playlists on musicbee. I can make them play on my desktop. Do I need to have musicbee installed on my phone? there doesn't seem to be an app except something called "remote control". That doesn't seem relevant. Does musicbee function on a phone as a player? I have google play (it came pre-installed). Is that relevant?  Should I use that? (Please don't tell me there is something better than google play. I don't need to learn how to use any more apps.) All I want to do is transfer the playlists I made, as well as future ones, from the desktop to the phone. I don't use the features of artist or album name, so it has to be by playlist.

To reiterate just how little I know, I have had my new phone for 6 weeks. I still have not figured out how to answer a call (no joke.)  Please help, and please be very, very specific as to what I have to do. I would be so grateful.

[frankz]

It can't be explained in much more basic terms than this for understanding the basics of MusicBee:
https://musicbee.fandom.com/wiki/The_Anatomy_of_MusicBee

...and this for getting music files / playlists to your phone...
https://musicbee.fandom.com/wiki/Devices

[katerken]

the most unhelpful answer imaginable. if the sites you refer to - which I have visited multiple times - were clear, I wouldn't be asking for help here.

[frankz]

The sites I referred to were written by the same people who write here.

MusicBee is an advanced music library manager and player.  With great power and customizability comes a certain necessary level of complication.  It can't be boiled down in much more basic terms than what is found on the Wiki.

Android is also more customizable and powerful than i-Devices.  Again, this comes with the price of a certain level of complexity.

Technology is complicated.

If you're having a specific problem or running into a particular stumbling point we could probably get you past it, but for general "how do I use this?" overviews the wiki is as basic as it gets.

[psychoadept]

For what it's worth, Google Play Music should work just fine for you on the phone. I haven't used it much, but I think it will pick up music and playlists from the default locations that MusicBee syncs to.

The important part for you is the page on devices/sync settings that frankz linked. That's where you will tell MusicBee which playlists to send to the phone and in what format (I suggest sticking with m3u, it's fairly universal).

Other than choosing playlists, I doubt you will need to change many of the settings. Maybe tell it to delete files not in the sync list? I'm not sure if that's automatically ticked.

To get into the settings while the phone is connected, you might have to open the left navigator, which i believe is hidden in the initial settings. You can hover over the left side of the window to get it to pop up. The phone should be near the bottom, you might have to scroll down.

I believe it also needs to be unlocked when you connect it - if it's not showing up, make sure that you have sync MTP turned on in Device Preferences (the preferences you can open from the main menu), unlock the phone, and restart MusicBee.

Once you've got the device settings in front of you (device info will be shown in the top half of the main panel, and settings in the bottom), go to the Music section of the settings. Untick Synchronize music, tick Synchronize playlists, and then "selected playlists only". Then select the playlists you want to sync. At that point you should be ready to give it a shot. You can always do a preview of the sync to see if it looks right.

[milLR]

Born when records were only 78rpm I understand your problem.

If what you want is to listen to your playlists on your phone, like I do, here is a solution:
create a virtual device and sync it : it creates a folder in your computer that you then copy to your phone using the regular file manager.

the command is in "File > Synchronise virtual device" and there is also a virtual device icon on the top right of the main panel bar, it looks like a phone ( a standing rectangle with a button in the button and a point ( = camera) on the top.
Take a good look at the settings and chose sync playlists(not the full library, your phone will blow up)
see https://musicbee.fandom.com/wiki/Devices#Settings

Then you use your music playing app on the android phone ( I use usbplayer pro - worth the money) there is a folder by playlist, easy to find.

I dont use 2 way sync, just from MB to the virtual device and then manual copy to the phone; it is more an export than a copy but this is what I need

[Freddy Barker]

If you cant be bothered or have no interest in tweaking, tagging, syncing and in general, learning about media players functionality, (assuming you have a PC, as you registered with Forums), then get someone (or DIY), to upload all (well up to 50,000) of your music files to Google Play Music, then they will be available on your phone, as long as Wifi and mobile data available.
(Or get Spotify FREE for Windows to scan all your music and playlists, and listen on Android App or that other IOS thing, App is a sort of software programme too).

Playlists easy to make on-the-fly, and you can download tracks to your phone for listening if away from 4G or Wifi whilst on safari or beach!
You may require some headphones, to be able to hear any music, (remember the 'Cat's whisker' germanium diode crystal set wireless?)