Misaligned grid and cues when importing from Rekordbox

Engine DJ Software Engine DJ (Mac & PC)
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1

Hello,

I have an annoying issue when importing a Rekordbox database export to Engine. As a picture is worth a thousand words…

Here is the grid of a bar in Rerkordbox:

See how the cue point and grid are aligned with the crash.

Here is the same bar in Engine after export/import:

The cue and grid are slightly misaligned with the crash.

And now here is what happens if I ask Engine to re-analyze the track:

The grid is now aligned but the cue stays out.

So basically I can’t benefit from Rekordbox grid or cues, making the export feature useless.

Is it a known problem? Is a fix considered?

Edit : I dug a bit into the databases.

In rekordbox, the cue 2 is set at 15.371 seconds.

But Engine convert it to 675569.1 samples, which divided by the sample rate of 44100 gives 15.319 seconds. It doesn’t make sense. It’s a simple multiplication, why do the converter mess this?

Edit 2, more nonsense:

Rekordbox export sets the grid like this : start at 1.109 seconds, bpm is 122.

Engine starts the grid with a -4 beat marker. Given Rb data, it should set this marker at 1.109 - 4 x (60 / 122) = -0.858 seconds (start minus four beats).

Checking the Engine database again, the -4 marker is at -40139.198 which divided by sample rate gives -0.91 seconds. No surprise my grid is misaligned.

(Are you hiring a developer at Engine ? :sweat_smile: )

2

There were some rumours that certain versions of rekordbox were doing this deliberately- almost as if pioneer didn’t like losing customers to prime lol

What version rekordbox have to exported these from ? What version of engine DJ are you exporting into , don’t say latest, type in the ver number from your decks please

Thanks

3

No that can’t be a rekordbox issue : I checked the .xml export and the data there are fine. It’s Engine who is messing up the import (check my edits).

Rekordbox 6.6.10

Engine 3.0.1.17478

4

Ok if you’re dismissing replies then give lexicon DJ conversion a go

5

Apparently it’s a common issue when moving libraries between softwares, not just Engine.

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6

At this point I’m tempted with making a script to fix the import but I don’t understand why it happens in the first place. The Rekordbox xml export is pretty straightforward but for some reason Engine doesn’t know how to make simple math.

7

How about first read the topics that I linked and watch the very informative video that is in the first topic linked?

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I did. The videos are mostly about selling his tool and the other topic just concludes to use Lexicon so I don’t find they are that much helpful. Also the conclusions of the video don’t really match the data I found while comparing the XML with Engine database, where Engine is actually shifting the cue points. Maybe the intention is to anticipate a shift in mp3 encoder, but then it doesn’t work well.

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9

You can shift all your cues enmasse per track.

I think it’s “Shift + Grid edit” will get you into a mode where you can now shift the offset cues left or right. On the 5000/6000 I hold Shift and push down the knob to access the other mode. Then use the left or right touch screen icon to move the hotcues.

As said, this issue appears to affect lossy files because of differences in encoders used to create the mp3/m4a files. It is not a deliberate thing by rekordbox or any other software.

I don’t think it affects lossless files.

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Sure thing, just… you were the one who wrote that you do not understand why it happens. Between topics and video, they explain that pretty well I think.

So your case is different because with you offset varies from track to track? Or what?