Missing Files

Hi everyone,

After some advice here.

I recently upgraded to a 256gb M2 mac mini, no problems here apart from the storage obviously so I have moved my entire collection onto an external drive, some 10k tracks.

I reinstalled engine and dragged my entire collection from the external drive into engine, again no problems.

However, when using my 6000s there are a number of tracks that are missing.

I can’t figure this out as I am using the same drive where the tracks are located to sync my collection to.

Also, there are no tracks missing on desktop?

Any suggestions as to what could be causing this?

Thanks in advance.

Hi Kev, 2 things that immediately spring to mind are file type or bitrate.

When you plug the drive in and look in the ‘drives’ section of Engine desktop, are they also missing from there? If not then it points to some kind of library issue on the drive you use for DJing.

Have you tried formatting that drive and re-syncing?

Hi mate

All files are purchased mp3 320 so that shouldn’t be an issue.

No I’ve not tried reformatting as my collection is on the same drive since I switched computers, no other back up as yet!

So are you using the same drive for both your catalogue and for performing with? essentially syncing it back to itself? It’s not something I do myself but maybe that could be causing it?

How many tracks do you have missing? I know my collection in desktop and my Mac folder window sometimes have different qty of files but it’s only a couple so ive never really bothered to delve in and find out why.

Maybe work out what is missing and study the metadata of the track looking for anything that might be an anomaly. I dread to think what these M chips and their architecture have done to our data, everyone is still on the learning curve with them aren’t they.

Correct yes, all on the same drive. I didn’t think this would be an issue but maybe it is?

It’s probably less than 50 tracks that are missing so it’s nothing major, just ruins my OCD to see anything missing! Haha

I think its worth picking up a good value sata SSD drive to install in your SC-6000 so you can sync from your computer/external drive onto it, then at least you have your music in 2 different places.

This is the one I use:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/WD-Blue-SA510-560MB-speed/dp/B09ZYQ84CM/ref=sr_1_3?crid=27LYO3ACFVOZG&keywords=WD+Blue+SSD&qid=1696767397&sprefix=wd+blue+ssd%2Caps%2C132&sr=8-3

Edit: the 500gb one is less than 30 quid.

The only thing I can think is it’s something in the filename like an invalid character or some other metadata issue, or even just the file itself. Might be worth loading a missing track into Apple Music then converting it to say AIFF and see if the new file loads in?

I know in Serato I used to have some corrupt files that would show up, Engine doesnt have a flag to identify these so it could be that maybe?

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Yeah I will grab another drive for sure regardless.

On another note, I’m very impressed and happy with how everything is developing with the system.

Everything has been rock solid for me.

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Yeah mine has been the same experience. I see a lot of issues on here and its tough to try and help out as I haven’t seen them, but then ive been very ■■■■ with how I organise music on my computer (I essentially do all my playlist building in the finder app before it even touches software), plus my library is nowhere near the size of other peoples.

The desktop app definitely isn’t perfect, things like a progress bar and ability to sort by missing files etc are much needed, but overall ive found it very useful for managing my tracks.

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Yeah I kind of agree, I actually use Lexicon for my prep and analysis as I still find it more accurate.

There’s certainly a way to go with the desktop.

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if using the same drive, then you dont need to “sync” to it. engine dj and engine os reads the same database. Its plug and play.

  1. plug drive to laptop

  2. drag all tracks to engine dj from the drive

  3. do your analyses, cue points etc

  4. unplug the drive from laptop

  5. plug it to sc6000

no syncing needed.

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Oh I see.

So how do I correct this going forward?

Good morning friends, it would be important for the Engine Dj software (desktop) to have the path selection option, I’m sure that many users keep their own music collection only on external drives (this is my case), in addition to the main collection, my backups are also on external drives, the dj engine (desktop), there would need to be an option to choose the path, for example, synchronize and export from drive A to B, in this case drive B could be the notebook’s internal storage, with this, it would be much clearer and more obvious to users, today, we only have the option to export from internal to external storage, it would be amazing to have the option to export from external to internal, as far as I know, if the collection is in external drive, and the user wants to export it to the notebook’s internal storage, it has to be done manually, folder by folder. @STU-C @mufasa @Kevross81

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Do you mean like a move library feature?

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Exactly, there are many cases of users who keep their collection on external devices, this is my case, the ideal would be for the software to indicate the path we want to transfer the collection, for example, if I want to transfer from the EXTERNAL SSD ( DRIVE B) for the INTERNAL SSD (DRIVE A), ideally the engine (desktop) would ask: What is the origin? (DRIVE B) What is the destination? (DRIVE A), it would be much easier and more practical even to make backups, I recently asked this question and the answer was that the engine (desktop) was developed to keep the main collection on the notebook, and if I want to transfer from the INTERNAL SSD of my Prime 4 to the notebook, it has to be done manually, folder by folder.

Recovering ones collection from the external drive is not a standard feature set per se.

I think it will be one hot mess of a folder structure looking at the file structure Engine DJ creates when it packs tracks to say your Prime4 ssd.

What could be standard feature set is “Moving main collection database” eg

from internal storage to external storage or vice versa

It’s almost inevitable that one would need to do this at some stage if engine dj is here for the long run.

  1. running out of drive space,

  2. new laptop

etc

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Exactly, this feature needs to exist, but not just for this reason, let’s suppose that for some reason the notebook’s SSD stops working, is burned or corrupted, we need to have tools to transfer the backup back in an easy and intuitive way.

if your backup is done correctly you shouldn’t need any tools inside the engine software. Just put music back in the same file path it was before the issue, and the backed up DB file will still reference them.

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You know what’s interesting?, the users themselves, don’t defend the modernization of the system, in the middle of 2023, where practically all software is full of modern tools, which make our lives easier, some even implementing AI, and you always come and are against, I understand that for you, some suggestions may not be important or useful, you don’t need to support, just don’t be against, I’m here to contribute to improving the system, even if some feature is not important to me, it may be to others , I paid a lot for my Denon equipment and I always help everyone have the best technology. Big Hug DJ.

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I’m not against anything, I was just addressing your comment about backups. As someone who is on their 3rd MacBook plus another 4 system rebuilds (including a Mac OS downgrade that couldn’t be done via backup) I’m telling you that you don’t need DJ software to do anything as long as you put back files where they were before you started, which is what file paths are for. That is the number one easiest way of doing it.

I use them all day at work for pointing macros at data sources, again when MS oneview was implemented on our computers it changed the whole structure of how files were stored, and therefore the file path on the macro had to be amended to suit.

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I know there’s a way to do it my friend, and the way is manual and delayed, that’s what I’m talking about, modernization, updating, I made a practical suggestion here, to make life easier for people who use the system, want another example ?, the search for lost files, for years Serato has provided an easy and extremely efficient method, you just need to drag an entire drive over the search button and the system finds everything for you, this is practical and saves time, support the suggestions of modernization, everyone benefits from this, I’m not here criticizing the brand, the software, I’m honestly here to contribute, learn and of course, benefit from the updates.

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