Yet still we don’t have a re-locate file option and the work around
“Yes, finding the tracks manually” doesn’t work. I can find the track manually, but that doesn’t let me tell the playlist where the new file is does it.
So 110 votes, why isn’t this implemented? There doesn’t seem to be an open request that we can vote on, same for duplicate finder, same for show broken tracks.
If You have a fixed place for Your music, and don’t move them after adding to the collection in Engine Dj, You don’t need that function. I made my music collection long time ago (when still using rekordbox, there was no prime gear).
All my music sits in the same folders structure till today. Just adding new music and deleting old that is not needed. But not moving it - no need to.
Engine just works fine since 2017. All tracks are there - no issues, no need for relocate.
Recently O moved also from an old computer to a new one. Also sustaining the same structure - all is there, all works as it should.
It’s a feature on Serato. It’s a feature on Rekordbox, it’s a feature on Virtual DJ. Even the free Mixx has it I believe.
If you don’t change your music much, that’s fine. Sometimes I don’t have time to organise new music before a gig, so I’ll take the tracks from the cd-pool download folder and off I go.
Later after the gig, I’ll want to properly move those files to genre year etc.
I should not have to re-import and export them again to each prime device because the software is defective.
Are you also aware that should you do it your way, just re-organise your playlists folder and lets say add 3 files. Engine DJ will export every file anyway?
It’s great that you have a static music collection and it works currently for you. For some of us, new music is every day or at least every week. Plus how many prime controllers do you have?
Software is not defective. I also have new music almost every day. I only add new tracks to the folder structure and from there I import to all programs, let them be analysed and then I add them to the playlists I need. Then export.
A bit more organisation, but works perfectly without any relocate features.
And my workflow is not the only good one, I totally agree with that.
But as a good practice - I keep my music organised. Then I don’t have to relay on any library program to find anything.
I can find any track I have in matter of seconds without even using any search engines.
Just by keeping the correct file structure on my SSD all is easy to access. So if I switch to traktor, rekordbox, engine or serato - all tracks are always where I expect them to be.
No searching, no missing tracks, no issues, regardles the program I would use.
I dont get why people would analyze tracks in engine add them to a collection them move them.
I like @NoiseRiser mimic my library with my collection. I sort all file names and track names and tags only.then do I add tracks to the right folders on drive then put in the right place in engine. Then analyze them…
Simple workflow that works very very well. No need to sync no red tracks and easy to update.
Beacause folder structure mimics libray its soooo simple to put library into whatever software you want and everything is exactly the same layout across the board
I use Rekordbox now. The workflow and details are just far more intuitive PERIOD!
I dislike the Pioneer development comunity far more tho…
But i just have more stability with Rekordbox.
From RB i import the playlists/crate-structure into Lexicon.
With Lexicon i export to Engine, Traktor, Serato.
'm done with the Engine app, 'm using it only for exporting to USB Thumbdrive/Sd-Card formated FAT32.
@NoiseRiser we get what you are saying: Try to keep your files in the same place, and think very careful about what you do with those files. Especially migration. Relocate is no everyday gadget, and I have warned people around here before about them migrating in the wrong way… You want to avoid relocate to mess things up!
But from time to time a relocate is just a necessary evil. Every other software out there working with external assets, be it DJ software, DAWs, photo editing, developing, they all have a function to relocate those external assets, as the software can’t enforce those assets to stay in the same place in the file system. All those developers can’t be wrong…
Last month I discovered 2 tracks that where moved by an unknown process (probably iTunes anyway), and had to relocate them manually.
Why to make Your life more difficult and pay extra for outside apps?
Workflow in engine is simple - drag and drop where You want Your files/playlists. Simple as that.
Its not rocket science… if you want a crate (playlist) called “House” you make a folder on drive called “house” . You put all your filename correct. Tag correct tracks for said crate in that folder… in engine you drag that folder into “collection”.
Absolutely no need to relocate tracks
They are in the right folder on the right drive. If you want them in a differnt playlist. Openyour house playlist select tracks uou want and drag into new playlist…
Thats simple… reame the folder… in engine DELETE that folders playlist and drag the right named one in.
You can ignore the folder name and use the PLAYLIST name which you can rename or abbreviate.
If you have a number of folders in the playlist as above… yes tracks will go red. … remove from collection then drag the right named folder into playlist
That is if your tracks are in one playlist and one playlist only. And if you don’t bother about cue points, (variable?) beat grids and so on.
My tracks usually are in a myriad of playlists. Apart from them appearing in a bunch of playlists of my new arrivals per month, they also appear in playlists like “peaktime”, “bubbling under”, “warming up”, or playlists like “House”, “Hardstyle”, “Rock”. Or playlists like “90s”, “80s”, “70s”. (Which also shows why sorting per genre is not a workflow that is bulletproof. Most software, like iTunes, organizes per artist name, and then per album name…)
And regarding track metadata, I don’t care about that this much, but when I painstakingly manually beat gridded some unknown-but-still-incredibly-cool-to-put-between-a-techno-set disco-track from the 70s, I don’t want that work to get lost.
So personally, I do have my reasons why a red (missing) track should not be deleted “no questions asked”. In 99% of the cases I want to retain playlist and metadata, and want to relocate that track.
Ok bin itunes off. Its a nightmare…
Make one folder called LIBRARY on drive. Put all tracks on there. In engine make playlist called All. From there put them where you want them. No red tracks at all.
Never have to relocate tracks as they are all in the same place.
Because i prefer the way RB handles when making cuepoints, making lists, the dragging sweep motion is far more smoother, edit info of the files works far more controlled! AND it HAS the relocate function, and yes i use it far more often then i should.
No i don’t overcomplicate, i make 1 complete library database with lists/folders/cue’s/markers/correct bpm. and via lexicon 1 push of a button and i have exact clones of those lists for the other apps (INCLUDING CUE’s & MARKERS!)
instead of remapping and cueing them PER app…
so again … i do NOT make it more difficult.
I use a far more developed app to create the Master DB for all other available platforms without drag and drop…
Your drag and drop idea is actually more complicated.
Rekordbox is free.
Traktor comes with the Native Instruments Komplete plugin group i use for making music
I share Serato with my coworker.
I have now 1 USBdrive i can plug in a pioneer cdj, denon prime4, laptop running traktor or serato at a gig or private party, and rock the crowd without any limitations.
I thought of binning iTunes, really, I did. But still, I download most of my tracks from iTunes anyway. Especially for things other than EDM, Beatport won’t cut it anyway. And I want to listen to my tracks on my iPhone as well. So all my tracks are in iTunes already anyway. And I don’t know about you, but I think harddrive space on MacBooks is ridiculously expensive. No way I’m going to maintain 2 identical files in my laptop, and certainly no 30.000 files… So no, I’m not binning iTunes. It has it’s downsides, but is has it’s merits too…
And even if I ditch iTunes, there is still the OCD I get when I discover a typo in my folder structures. The only of-the-shelf way to solve this when you use Engine is to re-import those tracks after you changed the folder name, but that means removing those tracks from all playlists, AND losing all metadata like beat grids and cue point. I’m sure we agree on not wanting to lose that data?
Lexicon really sounds interesting. One question, can you also make changes in playlists on the fly, say, on the SC6000 Engine OS and all will perfectly sync back to your lexicon database, and from there to other DJ software?
That sounds great. So you never experience problems with the syncing between software - I like to create/change playlists, save cue points, loops etc on the fly, while I am playing on either the SC6000 or Turntables via Serato. It would be awesome when I can sync all of this without problems in one place.
Another question - do I always need to go Player (SSD/USB) → Engine → Lexicon ? Or is it also possible to skip the Engine step and sync changes directly to the Lexicon main database (and then from there sync back to whatever DJ software)?
To further clarify my last point, why I want to skip Engine: The problem with syncing between players and Engine Desktop is that I cannot make changes in playlists (new playlists, reshuffle tracks etc.) on the fly, otherwise Engine will not sync properly.
So you never experience problems with the syncing between software?
In the beginning it was a bit rough but the main developer has it on point finally!!
you must know … denon, pioneer, traktor, serato… they update constantly as well…
so it can happen that with an update of one of these apps something can cause a glitch…
But it gets sorted out realy quickly by him and there is also a good community around the lexicon app, suggestions & ideas for improvement are more than welcome (if they are documented enough)
I like to create/change playlists, save cue points, loops etc on the fly, while I am playing on either the SC6000 or Turntables via Serato. It would be awesome when I can sync all of this without problems in one place.
You can make you lists, cue’s, loops in the app you prefer.
Than you load it into lexicon
from lexicon you spread it to the platforms you need
so indeed… 1 app to create, 1 place to collect it all to, All the main dj platforms you can bring it to
Another question - do I always need to go Player (SSD/USB) → Engine → Lexicon ? Or is it also possible to skip the Engine step and sync changes directly to the Lexicon main database (and then from there sync back to whatever DJ software)?
You can do this in lexicon, but in my experience… i find the other apps like rekordbox or serato a bit more ergonomic when it comes to making those cue’s, lists, etc.
To further clarify my last point, why I want to skip Engine: The problem with syncing between players and Engine Desktop is that I cannot make changes in playlists (new playlists, reshuffle tracks etc.) on the fly, otherwise Engine will not sync properly.
Ah interesting, I am new to Denon, so I am still learning. When I tried syncing changes made in playlists on the player’s drive it did only sync part of that on the Engine desktop version.
So you manually drag the folders from your drive into Engine desktop, as opposed to using the sync function?
