Hello everyone!
I’m exploring the most efficient workflow for DJs who primarily perform with Pioneer CDJs using USB drives but also occasionally bring their own Denon equipment for gigs. As someone navigating this dual setup, I’m curious to hear about your experiences and recommendations.
Any insights, tips, or personal stories you can share would be greatly appreciated. Your expertise will undoubtedly help many of us navigate these setups more effectively!
Thanks in advance! Mulú
Hi
Welcome to the forum.
The way i work with Serato, Rekordbox and Engine is to have all my music organised in folders on my PC. Those folders are the same format as all my playlists in each app. That way i can use any DJ software and have consistency with my music collection.
This is a screenshot that helps you picture it. Ive found it by far the easiest way of moving between multiple platforms.
In the beginning I had a library for both systems on different USB’s. I recently bought a Go that I bring with me to the clubs to skip CDJ’s altogether, which has worked really well.
I do have a backup USB with tracks analyzed in Rekordbox, but haven’t done cue points, loops etc in there for a long time, so it’s solely if I for some reason can not connect the Go. Fortunately hasn’t been an issue so far though 
Denon Engine OS can read the Pioneer Rekordbox libraries… so basically what i do is to create everything as if im going to perform with PIoneer CDJs using Playlists… then when i want to use my Denon gear, when you connected the USB with the Rekordbox playlist Engine OS will detect it and read that playlist for you… depends how big is the playlist it could take a bit… but normally is not that long. So basically as i mentioned, create your Playlists in Rekordbox as you normally do, connect the USB to your Denon gear and let Engine OS read the Playlists… and that’s it… pretty easy to move from one system to the other. One thing to note is that Rekordbox can’t read Engine playlists… so make sure you do everything using Rekordbox first.
I can only agree wit STU-C. The folder structure he describes makes it pretty easy and you dont have to rely on software compatibility. It also gives you a pretty easy restore possibility if something ever is wrong with your Recordbox or Engine library.
If i prepare a specific set, i just play around in Engine and than create the finished set in Recordbox as well.
USB stick wise i like to have two prepared sticks with only one system on it and one extra stick i do carry around just in case i play at some friends house or as Backup of the backup. USB sticks are cheap so why not. So in total:
How do you keep track of duplicates with that folder - playlist system.
Eg a song can both be Hiphop and Pop
One track can be POP, DNB, DIRTY, THROWBACK, CLUB, PEAKHOUR
Anyways I don’t do much with my folders but I do tend to be quite detailed with my tagging using the comments field.
That way I can load my files on any DJ system and filter quickly.
I tag using hashtags so a track comment can contain numerous hashtags that I feel best groups the track.
No perfect system but I’m happy with the hashtag system.
Been using it for more than 6 years now.
I do all tagging before adding the track to the DJ Library…Lexicon. Before lexicon I used the rekordbox to tag.
I used to to the whole folder-genre thing but ended up with loads of duplicate files.
I personally just pick one and stick with it. No concept of ‘pop’ in my collection, stuff has a genre and that’s where it goes.
No Britney Spears in your collection 
Hahaha most certainly not.
Notice I have a folder called ‘other tunes’…. That’s where anything I can’t categorise in the others go. Eg most of my Whitney Houston tracks are either in ‘soul-funk-disco’ or ‘hip hop-RnB’, same with Janet Jackson.
Boz Skaggs goes in the soul folder too, Oasis and the Mondays go into ‘other tunes’ but Sub Sub - Ain’t no love will go into ‘Old-Classic House’
All could be pigeon holed as pop I suppose.
Similiar like STU-C mostly one song in one playlist, however I’m not really an open format DJ so I have less problems with that. I think more in terms of mood and sets than category’s or genres.
Sometimes I have doubles in different folders but I don’t really mind.