Can you not sync changes back to the hard drive from the external? I’m sure that’s what I do when I plug the external in, it pulls history files etc onto the computer and any changes made to cue points, loops etc.
Drag and drop from a folder using EP… This was done from the beginning, I mean this is the way I used when I first built the collection on the external drives… At that time I was using a single SD/USB since the cable link worked fine… So I have never used EP to sync but only to edit my music files and place them in the playlist into the drives… This is why on EP there was not a real COLLECTION, and this is why I’m here asking how to do it right… CIAO!
If you did not use Engine Desktop as it was designed, I can’t think of a way to sync back changes to the collection.
The standard way to do things
- Add music to engine collection
- Use sync manager to export to usb drive Or
- Drag playlist from engine collection to usb drive
If you did either of these, then you can sync back changes
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Thanks, I will give a try today… About the MAIN Collection, the one on the PC I mean, where should it be located… I have a 1TB NVME SSD as a main storage device in my PC and this disk is partitioned in 4 or 5 different virtual disk… In one of these I have my music Collection… Can I leave it there and use it as the MAIN Collection for EP or should it be in a specific folder on C:? Thanks CIAO
Bah, Not working for me! So, I created an Engine Collection and everything was fine… All of my tracks are present in the collection… I then took a BLANK USB stick and exported the collection to that stick… Again, everything worked as supposed… At this point a took the stick to the SC5000 and added a CUE point in one of the tracks in one of the playlist… I plugged in the USB stick in the PC and nothing happened… So I started the Sync Manager but according to the Manager nothing was changed and there was no way to sync the USB back to the Collection… I also loaded both the tracks in the virtual players which showed the added CUE un the track on the USB, missing in the track from the Engine Collection… Am I missing something here? Let me know… CIAO
I think so. It should not be an issue, but strange things can happen.
I think this may be database related. It may be worthwhile to try with a fresh database and see if the problem persists
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Are you able to archive your PC database? Rename the “Engine Library” to something else e.g. “Engine Library 2022”
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There will be one in C>Music and the root of any other partition/drives that has your music files on the NVME drive.
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rename all of them.
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Start Engine desktop up, add music from the NVME to it, make some playlists. add hotcues. export to freshly formatted USB (exFat/Fat32)
OK, I can give it a try BUT even if it will work, I’m not gonna rebuild all of my library from scratch, it will be a nightmare… Reload all the tracks and manually set all the CUEs, the loops and autoloops is out of question… So, thank you for the great advice, I’ll report here if something good will happen… Thank you! CIAO!
You can always revert the archived database by renaming it to Engine Library
It’s just to troubleshoot
Well, it worked! I followed your hints and started with a “FRESH” system: no ENGINE folder anywhere… Then I started EP and created a PLAYLIST, I dragged and dropped 5 or 6 FLAC tracks in the PLAYLIST… Exported everything to a NEW/PRISTINE USB stick using the Sync Manager export function… Ejected the USB and plugged it in the SC5000… Loaded a track and set a CUE and set/made a LOOP… Re-ejected the stick from the SC5000 and back to the EP SW… I plugged the USB in, but nothing happened… I thought that the system could “FEEL” the new changes made on the device without starting the Sync Manager, anyway… When I started the Sync Manager some changes on the USB was found and synched with the MAIN Collection… DONE! Yes, it worked fine BUT as I told you before I have almost 1000 tracks to manage and starting from scratch is not feasible, at least not for me… It is not for the import overhead that my new PC can easily handle, but for the BIG, BIG, BIG work to prepare each track to be played… CUE and LOOPS to be edited again: it’s really a nightmare… Unless there is another way around I’m stuck anyway… CIAO!
I did some more trials and everything worked fine… Unfortunately it seems it is not possible to move/sync a collection from an external memory to a empty EP collection… This would solve all of my problems… CIAO!
Great to hear that the new library works
Easiest way to rescue your hotcues using the old Engine library
- Use Lexicon. You can sub for a month.
- Add your library to Lexicon
- Whilst at it you can also convert it to Serato/Rekordbox/Traktor in Lexicon
- Lexicon should keep all your hotcues and loops etc
- Now archive the old engine Database again
- Import the Serato library or export Lexicon library you created to Engine
Hi, somewhat hijacking this thread as a last resort. I have an issue where my new sd card wont sync back to engine desktop. The “sync to engine dj” is greyed out. Basically the same issue as the OP in this thread. Ive followed your troubleshooting guide.
Ive reformatted the sd card (and another usb) multiple times. Ive archived the “engine Library” as you described above. When i drag tracks and make a playlist with a fresh engine library database, i am able to sync new cue points ive made on the Prime 4+ back to engine dj.
Ive paid for a month of lexicon. Reverted engine library from archine anx Imported the library and playlists from original engine library into lexicon.
Re-archived the engine library. Now when i try to export the engine playlist back into engine desktop it wont allow me to do so because it says there is no engine library.
If i open engine desktop again, then close it without touching anything, it creates a new “engine library” folder. Now im able to Sync from lexicon to engine, but all the files are red in engine desktop.
Ive tried copying the music file from the old/archived engine library into the new one and the files were no longer red, but then same problem happens when i add cue points or loops on the prime 4+. The “sync to engine dj” isnt available and it says “no new data to sync” when clearly there is (the engine desktop track and the same one from the sd card or usb have different cue points).
Ive chatter with support, there couldnt help. Ive scoured other threads and looked all over and cant figure it out. Now my old sd card doesnt work either.
It only works when i make a brand new library but if i have to redo all cue points and loops on all my music… well i might as well quit djing again.
Apologies for the long message, but if there are any other ideas or anything i can clarify Id love to read them.
Could you provide
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Computer details and do you have one or multiple disk drives in the computer?
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Did you use sync manager to transfer music to the new SD card
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Computer is a windows 11 laptop, 32gb ram, 500gb SDD HD, i9 processor. No partitions on the drive. All my music in my music folder, never has been moved, and no other drives on computer.
Yes, I used sync manager to export engine library to the SD card (and to a usb as another test). Process: formatted new sd card to exfat (just like the old one), opened engine desktop > sync manager > export library.
No errors, no corrupt drive messages, everything opens and plays on the Prime 4+. No red files either. Just suddenly cant sync back any new changes made on the prime 4+.
Ive also tried using the engine library back up. Ive also tried dragging the music folder onto the new SD card after a fresh format. In addition, ive tried dragging and dropping the “engine library” file from the previous SD card, to the new one.
Denon support had me check that full drive access is allowed, and it is.
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Did you try with a fresh computer Engine Library?
Just to experiment
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New Library
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Export to SD with sync manager
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Use SD on Prime 4
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Add new hot cues and loops on Prime 4 to SD
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Eject SD
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Try sync back changes to desktop.
I should made it clearer that i did indeed do that. I made sure to read through this thread prior to re-asking a question and wasting your time 
Your above steps work, but am avoiding having to re cue and loop everything.
Were you able to upload the last working desktop library that had cues/loops to lexicon?
It looks like I got the problem fixed, but I’m not sure how. I imported the latest engine music library into Lexicon initially. I re-imported several times (the same latest library) and exported back to Engine dektop maybe 7 or 8 separate times as I tried various things.
I think it was something to do solely with the “database2” folder, although there were no corruption or error messages to begin with.
On the last attempt, i only renamed that “database2” folder and removed it from “Engine Library”. Everything else was left as is. I opened Engine Desktop and closed it again so it would create a new database2 folder. In Lexicon I pressed (again) the ‘sync to engine’ button and since the music folder within the engine library folder remained, no tracks were red. In Engine desktop, i once again “export to drive”, and did the same steps from earlier. Eject from computer, insert into Prime 4+, changed a few cue points and loops, eject from prime 4, insert into computer … and still “no new data to sync”. I gave up, decided it was getting late and i just wanted to mix even if i couldn’t save my progress. After a couple hours of mixing and changing up cue points and rearranging some playlists i turned everything off knowing I wasn’t going to be able to sync back to drive. Then, I decided to retry anyway, and this time the option to sync to engine library was available. I have no idea why it suddenly worked after hours and hours of not working. Ill test it again later to make sure it still works. Maybe there has/had to be large enough changes made to the sd card in order to sync back. Not sure.
Playlist created on the players are not synced back to Engine Desktop…AFAIK
Just performance data - hot cues, loops, bpm, grid
It all of a sudden was not syncing cues and loops which was the problem. Ive checked again and it’s working as it should now, but again, i have no idea what I did differently than the previous attempts.
Oddly, if i make a playlist on the prime 4+, then take the sd card out and put it in the computer and open engine desktop, the playlist just shows up like magic without doing anything at all. It’s only if I take songs out of a playlist on the prime 4 does it send them to the bottom of the list in engine desktop.
Anyways, thank you for the help. The steps you’ve written out 2 years ago were helpful.
Too bad denon stuff is so finicky, still. I had a solid 6 months of no problems before it was one thing after another.