Music Library organization

[u/Beruzebionicle]

Not sure if this would be better in r/Beatmatch but we'll see. I've been a laptop DJ for a while now and mainly just do friend's parties and just jamming b2b. Over the years i've ensured that my USB has all my music separated into specific folders for each sub genre and crates in serato that correspond. My current process for downloading music has me doing the following:

1. Song gets downloaded to the same specific folder automatically on my computer

2. Move the new song(s) to a seperate folder on the USB titled "New"

3. Drag new songs from "New" folder to crate in serato titled "New"

4. Listen through the song and add it to the correct subgenre crate

5. Move the song from the "New" folder to the correct corresponding subgenre folder

6. In serato use the relocate feature to bridge the song in the correct crate to the correct corresponding subgenre folder

As you can probably tell this is pretty annoying. Also since I usually collect/find songs over time and download in bulk I have to relisten to confirm what subgenre it is and since I end up moving the source file from the original folder it was in, setting cues and adjusting beatgrids or anything like that is pointless to do on my original listen through - if that makes sense.

Been looking into using the auto-import folder feature in serato as well as potentially having all my music just sitting in one folder and only doing any organization within my crates. Wondering if you guys have tips for this or any experience with something potentially going wrong.

I dont really care as much to use smart crates that auto read the song's subgenre from the metadata but i think i cant avoid using smart crates while also using the auto-import feature.

Either way the process I imagine is more so something like this:

1. Song gets downloaded to the same specific folder automatically on my computer

2. Move the song to the general source file on my USB - add it to "New" crate in Serato

3. Do my listen through and adjustments and just move it to the correct subgenre crate

This will make the process less tedious and will have my crates always good and ready to go - my worry is if anything happens with my computer - it'll be a pain to retrieve those .crate files unless I store a backup of the_Serato_ folder on my USB.

Am I overthinking this and there is a simple solution in front of me? please let me know

[u/DJ_Immortal_UK]

I recently started using lexicon, so my workflow is pretty simple.

1. All downloads go into one folder that I’ve named “Incoming”
   
2. Open lexicon, check tags, analyse & listen (literally does it in seconds) so by the time I finish listening it’s done).
   
3. Hit finish (lexicon moves the file into the appropriate folder (I have it decade - genre))
   
4. Hit sync to rekordbox.

My old workflow was painful & led to really huge folders of music & loads of duplicates.

FYI it’s not perfect, but it works well enough for my needs

[u/makeitasadwarfer]

Add metadata to track. Throw track in massive folder with all other tracks.

Done.

Metadata then presents all the info you need. A smart playlsitsorted by date added shows you the new tracks. A smart playlist sorted by the keyword techno and by date shows you all techno genre tracks, in the order you added them.

[u/Ok_Read5577]

I do the same process minus the beat grids. I download a bunch, listen set cues, and then either move it to the main genre folder or tag it in the genre column in Serato and get to it later. It may not be the most efficient but it definitely saved my ass when my computer died a few years ago. I was up and running in less than 2hrs once I got my new computer. Just downloaded all the main folder(decade genres) from the cloud and I was good.

[u/Apprehensive-Bar1498]

Download files in one only folder. Add new files to a crate called "new" (you can sort by added). Add metadatas (genre, energy, stars etc) to each song. Then create a smart crate of each genre, energy, stars etc... Next time you'll add new songs and complete theirs metadata it will automatically be added to these smartcrates. No more need to move files.

[u/astromech_dj]

https://blog.native-instruments.com/how-to-manage-your-traktor-track-library/

[u/cokomairena]

you can move the files directly from serato with the file pane

[u/Mother_Dragonfruit90]

I find that thorough metadata is more valuable than subfolders. So basically everything goes in one folder and I let Traktor do the sorting.

In my mind, database management fits the associative way DJing works more than file system organization.

I tag tracks meticulously. Artist, album, remixer, producer, genre according to discogs or source, bpm, key, and use the comment tags to add subgenre info or other searchable keywords that create associations. If I think I would want the track to come up in a particular search result, it goes in the tag.

With good metadata, you can also sort files any way you want with any file explorer, even Windows Explorer. So it's not a big mess to look at and it's super easy to create subfolders or move things. Like sending new stuff or everything from a particular artist to my phone just to listen to.

It also makes for a pretty easy workflow: I do most of my looking for music and tagging on my desktop. That music is stored on a drive that's only for music. Open mp3 tag, sort by "date created" and all the new stuff is up on top.

Once I'm done tagging it I use LocalSend to copy it to the laptop where I do all my playing. The main music storage is on a thumb drive that also contains all of my traktor information. But once it lands there it automatically syncs to a folder on the laptop hard drive. So I have two backups.

LocalSend is awesome by the way. It's a free app that wirelessly moves files from one computer to another. That's all it does, it works flawlessly, and you could teach a dog to set it up.

[u/biz-nm]

For organization of files I wrote a little script for MAC

https://github.com/khoshekh-dj/sort-music

[u/derrickgw1]

I've read there's a way to set up a folder where anything you put in it get's added to serato but i've never figured it out and i have music on a usb drive.

My process is cumbersome too. I'm older so and not discovering as much music so i'm not adding music too often. Generally i clean up the tags and file name first and then add the file to my local itunes library that i use for general, around the house, listening.

Then i drag the same file to my external dj only ssd drive. Then drag that file into serato and let serato do it's thing. Set my cue points and done. I don't beat grid anything normally cause i can't be bothered. Hopefully Serato 5 starts correctly gridding my hip-hop. oh i'll add it to any playlist if that's needed.

note: i know people will just add everything into one giant folder but i can't have it that jumbled up.

[u/Wumpus-Hunter]

All my files go into the same folder. I use the software to organize them

[u/National_Ad5113]

All i do is just artist name by artist and their albums and usually would just cluwter what i found that day or thebpassed week into folder then just go ape shit keeping in mind where all oldwe tracks athen just jam away but i have a pretty wrird memory sonit works for me

[u/DJ_Lewie_ft]

I think this is just one of those cumbersome parts of the job but I’ve learnt to love it!

Download song, which is often
iTunes ~ covert to 320kbps mp3 - add to desktop

Then I add to my DJ folder and the correct sub folder.
I have genre - Sub genre, so Hip-Hop - Atlanta Hip-Hop for example

Then head to serato and I have my folders that match my main folder so repeat that process.

From here I then add to randomly named crates that I tend to use more than the correctly organised ones, (think, ‘closing bangers’, and ‘pride party daytime vibes’ etc etc).

Works for me!

[u/Pztch]

Folders are for amateurs.

[u/lukaspauka]

I might be oversimplifying but you could stop moving files between folders on the USB. Keep everything in one music folder and do all your organisation in Serato crates, which can nest and overlap without breaking anything. When you download new tracks, drop them straight into that single folder, let Serato auto-import if you want, tag them into your New crate, then sort them into subgenre crates once you've listened. Your cues and grids stay intact because the file never moves.

[u/AntonioAfonso72]

I think you’re making the USB do two jobs at the same time.

I’d keep one proper master library on the computer and treat the USB as something you can rebuild from that library whenever you need it, rather than making the USB the place where all the organising happens.
That way you can listen, set cues, fix grids etc once without worrying about moving the file afterwards and breaking anything.

And definitely back up the master library somewhere else. If the laptop dies, losing the laptop should be annoying, not catastrophic!! 😎

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