Would it be possible to consider adding a feature where you could import a playlist (you have created/exported elsewhere) in M3U format, which is pretty universal?
At the moment, in Djay Pro on Windows I’m gradually adding folders from my main Traktor Collection folder to build up my library and I’m having to create each playlist manually.
If I could export a given playlist from Traktor in M3U format then this will store the references to each file, so that I could then “add” that playlist to my Djay Pro installation. Not unlike when I used to do this between Traktor and Reckordbox.
I wouldn’t get CUE points and so on, but it would be a start, rather than having to re-create all my playlists in Djay Pro from scratch.
Drag an .m3u file into Apple Music. This creates a new playlist.
Open djay and drag the new playlist from Local Files into My Collection.
In macOS, you can also copy/paste tracks between Apple Music and My Collection.
Open a playlist in Apple Music or My Collection.
Select all the tracks in the playlist and COPY.
Open a playlist in the other program and PASTE.
Notes:
I don’t know if this will work, but it’s worth a try - COPY and PASTE selected tracks in a Traktor playlist to a My Collection playlist. Let us know if it works.
Thanks for your post. As it happens I’m using Windows and I don’t use Apple Music or iTunes. But… your message gave me an idea, which has led to a workaround of sorts!
1.) Open Traktor, go to Playlist of choice, export as an M3U, (don’t select copy the tracks to the destination)
2.) Navigate to where the playlist file was exported, which by default will be the standard “Documents” folder for that user account.
3.) Copy/Move the playlist file to the main root “Music” directory which Djay Pro looks for, which in Windows is the standard C:\Users\username\Music and then inside that the “Playlists” folder
4.) Djay Pro will see this top-level Playlists folder and any subfolders inside it, highlighting the playlist files, including the one you just copied over. No need to quit and restart Djay, it sees them dynamically.
5.) Create a new Playlist in Djay Pro from the Library icon (white crates with yellow blob), using the split window functionality so that you can still see your exported playlist in the “Music” pane beneath (blue crotchet)
6.) Select all, and then drag n’ drop your tracks from the exported playlist to the new playlist above, from one pane to another pane.
Notes:
1.) Djay can’t handle any weird characters in the file name or path, such as an accented “e” for Cafe del Mar so you might not get all tunes across without messing about with the files to correct that (as I did during my testing, an edge case but annoying).
2.) You can’t just drag n’ drop the entire playlist from the lower pane to the upper pane even though the mouse cursor changes to a plus sign to imply that it would allow it, which is why I had to create an empty playlist “in” Djay first and then populate it from the playlist below.
It’s a janky workaround, but will still be a heck of a lot quicker than creating new playlists from scratch. Given that my Traktor playlists are the “master” I’ve only got to create them there and I can have the same in Djay in a few minutes.
You can drag n’ drop tracks directly from one playlist in Traktor on one monitor, straight into a new playlist in Djay Pro on another monitor! Works great!
I also thank Slak_Mascella, who is always excellent at responding quickly and in a diplomatic and professional manner.
I’ll ask you about my problem.
When I create a playlist with iTunes, I don’t have any problems, since all DJ software supports iTunes.
When I create a playlist with Rekordbox, I can transfer it to iTunes via m3u8, and the problem doesn’t arise either.
When I create a playlist with Djay Pro using my library, I get stuck because I can’t transfer it to other programs, so it’s a waste of time.
Do you think using the Onelibrary workaround will solve the problem?
Have you tried it yet?
Can using the method you recommended cause problems in Rekordbox, such as dubbing songs already in the library or something similar?
Keep in mind, and I don’t think I need to tell you, that if you have a playlist created on iTunes, it’s already ready to use on both your iPhone and iPad.
Any advice from you gurus of this software is like gold to me.
Hi @Sergio1, you’re welcome. I don’t use Rekordbox so I can’t share any personal experience on this. However, OneLibrary was specifically developed in partnership with AlphaTheta (Rekordbox) and NI (Traktor). I suspect using it should eliminate your need for iTunes and m3u8. I recommend you simply test it out with a small number of tracks to see if it works with your workflow. Here’s more from AlphaTheta:
As shown in the attached photos, I transferred a few tracks from iTunes to my Djay library and then created a test playlist to transfer onto a USB drive.
As you can see when opening the drive in Rekordbox, it duplicates all the tracks.
If I then create an m3u8 playlist in Rekordbox—as I usually do—and open it in iTunes, it only shows 3 out of the 5 tracks.
The steps I followed seem correct to me.
I should point out that all the tracks are stored on my MacBook’s internal drive within iTunes.
I would appreciate any further advice you could give, because, as you can see, “OneLibrary” doesn’t seem to solve the problem as a substitute for an m3u8 file either.
Good morning @Sergio1. Thanks for the testing and screenshots - this is very helpful. I’m pretty sure the duplicates aren’t coming from djay. Your Rekordbox screenshot spells it out: Rekordbox says the playlist contains files that aren’t in its collection, and it’s copying all 5 of them to /Users/[you]/Music/PioneerDJ/Imported from Device. Those copies are the second set of entries you’re seeing. OneLibrary puts the audio files on the USB drive, so their path no longer matches the originals sitting in your Music folder, and Rekordbox treats them as new tracks. If you want to avoid that, leave the playlist on the drive and load it from the Devices section rather than importing it into your Collection.
On the bigger point, you’re right: OneLibrary isn’t a complete stand-in for m3u8 in your workflow. The documented targets are djay and Rekordbox, plus CDJ/XDJ/OPUS-QUAD hardware — the Music app isn’t one of them, so there’s still no direct path from a djay playlist back into iTunes.
The 3-of-5 result in Music happens entirely between Rekordbox and the Music app, so I can’t say much without more detail. Which two didn’t come through, and what file formats are they? I’m curious whether it’s a format Music won’t import. I hope that helps!
There is a workaround using Python but it is a bit of a kludge. You can export playlists as .csv files and convert them to .m3u files. The workflow looks like this:
djay playlist → .csv → .m3u → Apple Music → back to djay
