I have been using djay Pro for a while now and love how versatile it is but I am struggling a bit when it comes to organizing my playlists for live sets. I usually mix a variety of genres, and sometimes I find myself scrolling endlessly during a performance trying to find the right track.
How do you all manage your music libraries effectively in djay Pro: ?? Do you use specific folders, Smart Playlists or maybe a tagging system to quickly find tracks: ?? Also, any tips for prepping playlists for different events or moods: ??
I would love to hear your strategies for keeping things efficient and smooth during live sets. I want to spend more time mixing and less time searching !! I have already searched on the forum for the solution to my query and found this thread https://community.algoriddim.com/t/playlist-organization-on-djay-ipad-python-certification but couldnât get enough solution and tips.
Thanks in advance for your advice I know this community always has great insights !!
Hey @danieljosee
I mix on iOS,
-iOS devices are synced w iTunes|Music via Mac.
-Smart playlists created on Mac
-Smart playlists are dragged to iOS.
These smart playlist have many rules that the user will need to create one time per Smart playlist.
Example.
I use the Mac version with all music transferred to âMy collectionâ in djay to organise playlists etc.
Smart playlists for genre, bpm, colour and rating.
With djayâs limited library management you then have to get creative.
I use the comments section for sub genres, the grouping section for different occasions and situations.
You can fit many variations into each section if you abbreviate
AB for afrobeat, JF for jazz funk, WU for warm up, EON for end of night etc.
You can then create smart lists to include the abbreviations and other variables which helps to narrow searches.
I created a word document with all abbreviated variables to help me when tagging.
Itâs a laborious way initially but once done it makes new additions easier.
The related feature is also very good on the Mac, whenever you find tracks that go well or want to use together be sure to relate them in the track info section. Djay promotes your preferred tracks to the top of the match function which is always handy.
Thereâs a ton of good advice on digital dj tipsâ digital dj lab which you can get a trial of for ÂŁ1 or at least you could a while ago. Definitely worth checking out.
I make several dj playlists on Tidal and stream directly from them.
When making a live set, thereâs no genre or sub genre. Only good music and bad music, that goes well or not together. So itâs easy to put a lot of good music in those playlists and have fun.
This is also a natural workaround for the non-cloud syncing issue, once i make track management inside tidalâs.
Actually, i only use dj proâs library for checking previous sessions. Feature missed is being able to âlast addedâ sorting option on tidalâs playlist inside Djay.
Hi @daniel_curley,
Iâm working in a similar way, and I agreeâitâs a bit cumbersome, but we make it work.
One question I have: how do you handle the transfer to âMy Collectionâ? My current method is to manually drag tracks from the iTunes directory into djayâs âMy Collectionâ before every gig and then wait (âŚ, yes that can take quite some time).
Do you have a more efficient way of doing this, or is this just the nature of the process?
Looking forward to your insights!
I completely understand the challenge of organizing playlists for live sets, especially when mixing multiple genres. Hereâs how I approach it:
iTunes/Apple Music as the Central Hub
I use iTunes/Apple Music as the main platform for managing my music collection and playlists. This method offers several key advantages:
Software independence:
Your library and playlists are not tied to a specific DJ software. This makes it easier to switch to another platform in the future without losing your time and playlist organization.
Advanced filtering and sorting:
iTunes/Apple Music provides extensive filtering options compared to djay Pro. You can sort and filter on many more variables compares to DJay.
Smart playlists:
With smart playlists, you can set detailed rules to automatically populate playlists with the right tracks based on your criteria (e.g., genre, Year, Key, BPM, or even specific keywords in the comments).
Benefits of this workflow
Smarter playlists:
Your can add new music only to one source and playlists become dynamic and always stay updated with the right tracks as you add new music.
No Tool lock-In:
Youâre not stuck with a single DJ software. If you decide to switch, your playlists and organization stay intact.
One drawback
A downside of this approach is that you need to manually transfer your updated library to âMy Collectionâ in djay Pro before every gig. While djay allows direct integration with iTunes/Apple Music, I personally prefer working this way for better control over my library and playlists.
Personal experience
After working this way for years, Iâm still very happy with this system. It gives me flexibility and saved me countless hours of scrolling and searching during gigs and updating playlist and I feel confident knowing my playlists are always ready for any event or mood.
I donât have to transfer my library because it resides permanently within djay.
I use Tidal for streaming services and the files utility for my own files.
I just add tunes to my collection by dragging them or adding to a playlist wherever i buy or favourite them.
Hey @DJ_Big_Blender
Iâm not sure what I am missing. Why transfer this at all and not have DJay look into the iTunes folder in the first place. Iâd like to understand why transferring the music to my collection works.
I use iTunes to do everything you just explained with Smart playlists.
The reason I use smart playlist with an iTunes is so that every time I purchase or upload a song, it will automatically go into their appropriate playlist. I donât have to do a thing. DJay then looks inside of that very folder without transferring anything
Yes, I know. I use iTunes for all these rules as well. However, my next step is to drag the entire DJ-Playlist directory in one go from iTunes to âMy Collectionâ. This works perfectly! It creates a copy of the same nested iTunes playlist structure in DJay.
The added advantage is that it allows me to make adjustments and cherry-pick the right playlists I want to use for a certain dedicated event, organizing them in a separate folder. This final step isnât possible when relying solely on the iTunes integration.
, yes that can take quite some time).
