Dear Algoriddim Team,
I’ve recently made the switch from Serato DJ to djay Pro and, while I genuinely love the app’s performance and interface, I’m experiencing significant issues with the library display and search functionality that are affecting my workflow as a DJ.
System Information:
• Device: MacBook Pro 14” (M1 Pro, 2021)
• OS: macOS Sequoia 15.3.2 (24D81)
• djay Version: 5.2.10
• Hardware Controller: Pioneer DJ Rev7
1. Metadata Not Displayed Properly
Many of my MP3 files are shown using only their file names instead of correctly displaying title, artist, and other metadata. These same tracks appear perfectly fine in Serato DJ, so I’m confident the metadata is intact. For example, instead of showing Ginuwine – Pony (FLAC), it may just display the filename or incomplete data.
Interestingly, when browsing the same files through the My Files (Finder) section in djay Pro, all metadata is displayed correctly—meaning the information is clearly accessible, but not consistently shown in the main library view in MY COLLECTION
2. Search Function Is Inaccurate and Case-Sensitive
The search feature feels quite limited:
• Searching “Pony flac” in Serato finds Ginuwine – Pony (FLAC) instantly; djay Pro does not.
• Typing “X Change” does not return DJ X-Change due to the hyphen.
• A search for “party up” should bring up DMX – Party Up, but instead yields hundreds of unrelated results that simply contain “party” in any field.
The lack of fuzzy search and the need for exact formatting (case, hyphens, etc.) is inefficient and unreliable in a live setting.
3. Track Duration Not Working
The total duration of every track is also displayed as 0:00 , meaning I can’t see how long a song is
4. Cue Point Playback Behavior Is Inconsistent
When loading a track where Cue 1 is set somewhere in the middle or end, djay Pro starts the song from the beginning instead of from Cue 1 (set in settings). This breaks the expected behavior from other DJ software like Serato, where the track starts directly from the first cue point. For battle-style or quick-mix DJs, this adds unnecessary steps and delays, as I need to manually hit Cue 1 again—costing precious seconds during live transitions.
5. Tab Key Navigation Is Inconsistent
Another frustrating detail: when I press TAB after typing in the search bar, the focus doesn’t jump to the track list as expected. Instead, it goes elsewhere in the UI, and I have to press TAB two or three more times just to reach the actual search results. This slows down workflow significantly and breaks expected UI behavior.
6. Metadata Is Correct in the ‘Match Active Deck’ Section
Curiously, when using the Match Active Deck feature, the correct metadata does show up. For example, the file
_20Nelly__20-20Nasty_20Girl_20_8b_20Intro_20Dirty.mp3
is shown as:
Artist: The Notorious B.I.G feat Jagged Edge, Diddy, Nelly
Title: Nasty Girl (8b Intro Dirty)
This suggests that djay Pro is capable of reading metadata correctly—but that it’s inconsistently applied throughout the UI. It would be fantastic to see this consistency carried over to the library browser and search results as well.
Honestly, I’m surprised that someone like DJ Angelo, who is part of your official team and clearly a high-level performance DJ, hasn’t flagged these issues already. Many of them feel fundamental and affect basic usability for both pro and casual users.
These are core features that need improvement for djay Pro to be a viable professional tool long-term. I hope these issues can be addressed soon—thank you for your continued work on this great platform.
Best regards,
DJ Essa
