Version of operating system (e.g. macOS 14.4.1): macOS 15k
Version of djay (e.g. 5.1.2): 5.6
Hardware/controllers used (e.g. Reloop Mixon 8 Pro): n/a
Hi everyone,
Due to storage limitations on my MacBook Pro M1 (I only have the 512GB model), I have decided to move my entire local music collection to an SD card to free up space on the internal SSD.
My Setup:
To keep it as a permanent ‘flush’ solution, I’ve opted for:
Adapter: Baseqi Aluminum UHS-II microSD adapter (sits flush with the chassis).
Card: Samsung microSD Sonic Pro Plus 1TB (UHS-I U3, up to 180 MB/s).
The Question:
Before I proceed with moving the actual files, are there any specific manuals, guides, or crucial settings in Djay Pro I should be aware of?
specifically:
Once I move the folders to the SD card, what is the best way to point Djay to the new location without losing my analysis data, CUE points, and playlists?
Should I use the ‘Relocate’ function, or is there a better workflow to ensure the database updates the file paths correctly?
Any advice to make this migration as smooth as possible would be appreciated!
No worries! If this info helps with your setup, then the post served its purpose.
Just so you know, I also considered the Transcend 512GB JDL330 JetDrive Lite 330 (which is a similar flush solution), but I ultimately decided against it and went with the Baseqi + Samsung combo for a few key reasons:
Performance: The Samsung Pro Plus card offers higher read/write speeds (up to 180 MB/s), which is crucial for loading tracks and searching the library instantly. The JetDrive is often a bit slower in comparison.
Flexibility & Future-proofing: The Baseqi is just an adapter. If I want to upgrade to a 2TB card in the future, or if the card ever fails, I just replace the microSD cheaply. With the JetDrive, if it breaks or fills up, you have to replace the entire proprietary unit, which is much more expensive
I am afraid, you will need to do a relocate missing track process manually and perhaps for each track. However, there might be 2 possible chances to shorten the process.
There are instances whereby, doing the relocate missing tracks function shows the missing tracks AND pre-links them by default to their new locations, so your work is simply to click “OK” and that’s it. In this case it’d only be a one-step solution.
I have had some situations after deleting a track off internal drive to trash bin, djay does not lose track (it follows it in the trash bin!). Am not saying moving your tracks from internal to external drive will land you this chance, but you never know.
Short answer:
Use one library
Plug SD card, enable USB Library in djay, Select All playlists, right-click, “Add to USB Library” then wait.
Once process is done, view it to make sure you’re satisfied, then wipe out your internal drive. After that, open the USB library and again import to collection (as I don’t trust stability of the USB library tab)
This process has one advantage (your djay library will be intact and onto SD card) but expect 2 or maybe more disadvantages:
The exportation process is long and slow (perhaps this happened to me because mine were MP4 files? I tried and gave up)
The file folder system djay will create in the SD card is a mess! It won’t reflect your folder system in the mac as there will be artist folders for each and all artists named in your library, and each artist folder will have multiple album subfolders for every album you created for that artist. I hope you see the picture - I can’t deal with that file system, especially if you want to once in a while go in there and clean up files.
I just moved some stuff to SD the other day. Once I dragged the files back into ‘my collection,’ all the ratings and tags showed up as expected. You might need to restart Djay in between, though, because it seems like it doesn’t catch changes to media right away (like new folders).
Perhaps you could try it with just a couple of files first?
And yeah, thanks for linking the adapter! I actually owned one back in the Intel days and forgot they even existed.
I just tried it out again. I put a new track on my local SSD, changed the genre, and added some cue points. I closed Djay, moved the file to my SD card, and then opened Djay.
Djay does remember the properties from the file after you’ve moved it, but you are right about the link being broken in ‘my collections’. Not sure what happened the other day.
Regarding your ‘Short answer’ (using the USB Library export), I think I’ll skip that option. As you pointed out, it reorganizes the file structure into Artist/Album, and for me, that’s a dealbreaker. I need to maintain my custom folder hierarchy intact since I organize my files by specific criteria/genres, not just standard tags.
I’ve been reflecting on how the macOS file system handles paths, and I realize that simply moving the folder won’t be enough for Djay to ‘see’ the files automatically, since the absolute path changes (switching from the internal /Users/Name/Music... to the external /Volumes/SDCard...).
So, here is the plan I will test:
Manually move my music folders to the SD card via Finder (keeping my structure 1:1).
Open Djay (tracks should appear greyed out/missing).
Use the Library > Relink Missing Files function.
Point Djay specifically to the new parent folder on the SD card so it scans and updates the paths in bulk.
In theory, this should be the cleanest way to keep all my CUE points and analysis data while preserving my physical folder structure on the drive.
I will proceed with this method shortly and report back to confirm if it went smoothly or if I encountered any hiccups. Stay tuned!
To expand on the hardware choice (since it might help others in the same situation):
I actually considered the Transcend JetDrive Lite 330 (the classic ‘flush’ expansion card), but I ultimately decided to go with the Baseqi Adapter + Samsung Pro Plus MicroSD combo for three strategic reasons:
Performance & IOPS: While everyone looks at sequential speed (MB/s), a key factor for DJ software is IOPS(Input/Output Operations Per Second). Since Djay needs to constantly read small bits of data from the database and metadata, high IOPS are crucial for a snappy library. The A2 Application Performance Class rating on this Samsung card handles random read/write operations much better than older expansion modules, which are often just rebranded, slower flash memory.
Future-proofing: The Baseqi is just a passive adapter. If the card ever fails or I want to upgrade to 2TB, I just replace the microSD cheaply.
Versatility: I can easily swap the card to other devices (cameras, drones) if needed.
A note on Spotlight Indexing: I’ve read that for external drives used in live performance, it is often recommended to exclude the drive from Spotlight indexing (System Settings > Siri & Spotlight > Spotlight Privacy) to prevent the system from using resources to index files in the background. However, I have decided NOT to disable this feature. I rely heavily on Spotlight/Finder search to locate tracks quickly during my prep or gigs, so I’m keeping it enabled despite the potential resource usage. I prefer the utility of the search function over the marginal performance gain in this specific case.
I wanted to share the final results of moving my library to the Baseqi adapter + Samsung Pro Plus setup.
The Migration Process (and a warning): I initially thought that simply renaming my local music folder (e.g., adding “_OLD” to the name) would force Djay to lose track of the files so I could relink them to the SD card. **I was wrong.**macOS is smart enough to track file identity even if you rename the parent folder, so Djay kept playing the files from the internal drive without me realizing it.
Here is the correct workflow that worked for me:
Copy: I copied my music folder structure exactly as-is to the new SD Card.
Delete: I had to completely delete the original folder from the internal SSD (and empty the Trash) to break the link.
Relink: Once the local files were gone, Djay showed the tracks as ‘missing’ (greyed out).
Fix: I went to Library > Relink Missing Files, selected the new folder on the SD card, and Djay automatically updated the paths for the entire collection in seconds.
Result: Everything is working perfectly. The read speeds on the Samsung card are excellent (loading tracks is instant), and I have kept all my CUE points and analysis data intact.
This was also one of the problems I ran into, because although Djay can see the file, it can’t actually play it from the trash can. Which makes sense, but is inconsistent nonetheless.
Just a quick follow-up regarding performance/latency, which connects to the Spotlight discussion we had earlier:
Immediately after moving the files and relinking, I noticed a slight lag (about 2-4 seconds) when loading tracks into the decks. I initially worried that the SD card speed wasn’t keeping up.
However, this was just temporary. It turns out macOS was aggressively indexing the new volume (Spotlight) in the background. Once the system finished indexing the drive, that latency disappeared completely.
Now, track loading is instant, just like on the internal SSD. So, if anyone else tries this and feels the system is sluggish at first: don’t panic, just let macOS finish its background tasks!
I’ve encountered a significant issue after my migration to the SD card.
Before the move, I had a specific folder configured in Djay’s settings for automatic import. Whenever I added new tracks to that folder on my internal SSD, Djay would automatically add them to ‘My Collection’. I only had to trigger the analysis, which saved me a lot of time.
The Problem: Since moving that folder to the SD card, the auto-import feature has stopped working entirely.
I have verified that the folder path is correctly configured in the settings.
I’ve tried removing the folder from the import settings, restarting Djay, and re-adding it.
The only way to get new tracks into the collection now is to go to ‘My Files’ and manually interact with the track or folder.
My Question: Is anyone else experiencing this with the 5.6 update? Could it be a bug related to how Djay monitors changes on external volumes/SD cards versus internal drives?
On macOS, external drives sometimes have different permissions or ‘File System Event’ behaviors, but this worked perfectly before the 5.6/SD card change. Any help or confirmation would be appreciated!
I’ve already checked my macOS System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access, and Djay Pro has full permissions enabled.
macOS doesn’t seem to differentiate between internal and external volumes once Full Disk Access is granted, so the issue shouldn’t be permission-based. This reinforces my suspicion that it might be a bug in how version 5.6 monitors (or fails to monitor) file system events on external SD cards.
If the ‘Watch Folder’ mechanism is only looking for changes on the internal SSD path, that would explain why it’s ignoring new files added to the SD card. Has anyone else noticed this behavior with external drives?
