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YOUR QUESTION:
Is there any possible way to plug my iPad into my Mac and Sync all of my music and Playlist over?
Is it possible to then have that library synced across all devices so if I make changes on one device it will sync across all device. E.g. I add ‘Hot Cues’ on my Mac it will then show up on my iPad.
Hi.
for number 1, certainly… you can use the Mac’s built in sync feature (it resides in the finder now) to move music across to your devices in the form of Apple Music playlists, which can then be used in Djay as playlists.
Number 2, possibly icloud can handle this for updating your Apple Music playlists as you add to them, but not something ive ever looked into myself.
Hi @DjMilesEast, @STU-C is correct. You can use the Music App on your macOS device to Sync your Music library and playlists with your iPad. You can then enable iCloud Sync on both devices to automatically sync your saved hot cues and loops.
I hope that helps!
So I basically have to dump all my music through the ‘Music’ App on my Mac?
What about playlist/folders etc? Does the iCloud sync sort that out too?
Using the Music app is one way to manage your library, but there are other options. If you are a Music App user already, then this is probably the best approach for you. iCloud sync only syncs your hot cues, saved loops and some other metadata. It does not manage the actual music files or playlists.
If you don’t want to use the Music App, here’s another option that also works with Windows:
If you’re looking for a flexible way to manage your music in djay, we recommend using the native “My Collection” library source in combination with the Finder (on macOS), Files (on iOS), or Explorer (on Windows) library sources.
To get started:
“My Collection” allows you to create custom playlists and folders that automatically index tracks from various sources within djay, including streaming services, djay Music, locally stored files, and files from external devices/locations.
A byproduct of this approach is that it lets you work directly with your file sources, bypassing the need to use the Music app altogether. Since djay links to your files rather than importing them, it’s essential to ensure that your file paths remain consistent.
It is also important to note that if you add new tracks to a source folder (like an external drive), those files will appear in the Finder/Files/Explorer source within djay. However, they won’t automatically show up in your custom playlists in “My Collection” as you’ll need to manually drag them into the appropriate playlist to keep everything in sync.
Finally, you could also consider using the new OneLibrary tool. For more info, please refer to the sections below from the djay user manuals:
Thank you. Yes I currently used the OneLibrary through a USB stick to transfer my Rekordbox collection to the iPad. Though slow (Old gear, slow Flash drive) It worked great.
You’re welcome. Thanks for the follow up @DjMilesEast
This is great information. Sounds like an ideal solution.
You’re welcome @DjMilesEast. There is another solution that I’ve personally been using for at least 4 years now. With this method, I no longer purchase, download or manage any local music files. I switched to Beatport Link Professional streaming service with the 1,000 song Offline Locker. With this setup, there is no need to transfer music files between your macOS and iOS devices. You simply log into your Beatport Streaming account on both devices. If you create your playlists in the Beatport Streaming source they will be available on all devices with no extra work. Plus when you enable iCloud syncing on all devices, your hot cues and saved loops are automatically updated across all macOS/iOS devices. Finally, you can add up to 1,000 songs on either device to your Offline Locker so you don’t have to worry about reliable WiFi or Cellular Data at your gig. I find this to be the most efficient way to manage my music across multiple macOS and iOS devices. I realize this isn’t for everyone, but I haven’t looked back since switching to this method. I hope that helps!
Yeah looks like the way the world is heading.
Thanks again for the information. I’m gonna see if I can get things synced up across my devices.
Will take a look into the beatport streaming as well. Looks promising
You’re welcome @DjMilesEast
Another easy way to sync between devices is iTunes-Match
Works relatively well for me since years and has some additional advantages.
Thanks for sharing @marsu. However, I generally do not recommend using iTunes Match as this can lead to some unexpected results. The main one being that iTunes Match can select a different song from their database from the song in you local music library.
This is the easiest and safest method imo.
Thanks for the input @Jay_Dizzle
Thanks for your comment Slak Jaw,
and honestly I disagree. How often did that happen to you that Match
selected the wrong song? And so what? If you loose all your stuff and
get it back from Match you will have one wrong song. who cares.
There are rarely some other problems that can really be annoying, like
Match doesn’t work well from the beginning and has hickups. If you don’t
watch this could mess up up your library later.
But in my experience it works pretty well and is another safety line in
case you loose data or equipment.
Another downside is it’s not available in all countries.
You’re welcome @marsu. Thanks for the additional feedback!
Personally, I do not use Match. However, I have heard reports from several DJ’s where this caused issues for them. These users required a specific version of the song for their performance or routine - typically a special “DJ edit” of a track. For example they may need a version of a popular radio song that has DJ intro edited in so they can mix it into their routine. There are other examples, but I think you can understand how for some DJs having a different version of a song replacing their special DJ edit can be an issue. I’m happy to hear that Match works great for you. I just wanted to make sure that other users here were aware of the potential issues with this feature. Thanks again for your feedback - always great to have different perspectives!
Exactly this behaviour some people might find interesting. Imaging having a bad quality mp3 which will be replaced by a nice aac from their catalog. This is the good part of iTunes-Match.
But yes, I don’t use iTunes-Match for my DJ-Library either for above reasons given by @Slak_Jaw
