How I Built The ULTIMATE DJ Library in 5 Easy Steps (Full Guide)
Summary
TLDRThis video offers a comprehensive guide to organizing a DJ's music library for efficiency and creativity. The speaker shares their journey from a chaotic collection of over 9,000 tracks to a streamlined system using five simple steps. They discuss sourcing high-quality music, implementing a tagging system, and maintaining a fresh and updated collection. The script also addresses the challenges of managing a large library and provides solutions for curating and maintaining music that enhances DJ sets.
Takeaways
- 😀 The speaker used to have an overwhelming music library of over 9,000 tracks and hundreds of playlists, making it difficult to find music efficiently.
- 🔄 To streamline their music management, the speaker decided to delete everything and start fresh with a new organization system.
- 🎵 The speaker now organizes their library more effectively, reducing hours of music management to mere minutes through a five-step process.
- 🚀 For those starting from scratch or wanting to find music faster, the video offers guidance on how to source high-quality music and create an efficient tagging system.
- 🏪 The script compares choosing music sources to choosing a coffee shop, emphasizing personal preference and convenience.
- 🎧 The speaker had clear goals for sourcing music: better quality in less time, focusing on quality over quantity, and reducing risks.
- 📚 Subscription services like record pools are recommended for quickly expanding a music library with high-quality, DJ-friendly edits.
- 🔍 However, the downside of record pools is that they cater to different music types and are intended for promoting new music, which might not suit all DJs' needs.
- 🌐 Free platforms like SoundCloud offer a way to get exclusive edits and bootlegs, which can help DJs stand out with unique tracks in their sets.
- 📈 The speaker warns about the risks of relying on streaming services for DJing, such as the possibility of tracks being removed or services discontinuing support for DJing features.
- 🛒 Buying music from stores provides the benefit of owning the tracks and having more control over the quality and permanence of the library.
- 🏷️ Implementing a curation system is crucial to prevent the library from becoming a chaotic collection and to ensure that only the best tracks make it into the library.
- 📝 The importance of a well-structured and personal tagging system is highlighted to facilitate easy and quick access to the right tracks during set preparation and performance.
- 🎨 An organized library is positioned as a tool for creativity, not a constraint, allowing DJs to be more creative within defined parameters.
- 🛠️ The script suggests using DJ tools like samples, acapellas, and stems to add creativity to sets and provides tips on how to integrate them into the library.
- 🗑️ Regular maintenance of the music library is essential, including removing poor-quality tracks, updating tags, and ensuring the library stays fresh and relevant.
Q & A
What was the main issue the speaker faced with their music library before making changes?
-The speaker had a chaotic and disorganized music library with over 9,000 tracks and hundreds of playlists, making it impossible to find anything efficiently.
What decision did the speaker make to improve their music library management?
-The speaker decided to delete everything and start fresh with a brand new system, aiming to make their library more organized.
What are the three main goals the speaker had when sourcing music for their library?
-The speaker's goals were to get better music in less time, prioritize quality over quantity, and reduce risk.
What are some downsides of using DJ pools for sourcing music?
-DJ pools cater to different music types, requiring time to choose the right one. They are also supposed to be used for promoting new music, making them less suitable for older tracks.
How can DJs find unique tracks not available on full release?
-DJs can find unique tracks by using sites like SoundCloud or Hypedit, where they can get exclusive edits and bootlegs for free in exchange for social media gratifications.
What is one way DJs can get on promo lists for new releases?
-DJs can get on promo lists by interacting with artists and labels on social media, especially if they have a following or play out regularly.
Why might DJs prefer using streaming services for their music?
-Streaming services offer access to millions of tracks for a small monthly fee, making DJing affordable and accessible, and allowing for high-quality streaming and quick discovery of new releases.
What are some risks associated with relying on streaming services for DJing?
-Streaming services can remove tracks at any time, require a solid internet connection which is often not available at gigs, and may decide to stop supporting DJing altogether.
How does the speaker suggest DJs organize their music library to improve their sets?
-The speaker suggests using a curation system, tagging system, and categorization based on sub-genres, energy levels, and vibe to make the library more organized and easier to navigate.
What is the 'Paradox of Choice' and how does it relate to DJing and music library organization?
-The 'Paradox of Choice' refers to the phenomenon where having too many options can lead to decision paralysis. An organized music library provides constraints that can actually make it easier for DJs to be creative within those boundaries.
How can DJs use Record Box to help create playlists and manage their library?
-DJs can use Record Box to find related tracks based on BPM and key, filter by energy levels, and create intelligent playlists to manage their music more efficiently.
What steps should DJs take to keep their music library fresh and up to date?
-DJs should regularly review and remove tracks that don't work in their sets, update file quality, and keep an eye on tracks they haven't played in a while to ensure their library remains relevant and high-quality.
Outlines
🎧 Overhauling the DJ's Music Library
The speaker, a seasoned DJ, discusses the transformation of their music library from a disorganized chaos to a streamlined system. After 20 years of DJing and accumulating over 9,000 tracks, the decision was made to delete everything and start anew. The process involved five steps to organize the library, making music management efficient. The video aims to guide viewers on finding high-quality music, creating a fast tagging system, and maintaining a fresh and updated collection. It also touches on the overwhelming choices available for sourcing music and the speaker's personal goals for quality and efficiency in their music curation.
🔍 Implementing a Curation System for Music Selection
The paragraph introduces a curation system for music, essential for maintaining a personalized and high-quality library. The speaker uses a shortlist on Spotify as a preliminary filter, followed by a 24-hour waiting period to re-evaluate tracks based on three key questions regarding personal liking, playability, and willingness to pay. This system ensures that only the best tracks make it into the library. The importance of having a well-organized library is compared to the difficulty of choosing a holiday destination, emphasizing the need for a personal categorization system that aligns with individual DJing styles and preferences.
🎨 Creative Organization for DJ Sets
This section delves into the creative benefits of an organized music library, debunking the myth that structure hinders creativity. The speaker shares personal strategies for categorizing tracks, including the use of sub-genres with tags, energy levels with star ratings, and vibe tags for personal connection. These methods not only help in finding tracks quickly but also in creating dynamic and engaging DJ sets with the right balance of energy and mood. The importance of DJ tools like samples and acapellas is also highlighted, as they can enhance the creativity of sets.
🛠 Maintenance and Continuous Improvement of the Music Library
The final paragraph focuses on the importance of regular maintenance to keep the music library fresh and relevant. It discusses the process of identifying and removing tracks that no longer fit the DJ's style or quality standards, using 'poop' tags and intelligent playlists for efficient management. The speaker also addresses the issue of low-quality files and the need to upgrade them, as well as the importance of regularly reviewing tracks that have not been played in a while to ensure the library remains an active and valuable resource for DJing.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡DJing
💡Music Library
💡Tagging System
💡DJ Pools
💡Curation
💡Streaming Services
💡Energy Levels
💡Vibe
💡DJ Tools
💡Maintenance
💡Intelligent Playlists
Highlights
After 20 years of DJing, the speaker had accumulated over 9,000 tracks and hundreds of playlists, leading to a chaotic and inefficient library management system.
A major decision was made to delete the entire music library to start fresh with a new organization system, resulting in a more efficient and organized library.
The video promises to teach viewers how to find high-quality music, create a fast tagging system, and maintain an up-to-date music collection.
The speaker emphasizes the importance of quality over quantity when sourcing music for a DJ library.
Subscription services like zipDJ or BPM Supreme are recommended for quickly expanding a DJ's music library with high-quality files and curated lists.
DJ pools are beneficial but may have downsides, such as catering to specific music types and legal restrictions on their use for older tracks.
Finding unique tracks not available on full release can help a DJ stand out, with sites like SoundCloud offering free exclusive edits and bootlegs.
Getting on promo lists can be challenging but interacting with artists and labels on social media can increase the chances of receiving exclusive tracks.
Streaming services have made DJing more affordable and accessible, but they come with risks such as tracks being removed or reliance on internet connections.
The speaker suggests moving away from streaming services for long-term DJing due to potential support discontinuation or feature limitations.
Purchasing music from online stores like Beatport, Juno, and others ensures high-quality tracks and the ability to keep them permanently.
A curation system is introduced as a way to filter and select music effectively, similar to choosing a coffee shop based on personal preferences.
The importance of a 24-hour waiting period before adding a track to the library is highlighted to ensure its lasting appeal.
A three-step categorization system is presented to organize tracks based on genre, energy, and vibe, making it easier to find suitable music for sets.
The paradox of choice is discussed, explaining how an organized library can actually foster creativity by providing constraints.
DJ tools such as samples, acapellas, and stems are recommended for adding extra elements to sets and can be organized within the library.
Record box is used to create playlists by working backwards from a chosen end track, helping to overcome creative blocks and plan sets.
The importance of regular library maintenance is stressed, including removing poor-quality tracks, updating files, and culling unused tracks.
Transcripts
is your library a chaotic mess is it
sucking up valuable time you could be
spending on your decks after 20 years of
DJing I had over 9,000 tracks and
hundreds of playlists it was impossible
to find anything but then I made a huge
decision I deleted everything I wanted
to start fresh with a brand new system
now my library is more organized than
ever and I've turned hours of music
management into minutes using just five
simple steps whether you're starting
from scratch cleaning up your existing
library or just want to find music
faster this video is for you I'm going
to show you how to find high quality
music handp pick the best tracks for
your library create a lightning fast
tagging system transform your library
into a creative Powerhouse and keep your
music collection fresh and up to dat
there are a thousand different places to
get a coffee but I bet you have a
favorite shop maybe their coffee tastes
better is on your way to work or they
just have better quants there are also
loads of choices for where to get the
music for your sets but because there's
so much Choice it can quickly get
overwhelming costly and timec consuming
when I started sourcing music for my
library I had three clear goals I wanted
to get better music in less time quality
was more important than quantity and I
wanted to reduce risk more on that in a
bit if you're starting from nothing
record PS like zipdj or BPM Supreme are
a great way to quickly beef up your
library you pay a monthly subscription
and then can download an unlimited
number of tracks DJ pools give high
quality files and often DJ friendly
edits or even stems they also have
curated lists of tracks you can use to
quickly prepare for certain events but
there are a few downsides different
pools cater to different music types so
you need to invest some time choosing
the one that's best for the type of
music you play legally they're only
supposed to be for promoting new music
so if you're after older tracks you
might have to try elsewhere I mainly mix
drum and bass and none of the DJ pools I
tried had a good selection of more
underground tracks for me DJ pulls are
out but depending what you play they're
a great solution for many DJs finding
unique tracks not available on full
release is a great way to stand out in
your sets an easy and free way to do
this is using sites like SoundCloud or
hyp edit in exchange for a few social
media gratifications you can grab
exclusive edits and bootlegs for free
often for well-known producers and if
you're lucky they might even be properly
mastered even though I haven't played
trans for about 8 years I'm still for
some reason on a promo list that
regularly sends me new releases I got
onto this list cuz I had a fairly
popular trans podcast back in the day
but getting on these lists is harder
than listening to an entire Tech house
set in fact only 19% of you had managed
to get on one if you got some kind of
following or play out regularly you're
more likely to be able to get on these
lists the artists and labels are looking
for DJs that can promote their music to
a big audience if you aren't on one yet
there are some things you can try one of
the best things you can do is interact
with artists you like and labels on
social media don't just fake it though
only engage with music that you actually
like I know many DJs who get get
exclusive tracks from artists just
because they've supported them for a
long time on social media give value get
value streaming services like tidle
SoundCloud go or bport streaming have
made DJing affordable and accessible you
get access to millions of tracks for a
small monthly fee and it's been the main
way that I've been getting my music for
the last few years but that's changed
along with the huge selection of music
you can stream tracks in high quality
and quickly find new releases and like
record pools there's loads of playlists
to quickly give you ideas for tracks and
sets there Al a lifesaver if you take
requests from drunk people at events but
there's some big risks these Services
can remove tracks at any time and
besides a hacky version of bport on CDJ
3000 streaming on Club gear is usually
not feasible you obviously need a solid
internet connection which is in short
supply at most gigs some streaming
services do offer more expensive plans
that let you save streaming tracks
offline for a period of time but this
obviously comes at an additional cost
streaming music sounds great value at
first but there's there's a few other
things to think about if you're DJing
longterm in the worst case scenario
these Services can simply decide to stop
supporting dejing we've seen it in the
past with Spotify and if they don't turn
off all together they can turn off
certain features recently tidle removed
the ability to use stems in all DJ
software without warning I still use
tidle to try out tracks I might like to
buy but personally I'm now trying to
move away from streaming where do I go
if I want a loaf of bread I go to the
supermarket because I don't like to
support small business businesses the
most obvious place to buy music is the
stores that sell it bort Juno bandab and
countless others offer huge cataloges of
music for you to buy download and keep
using the charts on these websites is
also a great way of staying on top of
the most popular tracks and making sure
your set sound exactly like everyone
else's have a think about your long-term
goals to decide which of these sources
is best for you I've created a quick
worksheet you can use to help you decide
the link is in the description have you
ever met someone at a party you chat for
hours and you get along great you swap
numbers and arrange to go for a coffee
you order your usual extra hot flat wire
with oat milk 5/19 of a shop and four
atoms of caramel syrup you sit down I'm
actually into goat Hing Progressive
gabber and vacuum core you have nothing
in common that's why it's essential to
introduce a curation system it's like a
bouncer for your music library as I'm
listening to new tracks on Spotify I put
them in a special short list you can do
the same thing with the bort basket or
just favorite tracks the next part of
the system is really easy but don't skip
it just wait 24 hours do not listen to
the track again the next day with fresh
ears have another listen all the way
through then ask yourself three simple
questions do I still like the track
would I play it out would I pay money
for it if you can't answer those free
questions easily it's a sign it
shouldn't be in your library as a bonus
tip also try listening to it on
different speakers if you can there's
been loads of times when I've heard a
track that sounds great in headphones
but when I hear it on my speakers it
sounds like your DJ library is your
biggest asset and you should protect it
with security guards CCT TV and dogs
with lasers coming out their eyes but
having awesome tracks in your library is
worthless if you can't find them again
when you're planning or playing your
sets I hate booking holidays the problem
is there's so many different ways of
thinking about where you want to go how
hot will it be do you want a siing or a
beach holiday how many bed bugs does the
hotel have for some people budget is the
most important thing for others it's how
close it is to the airport or for me is
how watered down their beer is that's
why trying to describe your ideal
holiday is so hard in the same way how I
describe my music is going to be
different to how you do it's why many
DJs struggle to get their music
organized in the first place but having
a properly tagged music library that
makes sense to you is the best thing you
can do to level up your sets I'm going
to show you the three steps I use to
categorize my tracks quickly with each
added step your library becomes more
powerful and more personal you don't go
to trans night and expect to hear hip
hop jras and sub jras are a really
useful first step for categorizing your
music it helps you understand what
tracks might sound good together and
usually whether they'll be around the
same BPM but many DJs I hear from are
worried about getting sub genres wrong
and they get stuck I want to propose a
different way of tagging them that will
help you get over that hump the default
genre tag in most DJ software only that
you choose one option but what if my
track fits in one or more of these
different sub jras I've got K here which
is kind of a liquidy Vibe but it's also
something I play peak time and it's also
an em for that reason I only use the
genre field here for the overall genre
rather than a sub genre for sub genres I
do something a little bit different I
use tags the big benefit of tags is you
can use more than one a track can be
liquid it can be a roller and it can be
jump up all at the same time I've done a
full video on tagging your tracks that
I'll link to in the description but I'll
show you quickly how to set it up in
record box click on the tag icon on the
right hand side
side to set up your subj tag double
click on one of the headings give this
heading a name like JRA and then create
your list of subj tags by clicking the
little plus icon and then typing them
out now to tag LK correctly all I need
to do is click on it and then choose the
relevant
subas this can then be used in filters
or smart playlists to organize your
tracks but sub genre alone isn't enough
to create a cohesive set there can be
massive Variety in tracks even within
the same subj that's why we need to add
our next level of categorization the
best sets have highs and lows and
contrasting moments playing a whole set
of bangers is going to exhaust the crowd
and playing a whole set of warmup tracks
will send them back to the womb level
two of our tagging system is designed to
help us control energy in my old library
I use tags for energy it was better than
nothing but I found it hard to use
during a set there was too much reading
I wanted a more visual way of doing it
there's a field and record box that many
pro DJs hijack for this purpose it's the
rating field using this is simple to set
up make sure the column is showing in
record box by right clicking on the
heading and then choose rating then all
you need to do is map the amount of
energy to a star rating low energy is
one star and high energy is five stars
the cool thing about it is you can
actually do it straight from the
playlist view just by double clicking
and if you play on cdjs rating is highly
visible and accessible on the screens
but bear in mind if you use streaming
tracks you can only rate them once
you've added them to a record box
playlist have you ever heard a track and
thought this would sound great at a
beach bar then your friend hears the
same track and goes you're crazy this
would sound better at a brole level
three is where we start getting personal
it's all down to Vibe there's no right
or wrong way to tag a Vibe but here's a
framework I like to use how does the
track make you feel what does it remind
you of where would you play it when
would you play it why would you play it
and who would you play it for our music
library is now so organized they will
make a librarian weep with joy you
should now be able to find tracks in
seconds in a way that's personal to you
but our goal as DJs isn't to organize is
to be creative you might think having a
structured music library is going to
stop you being creative in your sets but
it's actually the opposite if you've
ever needed to buy something boring like
a toaster you might have experienced
this you go online and there's literally
hundreds of different options different
prices features colors Brands reviews
and shipping costs you spend hours
comparing them all until you give up and
just have serial Instead This is a
phenomenon called the Paradox of choice
because an organized Library gives us
some constraints it's actually easier to
be creative within those constraints
there's a few extra ways I've set up my
library to help me be more creative one
big element missing from my original
library was DJ tools these are things
like samples and acappellas you can use
to add extra spice to your sets stems
now mean you can do acappellas on the
fly but the quality isn't quite there
yet I still like to have a list of go-to
vocals that I've pre-prepared if there's
an Acappella that works particularly
well with a track there's a way to get
record box to remember it here I've got
my Acappella loaded on deck one and my
track loaded on Deck two to find the
matching track function click this
little left-facing arrow up here on the
waveform click the two intersecting
circles this creates a relationship in
record box between the two tracks I'm
going to unload the Acappella now and
show you how we find that relationship
again the next time I'm playing my track
go into the related tracks icon on the
right record box will present a list of
tracks that match BPM and Key by default
but we want to find our Acappella go
into the settings uncheck BPM and key
and check matching our Acappella now
appears in the list ready for us to load
a well-placed Acappella can really lift
a track and get the Dance Floor going
but are you really a DJ if you don't
have an air horn sample if you like to
scratch or just want a cool sound to
play before a drop I definitely
recommend having a few samples on hand
you can load these directly to your
software sampler if you want but I
prefer to have them in a playlist so I
can add extra effects or scratch them if
I want to what if you could hire a
creative consultant every time you got
stuck for inspiration now our library is
tagged and organized properly we can
hire record box to help us create
playlists let's pretend I'm going to be
playing a set at a bar full of Bankers
create a new playlist by right clicking
create new playlist and we'll call it
aner bangers in my newsletter I've
written about how it's a good idea to
start with the ends track of your set
once you know where you want to end up
it's easier to figure out how to get
there I know my set's going to end at
2:00 a.m. so I want to end on a bit of a
banger this track always goes down well
with capitalists I call this the seed
track now I'm going to use recob box to
help me work backwards from this track I
primarily mix via key and energy so I'm
going to use that as the guiding force
for my set to do this we need to load
our ends track to the decks and make
sure to select Master click the related
tracks icon on the right go into
settings and make sure BPM and key are
selected because I want to filter down
by energy I want record box to suggest
to me anything that's four stars and
above for the track that comes before
our final
one we can now see a list of tracks that
match that criteria I'm going to throw a
few in for the last part of the
set let's Now work on the middle part of
the set where we want more of a medium
energy go back into related tracks set
things and set this to fre stars and
above unfortunately there's no way to
actually see the rating in the related
track section so you have to do a bit
filtering afterwards because we've
worked top to bottom we've got our end
track at the start to swap that just
click the number icon here to change the
order of the playlist of course this is
just a starting point and you'd have to
be insane to let record box plan your
entire playlist I'll often sprinkle in
other tracks I know I want to play and
I'll also adjust the criteria to match
other things like year to make sure I'm
playing more recent tracks but it's a
great way to overcome that creative
block and get yourself off the starting
line we've now got high quality tracks
in our library can find them easily and
use them to create amazing sets but
there's one final step DJs get wrong and
if you don't get it right everything
we've done so far will be pointless from
the age of eight I'd always wanted a
Porsche I saved and saved for 25 years
one day I finally had enough money to
buy one it wasn't brand new but I didn't
care it was one of the best days of my
life I loved owning it looking at it and
smelling the leather and my own farts
but over time as it got older it started
to run more like a person in fancy dress
at a marathon I was lacked on
maintenance it ended up costing me
thousands to repair and I had to sell it
without regular care your library can
get old creaky and unusable just like
the metallic Club of my life but with a
few simple steps you can make sure it
stays in tiptop condition sometimes a
track makes it through your curation
process and into your library but then
you play it out and it just doesn't work
I've spoken before about having a poop
tag that you can add to these tracks to
mark them for termination to create this
open the tags menu on the right hand
side change one of the headings to
something like toilet and then add a
poop tag the easiest way to stay on top
of this is to create an intelligent
playlist right click on playlist do
create new intelligent playlist call it
smelly turds change the first drop down
to my tag leave this on contains and
then choose poop click okay as an
example I've tagged a few here where
I've got duplicates the quality wasn't
good enough or the edits were wrong all
you need to do now is select all of
these right click and remove from
collection but the problem is this won't
get rid of the actual music files on
your computer I whipped up a Mac
shortcut that can do this for you and
free up some of that precious hard drive
space Here's how it works right click on
your smelly turds playlist do export
playlist to file and then choose the
second option the M free u8 playlist
save it somewhere on your computer now
open the shortcuts app on your Mac by
pressing command and space and typing
shortcuts run the delete files from
playlist shortcut browse to the playlist
We just saved from record box and select
it you get a warning click okay and all
your tunes are deleted you can grab this
shortcut along with loads of other tools
and tips to help your library management
process by subscribing to the newsletter
Link in the description another big
problem I had in my old music library
was bad file quality some of the mp3s
were about 20 years old and they were in
128 KOB a second which isn't good enough
to play out there's an easy way to find
these files go to collection on the left
hand side right click on a column
heading choose bit rate and then click
the column heading to sort it anything
less than 320 Koby a second you probably
want to remove or find a better quality
version I've got a few older tracks in
here that I need to sort out sometimes I
come back to this task later so I want
to put a color on them to keep track if
you can't see this color heading right
click on the column headings again and
choose color make sure the bad quality
tracks are highlighted press the I icon
and at the bottom of the window you'll
see this color drop down here I
generally use pink for these but you can
use whatever you want to make things
easier you can also rename pink to
something like bad quality go into
preferences Advanced browse then double
click on the color you want to change if
you want you can also create an
intelligent playlist to easily keep
track of these files all we need to do
is right click create new intelligent
playlist I'll call it bad quality change
the first drop down to color leave the
second one as equals and then choose
your color tag now we can comeb back
this playlist whenever we have time and
try and improve the quality of our files
in my old library there were probably
thousands of tracks that I'd never
actually played your taste can change
and sometimes tracks just never fit in
your sets I made sure to regularly keep
an eye on these tracks so I can send
them to the oap home I do this with
another intelligent playlist I'll call
this one grand kid never visit in the
first drop down choose DJ play count
leave the second one is equals and the
third one are zero now we need to add a
second rule so it only matches tracks we
added over two months ago click on the
small plus change the first drop down to
date added change the second to is not
in the last then put in a two and change
the final one to
months if you haven't played these
tracks after 2 months you're probably
never going to so pop them on the bus
and send them off into the sunset even
after following these five steps
creating playlists and staying on top of
my music management was taking me too
long that's why you should watch this
video next where I show you how to use
record box to save time and manage your
library for you
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