Adding tracks to your Rekordbox collection

Hello,

Just purchased a pair of XDJ-1000's and currently familiarising myself with ReKordbox. I will be performing without a laptop, just playing from 1x USB memory stick.

I plan on holding my entire collection on a 256gb USB stick (with a 2nd stick as backup of course). My question is, whats the best way to sync my entire 180gb music collection to Rekordbox for the first time, so I can then construct playlists, etc?

And will I need 180gb of free space on my PC? or can all the files remain on the USB stick without using up all the storage space on my PC?

Any hints or tips would be appreciated. Thanks in advance :)

David Clelland 13 de Outubro de 2016 12:47

Comentário oficial

If you have music on a USB drive (we'll call this the "source drive") and you want to use a USB drive as the origin for the music when you play on the XDJs, you'll want to use a second USB drive (call it the "export drive").

rekordbox doesn't copy the music anywhere when you import it to the collection; it simply builds a database and creates some analysis files and artwork caches. The amount of space required there is minimal (and you could have that database stored on your source drive, which I recommend so you can take it from computer to computer -- but do keep a backup of it!)

The reason an export drive is needed is the players are not able to read the master database, they require an export database. And the reason I suggest you use a second drive is when rekordbox exports the music, even to the same drive the music came from, it will double the space used for each song you export as that song will live on the drive as the source, but also as an export.

Pulse 13 de Outubro de 2016 18:46

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Hi Pulse,

Thanks for the detailed response and it makes perfect sense. I am using an old Freecom Toughdrive as my "source drive" and I am currently analysing my 170gb collection on it (which looks like it will take around 3 days to complete).

I have yet to purchase a 256gb flash drive for the "export drive". Is there a particular one you'd recommend? The Corsair GTX caught my attention due to the advertised speeds, although it's quite expensive. The Sandisk Ultra is half the price and advertises 100MB/s.

Also, how do you "export" the music to the 2nd drive? Do you right click the drive name in the tree on the left then select "synchronise"?

David Clelland 14 de Outubro de 2016 11:16 0 votos

1. SanDisk. I've used them for years, zero problems.

2. Once you've properly formatted the drive, there are several options for exporting the tracks. Personally, I always create the playlist (or playlist folder) with all the tunes I want and then Right Click > Export to disk/USB. Or you can drag the folder/playlist down to the USB drive icon that show up. The synchronize is another option, admittedly, I don't use it and can't speak towards how to set everything up.

lostnthesound 14 de Outubro de 2016 18:06 0 votos

Thanks. If the memory stick I purchase to use in the players is already formatted to FAT32 out the box, can't I just use it as it comes? Or do I need to do additional formatting?

David Clelland 14 de Outubro de 2016 18:54 0 votos

The SanDisk Extreme Pro is a badass drive - it's slightly faster than the GTX, but the GTX uses the same memory management chipset as SSD drives do, so it may end up being better in the long run (and the build is fantastic), but for the cost/GB, the Extreme Pro is a solid purchase.

I always recommend re-formatting them, don't rely on whatever the manufacturer has done to be what you need, and often they ship with crap software already on the drive.

Pulse 14 de Outubro de 2016 21:27 0 votos

Thanks Pulse. Had a look at the Sandisk Extreme Pro but they don't do a 256gb version it seems. So for my export drive, that leaves me between the Sandisk Ultra (up to 100 mb/s) @ £60 or the Corsair GTX @ £130.

Would be happy with the Sandisk I think, as long as the speed is fast enough to prevent and noticeable browsing lag or slow track loading whilst performing on the players. Bearing in mind I will be carrying a 180gb music collection, Do you think the Sandisk will perform well, or worth paying extra for the Corsair?

David Clelland 15 de Outubro de 2016 11:54 0 votos

Not overly concerned about durability or transfer speeds when writing music to the flash drive. More concerned about performance on the players whilst gigging.

David Clelland 15 de Outubro de 2016 11:56 0 votos

Have you considered just getting a SSD in an external enclosure? I use a Samsung Evo850 500GB drive in an Innatek case, works like a hot damn, and relatively inexpensive now.

Pulse 15 de Outubro de 2016 22:33 0 votos

Just decided to go for the Corsair GTX 256gb from Amazon, thanks for the recommendation Pulse.

Looking forward to gigging with a Pioneer setup again. Been using Traktor Kontrol S4 since it's release and it's been great, but took a notion to go back to Pioneer, so purchased a pair of XDJ-1000's and the new DJM-450 (on pre order).

Just a case of mastering rekordbox now..... but I'm getting there slowly. Tracks are all analysed and ready to be copied onto the Corsair GTX when it arrives.

David Clelland 16 de Outubro de 2016 13:50 0 votos

You won't be disappointed with that drive (except for the fact it kinda blocks other ports if you plug it in directly), the performance is stellar.

Enjoy!

Pulse 16 de Outubro de 2016 18:34 0 votos