Hello Denon DJ Forum, Every week I add new music to my music library. I’m using MIK-Serato-Engine OS for this purpose (but this aside). Every time my entire library is overwritten and my individually modified preferences (cue point - beatgrids - waveforms etc.) are overwritten and that is at least a bit of a waste of the time I spent on that. Is there a way to avoid this wasted energy? In other words how can I use the contents of the Denon Prime 4 library and make the additions without overwriting the info of the current database. I hope I described it well. I have a Prime 4 with firmware 1.6.2 and import my music using Mixed in Key 10 and Serato DJ to get preset cue points in Engine OS 1.6.1. My music is saved to internally built-in SSD on the Prime 4
This hasn’t been my experience with a similar serato workflow
Adding my serato to my engine library only imports need tracks.
- Where are the source files that go into serato ? Do you use the installed Prime4 ssd with MIK-Serato?
1a. This is not my experience with a similar serato workflow
1b. I also think I’m not doing it right, so I hope you can tell me what I’m doing wrong and how I can improve it.-
2a. By adding my serato to my engine library you only need tracks for import.
2b. I think my mistake was made, because I now import all music files from Serato to Engine OS.
2c. Can you indicate how I can only add the new files to the Engine OS database?
3a.Where are the source files going to serato? Are you using the installed Prime4 SSD with MIK-Serato?
3b. The source files of MIK En Serato are on the hard disk of my Windows PC and not on the Prime4 ssd.
Can you describe your steps ?
Mine is as follows
- Download new files
- move them to where i need them to be from downloads folder ( I have one main DJ Music Folder)
- Add DJ folder to Serato
- Here Serato will only pick up the new additions from the last time
- Do my hotcues, grids etc. in Serato
- Exit Serato
- Launch Engine Prime
- Refresh Serato Library in Engine Prime
- Select all tracks, Right Click, Add to Collection
- Just new tracks are added to engine collection with new data
- Tracks that are already part of Engine collection - the performance data is untouched
- Export to target drive (eg SSD, USB stick, SD card), I use Sync Manager
before I do step 12, i may sync back data from the target SSD eg hotcues that i created on the players
Here’s my method: Maybe I should have made a video screenshot better, but it didn’t come to that.
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I download new music files
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Move the new music pieces to one main collection on a special external hard drive with the music divided by year into quarterly folders.
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I now copy the new music into MIK to analyze it there.
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When that is done I start Serato and add the MIK folder with the new music into the Serato folder/crate. It is indeed true that only the new additions are added.
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Hotcues and grids etc have already been done by MIK and I will skip it in Serato.
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Exit Serato and save the changes and also exit MIK.
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Launch Engine Prime
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Update the Serato crate structure in Engine Prime. (This is a lengthy process, as all my music in Engine Prime is re-watched and then re-composed). Once that’s all checked, I can finally add my little folder of new music.
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On the SSD I delete the contents of my work folder with the latest new music and replace it with the music collected up to that month(s). I first remove them from the SSD, because otherwise I noticed that the program would crash after adding. Now that I first empty the folder and then fill it again, I no longer have that problem.
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Tracks that were stored in other crates indeed remain untouched on the SSD. Only the music in the workbook has changed because of this delete action. So my own fault.
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When exporting I don’t use the Sync manager, but do this manually with copy/paste
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After that, the new folder with the complete contents has been put on the SSD, but I still have to re-analyze the entire contents. I’ve noticed when I skip this operation and just let the new crate contents re-analyze that the beatgrade of the music has shifted.
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Once that’s done, I make a backup copy on a USB flash drive, so that I won’t be immediately surprised if something happens to the data.
I think this is point where you lose data. Engine Prime stores data eg hotcues, grids, loops etc in its own database and not in the actual music files (like serato and perhaps MIK).
Whilst your method from 9 downwards may make sense and perhaps give you better control over what goes where, my observation is that its much easier to use Engine Prime with Sync Manager or Drag and Drop.
Once you get into the realm of copying and pasting … its a recipe for something going wrong.
This is what i do as well and i don’t have any music in my computers internal hard drive. I transfer music from the download folder into the external drive.
At this point i don’t copy the music files, i use that external drive directly with Serato and Engine Prime.
Yes but it takes me about 4 mins to do this step, a trick to make it go faster - click on an empty engine prime crate or playlist after you start the refresh. I created one specifically for this.
Mustafa thanks for your explanation and advice. I will adjust my method as soon as possible (next time) with your recommendations and then share the result. Maybe with a video of the steps I take. Pictures are often clearer than words, at least that’s my experience.
As time goes by… Considering what you told me, I thought again and did the following. In order not to have to update all MP3s from the Serato DJ database every time (which was done again with every update), I wondered: Why is that necessary? I found out that this procedure was not necessary every time. I could simply delete the Serato DJ crates that were previously filled and uploaded to Engine Prime in the Serato DJ library and that way keep the Serato library small. I did this and I am very satisfied with it. I can now add updating my music downloads from 2 weeks very quickly, because only those files are used now. Then I add them to month folder and then to one folder of 4 months or more. Then that folder can be removed from Serato DJ and I create a new folder and start again in Serato DJ saving my new MP3 music and repeat the procedure again. This works great for me. Thank you and also a pat on the back for myself. haha. By the way, the screen video was made, but I was less satisfied with it. The whole process took far too long and had quite a few actions that had to be explained with text. That got a bit messy. So no unfortunately no video with this topic of mine yet.
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