CDJ Style DJs
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 11

Thread: CDJ Style DJs

  1. #1
    Tech Guru
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Providence
    Posts
    805

    Default CDJ Style DJs

    I was wondering how the CD playing DJs on here catalog their CDs.

    Do you simply write the info onto the CDs, Use some kind of numbering system + a catalog book/binder, some other crazy method?

    I have been burning my 600-700 tracks to CD and I'm just trying to find a great way to fit all the information I like to have on each track while at the same time not lug around a giant book with all that info in it.

    If i ever get around to learning iPad programming I may just make an App that stores all the info for me but I don't see that happening anytime soon.
    Traktor Scratch Pro 2, 2X Stanton STR8-80, 2X Denon DN-S700, Akai APC40 + APC20, DDM4000, KRKRokit 8, HD25-II, iPad (Touch OSC)

  2. #2
    Tech Guru Gryz's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Pennsylvania
    Posts
    690

    Default

    I actually did my songs by Artist name... A-G, H-P, Q-Z

    But I got tired of burnings CDs and have since switched to Thumb Drives.
    CDJ400s, Ecler Nuo, XD 53
    KRK RP8sFG


  3. #3
    Tech Mentor No Left Turn's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    San Francisco, CA
    Posts
    433

    Default

    I don't have a catalogging system for my CD's. Each CD just has whatever group of tracks I decided to burn at the time, usually a new group of tracks that I just bought/downloaded. I try to fit as many tracks as I can onto the CD and then burn 2 copies so that I can play songs b2b if need be. This happens quite frequently with CD's that contain new releases.

    Of course, I have a tracklist on each disc and over time I just remembered where each CD was and where in my wallet to look for a specific track.
    MacBook Pro 2.4GHz Core i7 :: Mac OS X Mountain Lion 10.10.5
    Traktor Pro 2.9 :: Launchpad :: MIDI Fighter Pro Beatmasher/3D

  4. #4
    Tech Mentor Louie_V's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Chicago, Il
    Posts
    411

    Default

    when i need to gig on cd's i usually take one (or a few) huge cd binders with me, general part of the cd binder has a bunch of cd's set by genre (usually 2-4 cds per genre not including duplicates) the actual songs on the cd are of order of how "hot" they are and bpm.

    along with my genre cd's before playing a cd only gig i usually also burn a few cd's with must have songs and usually make a small track list to put in the sleeve so i know whats on the new ones.

    its sort of an organized mess, but it works...

  5. #5
    Tech Guru
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Providence
    Posts
    805

    Default

    Thanks for the quick posts. Gave me a few ideas on how I should try to tame the mess. I like the arranging by BPM. I may try doing it by that and Key. I wish their was a better program for Mac OS that allows the management of MP3 collections. Once you get over a few hundred songs iTunes shits the bed in terms of usabliity.
    Traktor Scratch Pro 2, 2X Stanton STR8-80, 2X Denon DN-S700, Akai APC40 + APC20, DDM4000, KRKRokit 8, HD25-II, iPad (Touch OSC)

  6. #6
    Tech Mentor
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Detroit, Michigan
    Posts
    116

    Default

    I just got some CDJs. Yay! What I did was created playlists in itunes. One for example is called Pop Dance. I had itunes organize them by BPM(lowest to highest). It then gives you the option to burn the playlist on mulitple CDs. I then noted what BPM range was on each CD and labeled them accordingly. I.E. Pop Dance #1 BPM 118-124, Pop Dance #2 BPM 124-126, Hip Pop #1 BPM 68-74 and so on. Burn doubles of each. This way I can mix for a good while without switching CDs every song, and I know what CDs will mix well with other CDs. Bring a laptop. If someone asks you for something you don't have then download it and burn a CD or use a thumb drive if your CDJs allow it. Booyah! perfect system. You can also print out a numbered list of what songs are on each CD for a quick reference. If someone asks for Say Ahh or some bullshit like that then you can look real quick and see that it is on Hip Pop #3.

    *edit
    When new stuff comes out, burn it on a new CD and label it something like Pop Dance New. When you get more than a couple of these CDs building up then re-organize your playlists and re burn everything, taking out tracks that don't get a reaction. I like to be really organized. LOL!

    Manifesting organizational skills, cause organizational skills kill more devils than bullets.- Jeru The Damaja
    Last edited by Chris Macom; 10-11-2011 at 12:53 PM.

  7. #7
    Tech Guru guiltyblade's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    San Francisco
    Posts
    1,280

    Default

    I burn by genre and date. So i make up a unique name, like summer housey mix 1, 8/1//11. Thats usually my title of the CD and I write that on it. Then open word and put that in with all the tracks underneath it. Mostly of my CDs are cataloged first by date, then genre. If I have multiple CDs in a genre for that date I then alphabetize.

  8. #8
    Tech Guru Cook's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Glasgow, Scotland
    Posts
    1,620

    Default

    Genre, then just the order ive aquired them.

    C is commercial
    D is dubstep
    Dnb is dnb
    HE - Electro house
    HP - Progressive house
    HT - Tech house
    Then there's all the small weird genres that i have like 3/4 CDs for,

    4/5 songs per CD.

    But ive switched to serato which is more widely accepted, if not, thumb drives.
    DJM800 | 2xCDJ2000 | RMX1000 | Adidas HD25's
    2011 MBP | Traktor 2.6 | Kontrol S4 | Scratch Live | SL2
    Mac Pro | Ableton | Access Virus C | Maschine
    Facebook || Soundcloud || Twitter

  9. #9
    Tech Mentor M.Beijer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    stockholm
    Posts
    383

    Default

    Hey there,

    I use a magma wallet that i bought from thomann.de. space for 120 discs, viewing 8 at the same time.
    I write down the info like date, genre bpm on the disc with TDK markers in different colors (blue, green, black, red (depending on whether the disc contains mp3's or audio, also sorting genres by color).
    In the wallet you have 5 different.. umm what do you say.. string? yellow,green,blue,red,black. These works like a think you leave in your book to know what page you was reading last time.
    Sorted them roughly this way;
    yellow - commercial/top40/radio
    Blue - Different kind of house styles
    Green - Hip-hop/rnb
    Red - EDM
    Black - Hard though rough nast electro

    I recommend you get some kind of cd wallet in good quality to better organize your cd's.
    Make sure you don't buy a wallet which have bad plastic solution that makes it hard for you to obtain your cd's (had one before I got this).

  10. #10
    Tech Guru Liambo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    N.E. Scotland
    Posts
    726

    Default

    Before:

    Audio CD's containing 4-5 tracks sorted by genre - Tech House, House, Commercial, Club, Club Commercial, Old School etc etc..

    Now:

    MP3 CD's containing anything from 10-45 tracks, CD's usually labeled by month and type of CD - Commercial Warm Up, Commercial Main Set, Commercial 11-12, Tech-House Main Set... Etc Etc..

    Every two weeks i burn a couple of new MP3 CD's and i know i can go back to CD's from 3 months ago and take the main set CD and it can be used to the warm up at that time.

    Quite complicated but simple once you get used to it,

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •