Learning Your Tracks

[Jack Creamation]

Putting new tracks up against last years missed gems and unforgettable classics is where I am at right now.

dido!

Great thread guys, alot of very useful info here! thanks so much

[rvltion909]

i'll usually download a good amount of singles, albums, etc. and then go through and give each song a quick listen and generally filter out the ones that i don't like much. i'll usually rate 1-5 stars in itunes on how much i initially like a song and then throughout the week i'll give most of the 2 (or 3) - 5 stars a "real" listening

Yea, about the ratings... I use those in Traktor too (btw...anybody else notice for .mp3 files you have to basically specify the rating 2x....the first time it disappears????)

Anyway, Im sort of conflicted with that and Im actually adjusting the view so that this section is off recently. The reason is, that's not the way I want to remember the music (5 stars, 256bps, etc). Besides, the 4 and 5 star tracks are pretty much not anything Im going to need to learn anyhow since I enjoy them so much to begin with and they have already "grabbed" me.


Which reminds me, would it not be super-cool to be able to customize the library/list view? I'd like to be able make new columns and name them. Perhaps add simple graphics too (i.e. solid colors, simple icons, etc). I think this would help in the overall way one looks at his/her set options. I thought I actually remember seeing an article on here before about how some programs allowed that and how people were using colors to help them tag their tracks according to their energy levels.

My approach to spinning vinyl was different and I dont want the linear outlook to have a negative effect on the way I look at my options. For instance, how many of you categorize your tracks by genre? I do, and I think this is not the view I’ll be in most of the time since I think it is having a unintended effect on how I play a set. I think I’ll be working with a view that displays ALL my tracks at once so that way my sets are more spontaneous rather than by genre. Same thing goes for the “ratings” display. Im sort of shying away from that as well.

[JumpinFrog]

I've been using this simple method: I listen to mp3s many hours throughout the day anyway, so I just make sure to pay a little extra attention to songs that could have mixing potential. Once I recognize one that does, I tag with the comment 'mixable.' Then I go into Traktor and search for all of the 'mixables' that haven't been read by Traktor yet (the ones without BPM tagged) and I go through and grid/cue them, which forces me to listen to the song on the basis of what sections could be cool for mixing etc. This method works pretty well so far. Once I'm done gridding, I tag the comment with 'gridded.' Then when I go to play, searching for the comment 'mixable gridded' guarantees songs that are gridded, that i'm familiar with, and that have mixing potential.