Too big of a database

Hey guys! I'm new here so i'll try to keep this simple.

I recently switched from Virtual dj to traktor pro2 with a Kontrol s4.:thumbup:

I got a huge music database and wonder how big is too big.

My collection ranges around 120000 songs total of around 2Tb of data.
Traktor is not as snappy of course because of the big database.

My question:Is there a way to tell traktor of certain folders that are played often and keep them indexed? For the rest i could browse them manualy?

I do think i have to cut down on the music library but doing lots of weddings I do have to keep a large amount of different styles.

Using a macbook pro, external hard drive3 tb, kontrol s4, traktor pro 2

Maybe there is a more effective way of seting up my database?

You could try NOT having a Traktor Collection, and instead, use the iTunes Node in Traktors Browser.

Then, you could set up some iTunes Smart Playlists based on the contents of those "certain folders" that you mentioned. Smart Playlists will show up in the iTunes Node in the Traktor Browser...

My collection is about 110,000. On my DJ lappy, I have 18,000 ish. Realistically, how many are you going to use on the road!?

I do think it's too much. But my biggest fear is to be asked a song witch I don't have.

I Did not think about the Itunes sync. Frankly I don't use iTunes at all to listen to my music as I use spotify premium.

So i am going to review my library to thin it out.

If i use I tunes to manage by playlist is it more or less reliable than having traktor manage the library?

If I were you, I'd consider limiting what you bring based on your prep work with the bride & groom.

I get that's still a lot of music and might not be worth the effort, but with that huge of a library, you've obviously narrowed it down some before the event starts....why not cut out the 100,000 that you know you won't play?

If you're like most wedding DJs and just playing tracks* and not doing funky things live, how much do you need well set up hot cues, load points, beat grids, etc.? I'd think the better responsiveness of the browser would be worth more. So, build your playlist in iTunes or whatever (that handles huge databases better) and then just import that playlist into Traktor (to build overviews) that morning or the day before?

Also note that I'm not a wedding DJ, so if this isn't workable...ignore it. But, that's what I'd try.



*: very well curated, appropriate for the event and the moment, perfectly selected tracks if you're good....

i keep it simple... i have various folders inside my DJ collection.. one has my old stuff, one has tracks i do not play and the main folder itself has my recent tracks i do play. this way traktor loads from a few hundred song folder instead of a 12 thousand song folder.

120,000 tracks? Holy crap! If listening through your music collection were a full-time job (8 hours a day, 5 days a week) it would take 4 years to plough through your entire collection. The night has only just begun.

And i thought 10,000 was a lot. Even that is a 5GB Settings folder!

For a typical 5 hour wedding reception, I play under 100 songs. Of that 100, probably 40 of them are songs I almost always play, and almost always go over very well with the crowd. There's really not much point in having 100,000 songs with you. I'd bet 90,000 of them are songs you would never play anyway, because they'd clear your dance floor. I would guess that a sizable percentage of your collection are album tracks that almost no one has ever heard of and have never made the charts.

IMO, being able to say "no" to a request (tactfully) is an important DJ skill, right up there with knowing what TO play. I happily take requests at my shows, but there is always someone who comes up and wants something that the crowd would clearly not like, and I have to say "no" in some way. Even if I actually have the track, playing that track would make 1 person happy at the expense of making 99 unhappy, and that's simply not worth it UNLESS (perhaps, in some cases) the person requesting it was the bride/event planner who is paying you. And even then, I have declined to play those requests on occasion when it would have completely killed the vibe.

If a person requests some obscure deep album track or something, learn to say "I can't really play that with this crowd. Do you have another request that's a bit more mainstream - something similar to what this crowd is enjoying? I'll play that for you if I can."

I know you are asking for a technical solution, but in this case, a more pragmatic solution would likely serve you better.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DJTroyT

For a typical 5 hour wedding reception, I play under 100 songs. Of that 100, probably 40 of them are songs I almost always play, and almost always go over very well with the crowd. There's really not much point in having 100,000 songs with you. I'd bet 90,000 of them are songs you would never play anyway, because they'd clear your dance floor. I would guess that a sizable percentage of your collection are album tracks that almost no one has ever heard of and have never made the charts.

IMO, being able to say "no" to a request (tactfully) is an important DJ skill, right up there with knowing what TO play. I happily take requests at my shows, but there is always someone who comes up and wants something that the crowd would clearly not like, and I have to say "no" in some way. Even if I actually have the track, playing that track would make 1 person happy at the expense of making 99 unhappy, and that's simply not worth it UNLESS (perhaps, in some cases) the person requesting it was the bride/event planner who is paying you. And even then, I have declined to play those requests on occasion when it would have completely killed the vibe.

If a person requests some obscure deep album track or something, learn to say "I can't really play that with this crowd. Do you have another request that's a bit more mainstream - something similar to what this crowd is enjoying? I'll play that for you if I can."

I know you are asking for a technical solution, but in this case, a more pragmatic solution would likely serve you better.

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This is eye opening for me. I was so deep in my focus on having everything possible with me that I lost the biger picture.

I'll trim down the collection and keep a mainstream and popular songs on my laptop hdd.
The rest will be on a external hard drive not scaned by traktor but available if need be.


I'll experiment with smart playlist in itunes and see where it takes me!:)