Starting the library from scratch, how do you keep it minimal

[mrkleen]

With the use of playlists and smart playlists - I dont see the need to "delete" anything other than really bad, cheesy crap - and songs that are low bit rate etc.

I mostly play techno and tech house - and I have prepare a playlist for each gig - and also have a few default playlists like "EDM Classics", "Big Bombs", "Late Night Gems", "Vocal Tech" etc. I try and play out of the gig play list -which I have arranged like an old school record bag - with tracks in a rough order I think they work (early gig in the top, peak time towards the bottom) - and when I need to find something else, I check my other key playlists.

This accounts for 500GB of music - on my internal HD. All the rest (all my jazz, classical, R&B, Soul, Blues etc) lives on an external which I keep in my gig bag - but only gets hooked up when necessary.

[onebuckwild]

As for record pools I think that will depend on the type of DJ you are, If you play one style all the time, and you play what you set up, then buy track per track. Me I play to a large diverse crowds. I can be playing every style from night to night and sometimes all in one night. So the pools are great for me becuase Im getting new music from all of them at once. Plus I down load it all at once instead of track for track so saves me time getting it.
I think we all have a lot of the same patterns in our storage area, My main drive on my computer is set up fine with the playlist and what not, what I would be curious is from the guy that have large externals with everything on it, how do you orginize the files. I have been trying to come up with that one great file system with no success. Right now I have moved everything in to general files to start, R & B, Electronic, Rock, Chart list (promo only, billboards, Now Cds and what not) and an Unknown file of stuff I will never play and dont care to sort. My R&B will include rap, dance, pop and what not, dont like the R&B title for it, but it works for now. Trying to decide if I wanna just put everything by artist in side those files. My reason is there are some artist that really could be in say rock, classic rock and what not, and if I wanna find that artist I want to find it all, not part here and part there.
PS I know our DJ software will find it all, but I want it set up for when I add new stuff I have a spot to put it, also to make it easier to delete double, triples and what not. I have some songs 10 or more times, but they are all in a different area.