PDA

View Full Version : does any dj database software exist?



frankster
02-09-2012, 05:24 PM
So the problem is I have too many records. Some of the tunes that I rarely play, I can't think of anything that would go well with it.

So I am looking for some software that lets me store basic track info such as the track name / artist of each track I own. I then want to be able to "link" two tracks together and say this one goes well with this one. I would also be able to take a photo of the label on the vinyl and store that with the track to help me find it in my boxes more quickly.

It would of course need some kind of search functionality so that if I can't think of anything to mix with a tune then I could quickly type its name in and get some ideas for mixes that have worked in the past.

Really advanced features could allow it to link into dj software (if I ever get more than about 5 mp3s) and every time I select a track in the dj software, this programme could automatically look it up and suggest a few tunes that I've previously noted go well together. And vice versa, if I feel like using one of the suggestions this software could tell the dj software to load that track into one of the decks.

Does anything like this exist?

DeadPhr0g
02-09-2012, 05:59 PM
No. :)

xsonixs
02-09-2012, 07:28 PM
You may be able to pull up some of the basic functionality (is pictures, track info, related tracks) with Daylite. It's definitely not made for this type of stuff but it's worth looking into.

I would also look into (believe it or not) google docs. Their spreadsheets allow you to build forms. Again, very basic stuff.

Nothing you can do about connecting to dvs etc.

Just my 2c

Sigma
02-09-2012, 08:35 PM
It's all doable with database creation software, apart from connecting to a DVS.

The only bit I can't get my head around is how you would handle the linking of tracks. I understand what you want - you want to be able to link tracks, so it would work like a recommendation engine and give you a list of tracks that mix well with the one you're playing - I just can't see how I would implement this if I was writing the database, cos I haven't done it for 15 years, haha.

Some people just use the comment fields to add notes to their tracks, although it's a bit convoluted and not as powerful as a database.

xsonixs
02-09-2012, 08:56 PM
If you used some sort of CRM software that allows for look-up relationships, you could just have multiple look-ups in a related field maybe? :)

Manu
02-10-2012, 02:31 AM
this programme could automatically look it up and suggest a few tunes that I've previously noted go well together


pigeon holing your self and totally removing the element of chance. People should stop relying on computers for a job they could perfectly do themselves after a little practice. Your computers still don't read the crowd, learn your tracks.

KLH
02-10-2012, 07:20 AM
Does anything like this exist?
What, iTunes? Use the comments field. Every DVS or DJ app with a track library can be used this way.

-KLH

frankster
02-10-2012, 07:29 AM
You may be able to pull up some of the basic functionality (is pictures, track info, related tracks) with Daylite. It's definitely not made for this type of stuff but it's worth looking into.

I would also look into (believe it or not) google docs. Their spreadsheets allow you to build forms. Again, very basic stuff.

Nothing you can do about connecting to dvs etc.

Just my 2c

well spreadsheets don't do a very good job of bi-directionally linking two records (I could say record A mixes with record B but it wouldn't do such a good job of saying record B mixes with record A without duplication). And the search functionality in spreadsheets isn't great tbh, it could be a bit neater.

also don't have any apple products so can't try this daylite ;)

frankster
02-10-2012, 07:31 AM
It's all doable with database creation software, apart from connecting to a DVS.

The only bit I can't get my head around is how you would handle the linking of tracks. I understand what you want - you want to be able to link tracks, so it would work like a recommendation engine and give you a list of tracks that mix well with the one you're playing - I just can't see how I would implement this if I was writing the database, cos I haven't done it for 15 years, haha.

Some people just use the comment fields to add notes to their tracks, although it's a bit convoluted and not as powerful as a database.

Yeah a proper database is the way it would have to be to meet my requirements - exactly the sort of thing I am looking for. you would have a table for each record/track, then you would have a second table which represents the link "mixes well with" and the item in the second table would reference the key of both records.

I am hoping to find something with more functionality than the comment fields on mp3s - plus that doesn't work all that well for vinyl anyway!

frankster
02-10-2012, 07:32 AM
If you used some sort of CRM software that allows for look-up relationships, you could just have multiple look-ups in a related field maybe? :)

I've never used CRM software before, could you explain a little further what you mean by this?

frankster
02-10-2012, 07:34 AM
pigeon holing your self and totally removing the element of chance. People should stop relying on computers for a job they could perfectly do themselves after a little practice. Your computers still don't read the crowd, learn your tracks.

not very helpful; doesn't answer the question.

Sween
02-10-2012, 07:45 AM
I would imagine there is a way to program this sort of thing yourself... thinking C++.

I don't think that any database program or spreadsheet is wired to do this off the shelf... but it would be easy to create the algorithm to pair the files if you had access to the programming.

-ExistenZ-
02-10-2012, 08:11 AM
www.mixshare.com

Free Java based key/bpm detection and databasing software. I prefer version 2 rather than version 3. Very good for a free program and believe it does exactly what the original OP is after. Mix compatibility etc.

frankster
02-10-2012, 08:22 AM
www.mixshare.com

Free Java based key/bpm detection and databasing software. I prefer version 2 rather than version 3. Very good for a free program and believe it does exactly what the original OP is after. Mix compatibility etc.

thanks I'll give this a go. I'm not arsed about key/bpm detection, just the databasing side of things.

BuddyUK
02-10-2012, 08:24 AM
discogs perhaps? :facepalm:

Rek_Aviles
02-10-2012, 08:34 AM
The only bit I can't get my head around is how you would handle the linking of tracks. I understand what you want - you want to be able to link tracks, so it would work like a recommendation engine and give you a list of tracks that mix well with the one you're playing - I just can't see how I would implement this if I was writing the database, cos I haven't done it for 15 years, haha.


Some dbs match tracks by key. Would just need to use Mixed-in-key or something similar, but to load the track for you?

KLH
02-10-2012, 11:24 AM
I'm surprised that more DJs haven't said that what your asking software to do is the basically replacing the true value of being a DJ.

A DJ should know what tracks go with each other from practicing and listening to the latest releases. Having software recommend selections based on what you've already done or what others do would lead to repetitive performances... and what's the fun in that?

There's no substitute for knowing your music and practicing.

-KLH

frankster
02-10-2012, 11:41 AM
I'm surprised that more DJs haven't said that what your asking software to do is the basically replacing the true value of being a DJ.

A DJ should know what tracks go with each other from practicing and listening to the latest releases. Having software recommend selections based on what you've already done or what others do would lead to repetitive performances... and what's the fun in that?

There's no substitute for knowing your music and practicing.

-KLH
*yawn* doesn't answer the question.

and if you seriously think a large numberof big djs don't play the same tracks in the same order night after night you probably haven't listened to many of them...

DJ Matt
02-10-2012, 11:13 PM
i have been wondering how i could do this "linking tracks" thing in virtual dj because i often come up with great mixes while practising and then the following day i cannot remember what i did

if you could link tracks then i actually think that an mp3 collection would be the best form of musical "data base" you could have

if you find a good mix you could hit a "link track" button and the next time you play that tune it will suggest all the tracks you linked it to ...

so far i have not managed to think of a way other than leaving a comment in the comment section , but i normally just describe the song rather than make not of what it mixes with..

i think it would be a very good feature and im sure they will come up with a way to do it.

in the old days i used to just leave the records close to one another in the box and that solved it.

mantis
02-10-2012, 11:28 PM
yeah linking the track is something that could work. I know RE can help with that, but I have never used that feature on RE. To the guys like Manu who says that all you need to do is practice, I agree with you, but remember djs also rely a lot on memory. These days most of us have other things to do too, and our music collections are bigger than before, thus we cant always remember everything so well. I have a hard time remembering track names as well as artists- i can remember tunes perfectly fine and knows when the breakdown or buildup is in a track, even remember lyrics (in songs that have) and when I mix two tracks together that I reguraly mix together, I almost always mix in and out at the same time as i did before (just because my brain is programed to do things the same as before). What the OP suggest is perhaps just that.

This morning I replayed some old tech house tracks from my set list of 2010. My cds are all labelled and marked in certain order, and I found my self playing the same tracks in very much the same order as i did 2 years ago, but i guess after a while I might forget. this feauture could help with that.

frankster
02-11-2012, 06:27 AM
yeah linking the track is something that could work. I know RE can help with that, but I have never used that feature on RE.

forgive the noob question, but what is RE?

mantis
02-11-2012, 08:01 AM
Rapid Evolution http://www.mixshare.com/wiki/doku.php?id=rapid_evolution ;)

xsonixs
02-11-2012, 12:16 PM
@OP CRM software is used by companies to track customer relationships (CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management). In these programs, you can generally create fields that can "look up" another object (lets say track). So what you could do is create a page that contains the track name, comments, and lets say 5 look up relationships. This would allow you to link 5 different tracks to the one you are playing at that point in time. This would be kind of the suggestion that YOU yourself make.

Here's the catch all (Manu, KLH), this would allow the person to MANUALLY select the specific songs that go together. I guess this is kind of a compromise between getting a piece of software to do everything for you and simply remembering which tracks go together. IMHO, this is too much work and by the time you're done linking/matching all of your songs, you've probably learned which songs go together anyways so this attempt may be futile.

Either way, good luck and let us know which route you go and what software you find.

Cheers!

Subprime
02-11-2012, 06:29 PM
Something hilarious about the computer boys having a go at someone trying to organise their vinyl collection as "taking the skill out of things". Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep track of what you own, let alone what you think goes well together when you can't just scroll through or type in a name in traktor. Not to mention finding the bloody thing once you've decided you want to play it.

frankster
02-13-2012, 10:08 AM
plus the chance of it not being in the right sleeve...

Skeyelab
02-13-2012, 10:32 AM
bento? MS access? filemaker pro? PHP/mySQL?

Connor
02-13-2012, 10:55 AM
pigeon holing your self and totally removing the element of chance. People should stop relying on computers for a job they could perfectly do themselves after a little practice. Your computers still don't read the crowd, learn your tracks.

Often times I've been messing around at my house/my friend's house and did some really cool thing and have never been able to do it ever again, although you could really just do the same thing as what the dude is trying to achieve with a simple text file saying something like "track a - track b," you get what I'm saying?

Quentin Legend
02-15-2012, 06:01 AM
I use Mediamonkey for organizing my Music Database.

If a song goes really well with another track, I'll make a note of it in the Comments field on the ID tags.

I also have a bunch of playlists in Mediamonkey that I use to do sort of the same thing as the "track linking", if a song goes well with the previous one, just send it to the playlist.

howitzer
02-15-2012, 06:36 AM
Something like this should really be coded into DJing software. Personally I use the comments field to make note of great blends, then if im stuck, just type the name of the song im playing in the search field. I tend to jump for the mixes I remember first though, but that doesnt add much variation to my mixing.

I just had a brainwave, (it did hurt, a little). Using a backend database system to link tracks that work together, you could use colour coding in the browser playlist to represent a hierarchy of linked songs. Say, first children, the stuff you found and manually linked would appear in red, second children appear in blue, etc, etc. It could be heavy on already cumbersome DJ software, but would make traversing your collection for mixes more intuitive than ever!

Might make it into Traktor 7, what do you think? :|

blackfoxbb
02-15-2012, 06:41 AM
collectorz mp3?

you can select the tracks that you want and them add then to specific playlists or databases

jazzyj
02-15-2012, 07:23 AM
I don't think the OP is looking for the database to replace his skills of being able to decide which tracks to play or link together. I think he wants the database just to be a compilation of his knowledge - something more easily searchable and foolproof than his neurons.

M!TCH
02-18-2012, 12:13 PM
I don't understand why everyone has to comment on how this or that isn't being a DJ. If you have a large music collection than it is nigh impossible to remember every song that goes well together. Combine that with anyone who is mixing and might be a student in school and you're making it even more difficult on yourself. I highly recommend people know their music but there is nothing wrong with making this easier on yourself. If anything I think it can increase the quality of your mixes. I would love something like this because inputting comments is becoming a PITA.