you guys are sleeping on this one

I guess this is to futuristic

I like the idea. I too sort by "labels" or codes. No more crates, playlists or smart playlists for me.

I think this is one of those ideas thats just beyond peoples conception - but if it was implemented would be genius

especially with the midi

Imagine you have your library open. Press a button and all your Commercial records show up. Press another button and all thats left is your Commercial Dancehall. Press another button and all your Dancehall shows up including classics. And so on.

No more jumping from crate to crate.
No more trying to figure out which crate a song should go in because you could put as many labels on it as you want.

There is a good reason Gmail did well using labels instead of folders.

Cool idea. I think I'd rather see it function as tags. You could create custom tags, like the ones you mentioned, but assign multiple tags to any track. If you've tagged you songs you could select the tags 'Hip Hop' and 'Gritty' for example. This might bring up Aesop Rock for example. But selecting 'Hip Hop' and 'Digital' might bring up Cool Kids.

yeah, that sounds like like what gmail calls 'labels'

The only thing I think could be added to the system is 'off' or 'negative'. Like how you can put a '-' before something in google.

So you could select 'Hip-Hop' then subtract 'Gritty' from that list and all the songs labeled 'Gritty' would go away.


I would guess that this system would not interfere with crates at all, it would just be an add on. Also I guess that it wouldnt be that difficult because it seems like it would work easily with the search that we already have. It would just be a new column with assignable 'labels', and those 'labels' could just be given 'codes' that would go in the search string.

For example a label could just be a graphic cover for say "!@#$-1" which is not going to show up in a library search. So in effect hitting that label would type "!@#$-1" in the search string and all the songs tagged with that label in reality have "!@#$-1" in the label tag.

if that makes sense

I sometimes wish I could see tracks based on the color I selected for them. That could be a label... right? Of course it can be!!

Both names are misleading .. "labels" and "tags".

I'd still vote for tags ;)

yes, colors would be nice - when gmail started they didnt have color, now they do

tags would describe fine, but the reason I called them 'Labels' is thats what Gmail calls them. Sixxx calls them 'Codes' because they actually are 'codes' in that you have a string of letters representing a name, so its coded. The reason I wouldnt call them Tags is because we already have mp3 tags. The reason I wouldnt call them 'codes' is because they wouldnt really be codes if implemented. For example you would have to call a "label" HH, you could just name it "Hip-Hop" (just like crates)... the coding is done behind the seen



you would have a column that shows what Label you have given a file. and you would have a list of labels where crates are now. Then just click on the label, and it sorts.

^^^^^
...or example you would NOT have to call a "label" HH....

gmail style "hot labels"

clickable
midi assignable
color coded
editable

i actually do this to my music and i tag them like this... Extended is [E], Remix is [R], Mashup is [M]. These are all tagged under Remixer.
And then i organise my music under the genre tag as RNB... RNB VIDEO, Dancehall... Dancehall VIDEO.

I ve also just made a best of crate and its got the best off RNB, UK Garage, Dancehall and in the comments sections i write what "best of" crate they are under to make things easier if i want to add new ones.

There is already a id3 tag called label.. so we should avoid "label" as well.

No doubts... cool idea.

What do you have against Aesop? J/k I like the idea

+1

originally I was thinking you would have crates with labels below them and they would work together.

then I took a walk, thought about it, and realized that there would be redundancy in a system like that - so instead of labels, here is my new suggestion


This is called 'On/Off Crates'

There would be a column which lists what crates a song is in (different FS)

All crates start out 'NEUTRAL'. This means you will see no songs in the library. When you click on a crate to turn it 'ON, it lights up, and all songs in that crate appear in the library. And now if you click on ANOTHER crate it also lights up, and all those songs appear in the library. So now you have two or however many crates lit up, each track in those crates appear in the library. But now for the 'OFF', if you ctrl+click on a crate it goes dark and turns off, all the songs in that crate are now subtracted from the library.

Another rule or setting would govern - if a song shows up if it is ANY ON crate or only if it is in ALL ON crates. This would be important to get it to function like Labels.

So you could click on a crate that has all Instrumentals, then Click on the Hip-Hop crate then only Hip-Hop Instrumentals would show up in the library. But if you ctrl+click on the Instrumental crate you would get everything from the Hip-Hop crate *except* Instrumentals

anyway, I dont think you need a separate system, just allow Crates to act like Labels

You mean basically you do a logical "AND" between the content of different crates?

HOLLA! www.serato.com

Deez... but that is different to your suggestion. You are voting for a logical "OR", not "AND" :)

Yes.

a AND b
a OR b
a NOT b

OFF = NOT
ON = AND or OR
Neutral = nothing

There would be the user option for the crates to operate with 'AND' or 'OR' (OR would be the FS Deez linked to) then 'NOT' so crates could subtract from the search.

For example, you click on crates [hip-hop] [west coast] [underground], if you had a crate with ALL your instrumentals, you could easily turn it on (AND instrumentals) and your library would flip to ONLY the instrumentals, or you could turn the instrumentals crate OFF (NOT instrumentals) and ONLY the vocal versions would be left.

So it would be one setting, and one option
[√] Use ON/OFF Crates
[√] AND vs OR
And one button on screen to click all crates back to Neutral.


Personally I wouldnt care for OR but some people would probably want it to work that way too.

Or maybe you could click on crates with a modification:

Click - works normally, only this crate opens - On
Cmd+Click - is inclusive - OR / On
Opt+Click - is exclusive - AND / On
Ctrl+Click - is negative - NOT / Off

I'm a little confused... I think it's the terminology? This is why I'm horrible at scripting...

The way I am understanding it is that you'd like to do AND in a way where you can select multiple crates to see more than one in one single view (East Coast and West Coast hip hop)? Then, if for whatever reason you want to see another one (and only that one crate), you select it and that's all you see (only instrumentals like you said). However, if you want to go back to your grouped selection, when you select the grouped crates -again- you still have the selection of more than just one crate (East Coast and West Coast hip hop) in one single click?

If what I'm saying above is correct, I would think my suggestion would be an AND... not an OR? I want to see in one view Crate A --AND-- Crate B.

If I have crates (folders) like this:

--Urban 00
------Rap
----------2009
----------2000-2008
------R&B
----------2009
----------2000-2008

I sometimes want to hold CTRL and select the (2) 2009 crates in both Rap AND R&B to see them all in one view.

That's a logical "OR".

Read here: en.wikipedia.org
Or... that is better cause it visualizes it:

en.wikipedia.org (scroll down to "context")

I have no problem admitting that I do not understand. I'm usually REALLY good at stuff like that, but this is over my head.

Luckily, I'm sure both of you understand what I'm trying to accomplish along with the other suggestions posted (terminology aside of course)! ;-)

I take that back.... I shouldn't have looked at the pictures first. The pictures confused me. The text makes sense (well... "sense" in according to bitwise operation). lol

Okay, that confuses me now :) I thought the pics were easier to understand.

I have problems with simple things sometimes (except Akiem's posts).

I think my confusion could be due to the differences in my crate system from Akiem's. Without over-complicating things and confusing myself, the way my crates are configured would result in me only wanting to select multiple ones (CTRL-clicking crates). Mine are already separated out pretty extensively by subcrates. Sometimes I want to select 2 crates which are within 2 separate top-level crates.

It seems like we're thinking about it in different ways... I'm not too sure. His way def seems a lot more complicated, but I'm thinking that maybe he is thinking about it a little farther ahead than I am. I just don't see the need to exclude certain crates, because of the way my crates are already set up.

YEs, his system is more configurable by the expense of being more complicated. Not sure whether I would need that amount of configurabiliy and complexity.

My crate system is probably like yours, but I would change it or add to it with this feature. I dont have an all Instrumentals crate - but ALL my instrumentals have the tag '[IN' on them. If I do a search, in whatever crate, for '[IN' only the Instrumentals would come up.

If we had this feature, I would actually make a crate with ALL my Instrumentals. That way whatever crate Im in a could ALSO click on the Instrumental crate and see only the instrumentals of the first crate.


OR - "everything in crate A or in crate B shows up"
adds both together

AND - "it must be in both crate A and in crate B to show up"
it excludes anything not in both

NOT - "everything in crate A shows up, but not if its in crate B"
it excludes whatevers in B

So the idea is that different types of clicks (cmd,opt,ctrl) would produce different kinds of logics.

Command Click = OR
Option Click = AND
Control Click = NOT

Put EVERYTHING from you library that fits whatever criteria in each crate. Have a 2009 crate with every song from 2009 in it. You could put ALL your dirty tracks in a Dirty crate. Put ALL vocals in one crate. Songs that fit two genres like both Rap and RnB, put them in both crates. Put all instrumentals from your entire library in the Instrumental crate.

Now you could select [RAP], AND [2009], AND [VOC], NOT [DIRTY]
But then you could click AND [R&B], and R&B from 2009, voc, and clean(not dirty) would show up.

Or you could go NOT [DIRTY], NOT [RAP], OR [2009]

Remember the songs that fit both Rap and R&B? you could go [RAP], AND [R&B] and only those that fit in both those crates would show up.

You wouldnt need a 2009 crate in every genre and subgenre, just one 2009 with everything in your entire library from 2009.


In the end you could have less crates with more specific results.

I was really wanting this feature last night.

I would set them up for common searches that I do in many crates.

-Instrumental
-Riddim
-Clean
-acapella

call them "clickable smart searches"

I'm ready for some smart crates too.

yes, exactly
I want it everytime I play

thats another way to think about it
crates are in effect searches for songs that you have tagged with that crate
so you would just be doing more dynamic searches

Just curious... how would this be different from Smart Playlists in iTunes?

Smart playlists build a list automatically based on certain criteria.

This combines (or uncombines) as many crates as you click on, manually while you are playing.


You could combine 2009 with 2008 on the fly, or any combination. Or you could say I want all clean tracks from 2002, but not Rap, and on second thought add 2003 to that, and now add Dirty records again.

You can change your search on the fly as you go, focus in, zoom out, very dynamic all in real time.

It would be like making up all kinds of Smart Playlists, but as you play, on the fly, with just clicks.

Ahhh.. gotcha! Nice. Complicated, but nice. I don't have duplicate songs in multiple crates. Would that affect the use of some of the functions?

well if you built your crates round this function, you would have crates with the same song in all of them. For example, you would have an Instrumental Crate with ALL of your instrumentals in it. ALL the Rap, R&B, Country, Funk, anything thats Instrumental. Then you would have ALL songs from 2009 in one crate, every song, no matter what it was, as long as its 2009.

NOW, you could get all 2009 Instrumentals, by clicking [2009] AND [INSTR]. It would exclude everything from other years or not an Instrumental.

But, you could also click [2009] NOT [INSTR] and get everything from 2009 which is not Instrumental.


I think if it were implemented it would be a whole lot easyer then it sounds.

I'm feelin' it

I dare say, this is quite a sound idea!

Akiem....is there any way you could show us your full list of different codes?

I just tried to paste an ALL CAPS list of them........



Im not sure what you would learn - I expect everyone would do their codes differently

i've only been dj'ing for about a year and a half so i figured i could learn something from a more experienced man like yourself

well what do you spin? how do you have your music organized right now?

i'm an open format dj

right now i'm using itunes smart playlists with genres that look like this

Electronic House
Electronic Indie
Pop
Hip Hop
Hip Hop Banger
etc..

i want to get more detailed with my tagging so i can pull up northern hip hop, or southern hip hop, etc.

i'll continue to make up my own genres and labels i just thought it'd be interesting to see what tags/codes you use

true

+1

ive re-organised my library a few times since I've had SSL

i've made up my own codes and have them sitting in the 'Grouping' field

but i would definitely love to be able to tag/label each track and search through them with onscreen buttons - that would be damn handy

yup it would be ill.

this or being able to click on more then one crate to populate the library.
smart crates could then work like labels

+1

Hi, AKIEM. So what you want is a kind of tag cloud / gmail labelling. I'll add this to the list I've started to collate in serato.com

Hi Glenn, I think this idea became the 'Select Two or More Crates' suggestion.
serato.com
it would end up being about the same thing

serato.com

I love this idea.

I love it too!

+1

This might help simplify this request:

All crates start NEUTRAL and are not in the library.

Click a crate it turns ON, adding to the list of songs in the library.

Click again and a crate turn OFF, removing all those songs from the library.

Click again and it return NEUTRAL, adding the songs in any ON crate back to the library.

Oh yeah so the library = ON AND NOT OFF

One last thing in order to get just the songs in two or more crates you could highlight or bold songs that are ON more than once, and allow sorting by this