DJing Discussion

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Track Tagging Method Between Itunes and Serato

Nateinator 5:14 PM - 22 July, 2016
I am looking for a fluid way of tagging and organizing tracks.
I found this article but there are some things on it that i don't agree with djtechtools.com

First off I'd rather search for a song by the remixer than the original artist. With serato tagging you can add a remixer but that doesn't necessarily come across in Itunes since there is no Remixer tag in Itunes. I originally was doing this with the artist and album artist tags in Itunes but of course there is no "album artist" tag in serato.

I was thinking of putting the remixer name in the artist tag and then putting the original artist into the composer tag. Good or bad idea?

Looking for ay suggestions or ideas for how I can better organize my tracks.

Thanks in advanced
Nateinator 5:22 PM - 22 July, 2016
Or possibly what is a good program to change the tags other than Itunes for mac
DJ Ravien 6:15 PM - 22 July, 2016
ID3 Tag Editor, kid3, MetaBliss to name a few, haven't used them since I tag all my music on my pc with MP3Tag then transfer it to my mac.

The article in question isn't really meant for you as a DJ, it is meant for producers/remixers to correctly name files and personally agree with what is said. Nothing drives me crazier then having to clean up poorly tagged files.

Eminem - My Name Is What (Ravien Remix).mp3
Artist - Eminem
Title - My Name Is what (Ravien remix)

Matches most common naming practices on releases. Where as

Ravien Remix - Mynameiswhat.MP3
Artist - Ravien
Title - Name is what (Remix)

doesn't and make it more difficult to know what I am actually looking at without listening to it.

There are quite a few articles, threads etc regarding this topic... the one thing I have noticed all have in common is they do what works best for them, imo this is the best method. Everyone has different needs, I personally don't care about the remixer as it is usually tagged in the track title.

So I use the remixer tag to store other data that I do find useful such as *****'s as a rating system I also use the composer field to tag tracks with info such as Chill, Banger, Lullaby. I am sure some would think it is nuts but it is what I have came up with that works for me.

I can then generate smart crates and pull songs into them based on above criteria along with key,BPM etc...

This article may give you a few good ideas,
djtechtools.com
Nateinator 8:28 PM - 22 July, 2016
Thanks for the tips I will definitely look into it.

The only reason I consider putting the artist as the remixer is because 9 times out of 10 I find a producer I particularly like and they remix a bunch of songs, which I would like to keep all together.
DJ Ravien 8:47 PM - 22 July, 2016
I hear ya, nothing wrong with that. I don't normally sort alphabetically, I have smart crates based on artist I like which would lump all the tracks together. Though I try not to stay with the same artist during a mix. I always feel like I am stealing their sets.

I also prefer to keep the original artist name because I like to switch to different remixes of the same song during a mix at times can be really helpful in transitioning tempos at times. So it makes it a lot easier finding the different remixes/bootlegs.

Like I said what ever works best for you. I changed my methods a number of times before I found one that I actually liked and stuck with and even now I still try to perfect it.
Nateinator 9:27 PM - 22 July, 2016
Also a good idea. I have heard alot of advocating for the crate system and feel it probably works best that way grouping different geners and bpms and keys and such.

Will have to transition out of the itunes sorting system where it puts a song in a path like itunes media>music>artist>album>song
DJ Ravien 11:06 PM - 22 July, 2016
Yea, Crates are the only way to go as far as I am concerned. I have easily 100 + smart crates sorted by all different methods, BPM Key Genre Artist Energy Tags and mixtures of everything. This is why I am looking forward to the new release of SDJ so I can finally clean up the left side panel..

As far as the itunes sorting... Tried it once was devastated by the results. It would create multiple folders for the same artist because it was featuring another artist. Eventually I just lumped them all in too a single folder. Then did my sorting from that point on in serato.
Nateinator 1:39 AM - 23 July, 2016
Yeah that is why I used the album artist feature in itunes. It gets rid of that issue but maybe I should just put it all into one folder and use crates.

I am currently kind of limited because I only have SDJ intro as my controller didn't come with it but hopefully I'll get a new controller soon and get the full version
DJ Ravien 3:00 AM - 23 July, 2016
I wouldn't jump the gun on putting them into one folder if I were you, but the choice is yours.

You could always buy full SDJ. Cheaper then going the controller route initially. Then you will always be able to use it with both if you upgrade down the road. I considered buying it myself so that I could use my mixtrack 2 with it. Would certainly come in handy when on the go or when I don't have the space for the sz.
Nateinator 3:27 AM - 23 July, 2016
I just bought a DDJ SB a few months ago.

I guess I currently overwhelmed with figuring out how I want to do this. I really want to buy MetaBliss as it looks the cleanest but I don't have budget at the moment. I guess if I use crates and such I don't really need to have music sorted out by artist.

I am partial to that way due to my constant use of itunes and apple music.I just always remember pulling my ipod out and searching for a certain artist and listening to exclusively them. I never really made playlists or anything, tiime to make a change.
DJ Ravien 10:58 AM - 23 July, 2016
Nice, My cousin has one as well he absolutely loves it.

I totally get it, it is certainly a learning experience but as long as you stick with it you will be fine.

If that way works for you, I say by all means go for it. IMO there is no right or wrong way when it comes to DJ'ing. The only thing that matters is a love for the music you play and have fun with it.
Nateinator 9:46 PM - 23 July, 2016
Very true. By the way thanks for all your help and insight. Much appreciated