GregBeacher
Hi,
Apologies if this is a bit of a newbie question. I am moving from Traktor to Virtual DJ as I want to add a video element to my shows. In Traktor I have my audio stored like this:
Music -> A -> Artist Name (starting with A) -> Audio Track 1 Name, Audio Track 2 Name
Music -> B -> Artist Name (starting with B) -> Audio Track 1 Name.
And so on. I run a couple of macros in MP3 Tag to create the filename and path from the artist and track name tags in the MP3.
I figure that I should do the same with my video files too. My question is this though - what do you guys/girls do with your video files? Do you place them in the same folders as your mp3s or should they be kept seperate?
Media -> A -> Artist Name (starting with A) -> Audio Track 1 Name, Audio Track 2 Name, Video Track 1 Name.
Media -> B -> Artist Name (starting with B) -> Audio Track 1 Name, , Video Track 1 Name.
Will Virtual DJ be able to list them seperately in the virtual folders or do the need to be in physically seperate from the MP3s?
Finally, I tend to prepare my tracks on one machine and then playout from a laptop. In Traktor the cue points are stored in the MP3 as tags but I understand that Virtual DJ stores them in a seperate xml file. When syncing between the two machines (and assuming that I have the tracks at the same location on each machine), is it simply a case of copying the xml file across? I have seen some people are using dropbox for this which is another good idea as it provides a safe of site backup too.
Thanks for your help.
Greg
Apologies if this is a bit of a newbie question. I am moving from Traktor to Virtual DJ as I want to add a video element to my shows. In Traktor I have my audio stored like this:
Music -> A -> Artist Name (starting with A) -> Audio Track 1 Name, Audio Track 2 Name
Music -> B -> Artist Name (starting with B) -> Audio Track 1 Name.
And so on. I run a couple of macros in MP3 Tag to create the filename and path from the artist and track name tags in the MP3.
I figure that I should do the same with my video files too. My question is this though - what do you guys/girls do with your video files? Do you place them in the same folders as your mp3s or should they be kept seperate?
Media -> A -> Artist Name (starting with A) -> Audio Track 1 Name, Audio Track 2 Name, Video Track 1 Name.
Media -> B -> Artist Name (starting with B) -> Audio Track 1 Name, , Video Track 1 Name.
Will Virtual DJ be able to list them seperately in the virtual folders or do the need to be in physically seperate from the MP3s?
Finally, I tend to prepare my tracks on one machine and then playout from a laptop. In Traktor the cue points are stored in the MP3 as tags but I understand that Virtual DJ stores them in a seperate xml file. When syncing between the two machines (and assuming that I have the tracks at the same location on each machine), is it simply a case of copying the xml file across? I have seen some people are using dropbox for this which is another good idea as it provides a safe of site backup too.
Thanks for your help.
Greg
geposted Tue 09 Oct 12 @ 7:17 am
A Man and His Music
I was confused with your method, I am very simple. I use artist - title. The track number means nothing to me, but extra work. I have 4 internal 1tb drives. Three are video only, in folders. The forth is a mix of video and audio, some in folders together, some separate. VDJ has colored icons that tell you what type of file it is, orange for audio, blue for video, and green for karaoke. These are located in the front of the file name. The data base is on the drive, so if you work on one computer, and move the drive to another computer, all is well.
geposted Tue 09 Oct 12 @ 9:41 am
GregBeacher
Okay, thanks. I don't actually use the track number - I was just numbering them to illustrate that there could be multiple tracks in the artist folder. Apologies, I could have explained it better.
So, if I understand you correctly, I can mix both video and audio in the same artist folders and the icons will help me identify the type of file.
That's great - thank you for responding so quickly.
Kind Regards
Greg
So, if I understand you correctly, I can mix both video and audio in the same artist folders and the icons will help me identify the type of file.
That's great - thank you for responding so quickly.
Kind Regards
Greg
geposted Tue 09 Oct 12 @ 9:57 am
PhantomDeejay
I'm also confused with what you want to achieve.
Personally I have video files separated from audio files on my hard drive.
However, on my Virtual Folders (it's something like a playlist if you're not yet familiar with it) I put both audio/video files.
VirtualDj can provide you the following tools to "separate" audio & video files:
1. ICONS
Each track on your browser has an icon in front of it. If you don't know what these icons mean you should check THIS PAGE first.
So, all video files have a white icon with a small blue "V" symbol
2. SHOW OPTIONS
Next to the search bar there's a small icon with an "Eye" on it. If you click on that icon you can tell VirtualDj what kind of files you want visible on your browser. By default, all three types (Audio, Video, Karaoke) are visible. However you can hide something you don't want to see, or even leave visible ONLY the kind of files you want to see.
The best part of this is that you can assign keyboard commands (or controller commands, it's the same in VirtualDj) to hide/show the various file types on the fly. You can "map" three F keys for instance (F10,F11,F12 is what I use) to hide/show each type of files on the fly.
3. FILETYPE
Somehow it's similar to the ICON method. You can enable the "Filetype" column on your browser and from this be able to tell what's your file from there
4. "FILTER FOLDERS"
Filter folders are "smart" folders that populate their contents automatically each time you open/visit them based on a query you specify when you create them. Among the many things you can use to query your database is the "type" verb which will ask the database if the file is of a certain type or not. So, if you create a Filter Folder with the following query: top 50 nbplay and type=video you will get as a result the top 50 most played video files
I hope this info helps you decide what's the best way for you to organize your database.
PS:
VirtualDj stores information for the tracks on the following locations:
1. For the system drive (Typically the C: drive) on C:\Users\YourUserName\Documents\VirtualDj\VirtualDj Database v6.XML
This is the "Master" database. It holds info only for media files located on the C: drive, but it also contains all the information about the structure of your database, like the order of your Favorite Folders, Virtual Folders, e.t.c...
2. For every other drive that contains media files on the ROOT of the drive there's a file named "VirtualDj Local Database v6.XML"
This file holds info only for the media that exist on the same drive.
Now, if you are using a single external disc between your systems that has all your media files you don't have to worry about syncing.
If you use two different drives then among with the files you'll have to copy the corresponding XML file from one drive to another.
However since VDJ does not alter the tags of your files, you should notice that you'll have to sync a lot less files each time: Only the new media files and the XML database!
Some users (myself included) use DropBox, but not for DB syncing, especially if you use external hard drives for your media. The db file(s) must be on the root of the drive, and currently there's no way to "force" dropbox to sync/backup these files automatically.
Personally I have video files separated from audio files on my hard drive.
However, on my Virtual Folders (it's something like a playlist if you're not yet familiar with it) I put both audio/video files.
VirtualDj can provide you the following tools to "separate" audio & video files:
1. ICONS
Each track on your browser has an icon in front of it. If you don't know what these icons mean you should check THIS PAGE first.
So, all video files have a white icon with a small blue "V" symbol
2. SHOW OPTIONS
Next to the search bar there's a small icon with an "Eye" on it. If you click on that icon you can tell VirtualDj what kind of files you want visible on your browser. By default, all three types (Audio, Video, Karaoke) are visible. However you can hide something you don't want to see, or even leave visible ONLY the kind of files you want to see.
The best part of this is that you can assign keyboard commands (or controller commands, it's the same in VirtualDj) to hide/show the various file types on the fly. You can "map" three F keys for instance (F10,F11,F12 is what I use) to hide/show each type of files on the fly.
3. FILETYPE
Somehow it's similar to the ICON method. You can enable the "Filetype" column on your browser and from this be able to tell what's your file from there
4. "FILTER FOLDERS"
Filter folders are "smart" folders that populate their contents automatically each time you open/visit them based on a query you specify when you create them. Among the many things you can use to query your database is the "type" verb which will ask the database if the file is of a certain type or not. So, if you create a Filter Folder with the following query: top 50 nbplay and type=video you will get as a result the top 50 most played video files
I hope this info helps you decide what's the best way for you to organize your database.
PS:
VirtualDj stores information for the tracks on the following locations:
1. For the system drive (Typically the C: drive) on C:\Users\YourUserName\Documents\VirtualDj\VirtualDj Database v6.XML
This is the "Master" database. It holds info only for media files located on the C: drive, but it also contains all the information about the structure of your database, like the order of your Favorite Folders, Virtual Folders, e.t.c...
2. For every other drive that contains media files on the ROOT of the drive there's a file named "VirtualDj Local Database v6.XML"
This file holds info only for the media that exist on the same drive.
Now, if you are using a single external disc between your systems that has all your media files you don't have to worry about syncing.
If you use two different drives then among with the files you'll have to copy the corresponding XML file from one drive to another.
However since VDJ does not alter the tags of your files, you should notice that you'll have to sync a lot less files each time: Only the new media files and the XML database!
Some users (myself included) use DropBox, but not for DB syncing, especially if you use external hard drives for your media. The db file(s) must be on the root of the drive, and currently there's no way to "force" dropbox to sync/backup these files automatically.
geposted Tue 09 Oct 12 @ 10:31 am
A Man and His Music
I don't do the artist folder thing. That would give you thousands of folders. I could have Duran Duran in an 80's and 90's folders. They could also be in various remix folders. I know where most of my tracks are, but I can search the artist, and they will all show up. I think that whole number thing is a waste of time and space, but if it works for you, go for it.
geposted Wed 10 Oct 12 @ 1:17 am
Support staff
If you plan to set tags on the actual video files themselves, make sure that you use MP4 format.
In most cases, purchased MP4 videos from download services such as PromoOnly will already be tagged with the correct information.
If you are ripping the videos from DVD's then you will need to rip them to MP4 format and manually tag them yourself.
NOTE: For other formats, VirtualDJ will parse the Artist and Title from the filename in the format Artist - Title, e.g: ABBA - Dancing Queen.vob
In most cases, purchased MP4 videos from download services such as PromoOnly will already be tagged with the correct information.
If you are ripping the videos from DVD's then you will need to rip them to MP4 format and manually tag them yourself.
NOTE: For other formats, VirtualDJ will parse the Artist and Title from the filename in the format Artist - Title, e.g: ABBA - Dancing Queen.vob
geposted Wed 10 Oct 12 @ 5:50 am
GregBeacher
Hi,
Thanks for the advice everyone - this is brilliant. It sounds like the browser in Virtual DJ is a lot more comprehensive than the 'collections/playlists' I am used to in Traktor. Time to read the manual properly I think. :)
I would prefer to keep my media files sorted by artist as that is what I am used to but I will drop the video files in the same folders so that all of my media is in the same place and then use the Virtual Folders to separate them out.
From what I see some of you split your files by decade. Duran Duran is an example given in a post from A Man and His Music - I don't tend to do this but I do have a folder specifically for all Duran Duran tracks. I assume I can create collection folders that contain a list of tracks - such as 'retro', 'modern' or '90's party Faves'.
Thanks again for your help guys. I am sure I will be back with more questions soon.
Kind Regards
Greg
Thanks for the advice everyone - this is brilliant. It sounds like the browser in Virtual DJ is a lot more comprehensive than the 'collections/playlists' I am used to in Traktor. Time to read the manual properly I think. :)
I would prefer to keep my media files sorted by artist as that is what I am used to but I will drop the video files in the same folders so that all of my media is in the same place and then use the Virtual Folders to separate them out.
From what I see some of you split your files by decade. Duran Duran is an example given in a post from A Man and His Music - I don't tend to do this but I do have a folder specifically for all Duran Duran tracks. I assume I can create collection folders that contain a list of tracks - such as 'retro', 'modern' or '90's party Faves'.
Thanks again for your help guys. I am sure I will be back with more questions soon.
Kind Regards
Greg
geposted Wed 10 Oct 12 @ 6:51 am