How to stop Traktor (Scratch) from updating music files?

jwka

Hi,

I have multiple systems that I use my music library with. Therefor, I have to update multiple harddrives and synch changes across multiple HDD. MY leading system is the streaming server I run in my house and all changes to the music files are ONLY made using Tagscanner.

Occationally, I use Traktor Scratch (I don't have the version at hand but I guess to remember it's 2.6 o so) from a friend's license on his machine when he is with me on my parties.

We have two completely distinct setups with two different users on a W10/W7 dualboot machine, so traktor_settings.tsi, stripes folders, collection.nml etc., all is separated.

Now, I found out that Traktor writes into the music files (all FLAC files) to obviously write BMP and other data (stripes?) into the files WHEN PLAYED or, (I did this wrongly once with big desaster) when having "analyzed" some folders.

This makes a big mess for me because it's a lot of effort to synch these changed files back to the unchanged to make sure I have consitence HDD'S.

How can I stop Traktor from doing this?

I searched the web and founsd some entries here, but no clear answer. Only answers like "use other software/Version".

Thanks for any suggestions.

lord-carlos

I think you can disable it in the settings.

I don't know what consequences that has, as Traktor also writes everything in the .nml file. I have no idea why it writes the data into both.

jwka

Hey! Thanks for answering.

I hoped that this should be possible, but I could not find WHERE. I thought it should be in the Analyze Options or the File Management.

Nothing there looks like being responsible for it.

I mean, that the NI guys are no software-heroes at all is well known, understood and documented (look at the help pages for the ****** Native-Access program).

But how the hell can you make such a messy function a default setting? It's a piece of mess, especially given that it blows up the collection.nml anyways.

If I wasn't used to it and need to DJ only a few times per year, I would certainly swap over to another one. Couln't be worse.

lord-carlos

At least on Traktor Pro 3 it's here:

File Management -> Tag Writing Mode

Getting used to new DJ software is really easy. Given supported hardware it should only take a few minutes to start mixing.

But the problem is transferring all your cue points etc. There is software to help you with that though.

mykejb

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/46828#Comment_46828

I think writing it into the audio file is a backup so you can easily import files into Traktor if you're on another machine or if you manage to lose your .nml file.

jwka

Well, IF i go to another software it will FOR SURE NOT be NI again. I am fed up with it. They change to idiotic things every now and then and out of the blue and non-documented.

One of these idiotic changes was to put the playlists.nml's into the big file's .nml end. So, exctracting them from a big LIB is a pain.

That alone shows that they have NO IDEA about how to handle big libraries.

It would have been much more clever to split up the collection.nml into smaller chunks i.e. per "added folder" from the settings. That would also much easier allow for structural changes on the HDD (i.e. putting ex. "CD1/CD2" folders into one and reflect the CD in the filename.

jwka

By the way, it gets even worse:

In "Coverart" and "Transients" folder, they overwrite files EVEN WHEN THEY ARE (binary AND size) IDENTICAL (and therefor change the date of file!!!). That makes a HUGE inconsistency if you want to use Traktor with "identical music setups" on two different machines/HDD's.

In "Stripes" folder, they seem to NOT do that.

What an idiotic and inconsistent behaviour!