How do I move select playlists to a new MacBook?

Gully B
Gully B Member Posts: 14 Member

Well the day has finally come, my 2014 MacBook Pro cannot upgrade anymore, which means I’m missing out on the new Traktor updates.

So I’m biting the bullet and buying a new M3 Pro!

Im using this as a fresh start because my Traktor collection is a mess of music that I no longer use, but also don’t want to delete forever.
So my aim is to export only the playlists I use for DJing and start a new collection on my new MacBook. I was hoping if somebody could explain the process and the best approach.

my theory is to just create a folder on an external called ‘Traktor new collection’ then have folders inside for each playlist and then export those playlists from Traktor into the corresponding folders. Then on a new empty collection in Traktor, create the playlists again and then drag and drop each one back in.

The main question I have is, will my cue points/loops etc also transfer over too? And what happens with any music that comes from streaming services like Beatsource? Will the nml file also add those tracks to the new playlist and they reconnect when I login to Beatsource in Traktor?

Anyone who’s got ideas on best practises here, I’ll be very eager to hear from you!

Best Answers

  • Gully B
    Gully B Member Posts: 14 Member
    Answer ✓

    Thank you for your help, my theory about handling this is:

    1. Make one master traktor playlist on my current machine, like 'DJ Music'.
    2. Export this playlist and copy the files to destination, on an external hardrive.
    3. Export the other playlists I need as NML files only.
    4. Copy master folder 'DJ music', onto my new machine from the external hardrive.
    5. Start a new collection on my new machine, and drag/drop the 'DJ music' folder into the collection.
    6. Import the data from 'playlists' NOT 'files'.
    7. Drag/Drop the other playlist NML files into Traktor.

    This is because there's about 65,000 songs, and I only use about <1000 to DJ with. I also don't want to make duplicate files on my new machine.
    I'm going to do a small sample test on my other laptop first to see if it works. But I'm hoping this should work in theory!

  • Owner
    Owner Member Posts: 564 Guru
    edited July 18 Answer ✓

    This is the way! Or at least one of it :) Give it a go with your test and see if it works for you like excepted. It would be cool, if you would further share your experience here for other users who are also interested in things like this.

Answers

  • Owner
    Owner Member Posts: 564 Guru
    edited July 12

    Well the day has finally come, my 2014 MacBook Pro cannot upgrade anymore, which means I’m missing out on the new Traktor updates.

    I recently completely reinstalled my old MacBook Pro from 2012 and brought it back to the present with the Open Core Legacy Patcher. Everything now runs stable with macOS Monterey, which allows me to install newer software on it. Based on the necessary resources, it is still sufficient for all my DJing applications, as long as I don't expect miracles from Serato Stems or Neural Mix Pro. But believe me, it is completely sufficient for Traktor alone and for carrying out a few other tasks on the side.

    So I’m biting the bullet and buying a new M3 Pro!

    Remember that there are currently a lot of good refurbished MacBooks on the used market. This way you can save some money and still enjoy a "new" machine for many years to come. Just a tip.

    Im using this as a fresh start because my Traktor collection is a mess of music that I no longer use, but also don’t want to delete forever.
    So my aim is to export only the playlists I use for DJing and start a new collection on my new MacBook. I was hoping if somebody could explain the process and the best approach.

    Please use the search function in this Community Forum or at least; google it. There are many topics like this and also well explained solutions. Also, there is a Knowledge Base entry from NI itself about transferring Collection Files and all the rest from point A to point B.


    The main question I have is, will my cue points/loops etc also transfer over too? And what happens with any music that comes from streaming services like Beatsource? Will the nml file also add those tracks to the new playlist and they reconnect when I login to Beatsource in Traktor?

    This depends on how you store this information actually in your existing Traktor Version. You will find this Topic in Preferences / File Management. (Where to write Tags in Traktor).

    Anyone who’s got ideas on best practise here, I’ll be very eager to hear from you!

    There are many ways to do things like this. I'm sure a lot of users here will respond to you with tips and tricks. But, at the end of the day, you will have to find a way who fits best for yourself.

    As you, I would maybe just transferring my whole Traktor documents folder to its new space, delete all the odd Playlists and Titels from the Collection in Traktor. After deleting all tracks or re-organising your new library I would run through a whole consistency check in Traktor. That should just do the job.

    I know that might sound a bit complicated, but I've done it a few times myself. The good thing is that there's no perfect way to do it and I've learned something new every time.

  • Owner
    Owner Member Posts: 564 Guru
    edited July 12

    Oh, and by the way: I totally forgot to mention about Mixo.dj wich I also use and would be able to do the job.

  • Gully B
    Gully B Member Posts: 14 Member
    Answer ✓

    Thank you for your help, my theory about handling this is:

    1. Make one master traktor playlist on my current machine, like 'DJ Music'.
    2. Export this playlist and copy the files to destination, on an external hardrive.
    3. Export the other playlists I need as NML files only.
    4. Copy master folder 'DJ music', onto my new machine from the external hardrive.
    5. Start a new collection on my new machine, and drag/drop the 'DJ music' folder into the collection.
    6. Import the data from 'playlists' NOT 'files'.
    7. Drag/Drop the other playlist NML files into Traktor.

    This is because there's about 65,000 songs, and I only use about <1000 to DJ with. I also don't want to make duplicate files on my new machine.
    I'm going to do a small sample test on my other laptop first to see if it works. But I'm hoping this should work in theory!

  • Owner
    Owner Member Posts: 564 Guru
    edited July 18 Answer ✓

    This is the way! Or at least one of it :) Give it a go with your test and see if it works for you like excepted. It would be cool, if you would further share your experience here for other users who are also interested in things like this.

  • Gully B
    Gully B Member Posts: 14 Member

    I'm pleased to say that my theory worked! Managed to cut 800gb of music down to 90gb on my new machine of music I ACTUALLY use!

    When I created the master playlist, it meant I could clean things up better like removing duplicates, and then when I exported to my new machine, all of the playlists were drawing from the same files, which meant all my loops/cue points etc remained too!

    If anyone ever needs help doing this, then this method worked and I'm always happy to help answer any further questions!

  • Owner
    Owner Member Posts: 564 Guru
    edited July 19
  • djfrankiw
    djfrankiw Member Posts: 2 Newcomer

    Hi, i also bought a new mac and i have the same problem. I'm trying to do the same path but i dont find this part:

    6. Import the data from 'playlists' NOT 'files'

    how do i do that?

    thanks!

  • djfrankiw
    djfrankiw Member Posts: 2 Newcomer

    Hi, i also bought a new mac and i have the same problem. I'm trying to do the same path but i dont find this part:

    6. Import the data from 'playlists' NOT 'files'

    how do i do that?

    thanks!

  • lord-carlos
    lord-carlos Member Posts: 3,582 Expert

    What is so special about Mac that you can't just copy music files and the ~/Documents/Native Instruments/Traktor xx/ folder to a new computer? Is it because the Playlist are inside iTunes /music app?

  • Gully B
    Gully B Member Posts: 14 Member

    This was because I was starting with a new collection to try and use the new mac upgrade as a bit of a refresh for organising my collection to only music I actually use.

    6. - This is when you should get a pop-up when dragging the new music into an empty new collection.

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