You can practice your mixing skills and fancy performance tricks all you want, but ultimately the key to a great DJ set is good admin. Sure, you might always know the perfect track to throw into a mix next, but what use is that if you can’t find it in your collection in time?
This is particularly true in the digital realm. Sync tools and loopers rely on correctly aligned beat grids, while properly set up cue points let DJs jump between important moments in their tracks. We can now access vast catalogues of music across multiple genres, so well organised playlists and proper data tagging is key to finding the right track quickly.
This can have the negative effect of essentially locking users into a single brand’s ecosystem. If you have, for example, invested hours in setting up your library in Serato, you’ll likely be less inclined to make the jump over to Traktor or djay if a new feature in one of those applications catches your eye.
With the introduction of OneLibrary, we might finally see that change. OneLibrary has been created by rekordbox owner AlphaTheta in collaboration with djay creator Algoriddim and Traktor developer Native Instruments.
The idea is to develop a standardised library format that would allow users to transfer their collection between software and hardware systems from different brands, including important metadata such as playlists, cue points and beat grids.
It’s interesting that the initiative is being led by AlphaTheta as, in the past at least, the brand has arguably been the one that benefits most from the status quo. AlphaTheta’s Pioneer DJ-branded CDJs have long been a standard in professional DJ booths. DJs that want to make use of playlists and track collections with those players would need to export their tracks via AlphaTheta’s rekordbox software.
The introduction of OneLibrary will mean that those who use Traktor or djay will be able to make use of their existing track collections with AlphaTheta/Pioneer DJ hardware and software, and vice versa.
The development is perhaps a sign of an increasingly fragmented DJ market, in which users are less likely to commit to a single setup. In any case, from a user point of view it feels like a positive development.
Speaking about the launch, AlphaTheta President and CEO Yoshinori Kataoka said: “We’re thrilled to launch OneLibrary, a step forward in making creative expression more seamless for DJs everywhere. At AlphaTheta, our mission is to empower DJs to express themselves freely, without limitations. We’re grateful to our industry partners for sharing that vision and coming on board with this initiative. And this is just the start – so stay tuned.”
Karim Morsy, CEO of Algoriddim GmbH, said: “At Algoriddim, we’ve always embraced open, accessible DJ technology that empowers creativity. Collaborating with AlphaTheta on OneLibrary aligns perfectly with our mission to remove barriers in the DJ ecosystem. By allowing users to export djay Pro’s library for direct use on pro hardware like the CDJ-3000X, CDJ-3000, or the XDJ-AZ, we’re giving DJs the flexibility to perform seamlessly across setups – whether at home, in the club, or on stage.”
Nick Williams, CEO of Native Instruments, commented: “Everything we do at Native Instruments is about inspiring and enabling creators to express themselves through sound. OneLibrary is a big step toward a more open and collaborative DJ ecosystem – where music moves as freely as the people who play it. We’re proud to be an early partner with AlphaTheta in this initiative, and to bring seamless USB export not only to Traktor Pro 4 users worldwide, but also to new DJs starting out on Traktor Play.”
Currently, OneLibrary is only compatible with a select list of devices and applications from the three brands involved. This includes the rekordbox, Traktor Pro and djay Pro software applications and AlphaTheta’s CDJ-3000, CDJ-3000X, XDJ-AZ, Omnis-Duo and Opus-Quad hardware.
According to the official website, AlphaTheta plans to expand OneLibrary across more software and hardware products in the future, although as yet there’s no details on what that will entail and when.
The most obvious omission right now is Serato, one of the major players in the digital DJ realm. Back in 2023, AlphaTheta made a bid to buy Serato, but the acquisition was blocked by New Zealand’s Commerce Commission last year.
