SonodexWhat is in the tags
The most important fields for DJs: title, artist, genre, BPM, key, comment and cover. The format depends on the file type: MP3 uses ID3, FLAC uses Vorbis comments, M4A/ALAC use their own atoms. Programs display the fields uniformly but store them differently.
Why clean tagging matters
Search, Smartlists and filters work with the fields. If one track says “Techno”, the next “techno” and the third “Tekno”, half of them are missing from your search. The same goes for spellings such as “feat.”, “ft.” or “(Original Mix)”. Consistent conventions save a lot of work later.
Important: some DJ programs do not store cues, grids and ratings in the file but in their own database. If you switch programs, this information only comes along via export or sync.
A good tagging routine
Set rules: genre from a fixed list, artist spelling as on Beatport, comment for your own keywords. Check new tracks right at import, not weeks later. Add missing covers, because on the player they make recognition easier. More on this under Organising your DJ library.
In practice: set conventions
Write down five rules: artists separated by commas, “feat.” in the title, genre from a fixed list, comment only for your own keywords, year from the release. Apply them consistently, ideally with a batch change rather than by hand.
The effort pays off: search, Smartlists and the duplicate check work much better with clean data. And when you switch programs, you take the tidiness with you.
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between ID3 and metadata?
Metadata is the umbrella term. ID3 is the tag format for MP3 files.
Are tags carried over when I switch programs?
What is in the file is kept. Cues, grids and playlists from your program’s database are not carried over automatically.