How to convert your DJ library between Rekordbox, Traktor and VirtualDJ.

How to convert your DJ library between Rekordbox, Traktor and VirtualDJ

Changing DJ software should not force you to rebuild your library from scratch: cues adjusted to the millisecond, beatgrids and playlists represent hours of work you should not have to repeat. But no conversion is a perfect copy, because each program stores its metadata in its own file and some fields have no equivalent on the other side. This guide explains what the Deckmatics converter converts, which fields survive in each direction, which are lost and what you need to check immediately after migrating before trusting the result.

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1. What the tool converts and what it does not

The converter reads and writes only three formats: Rekordbox XML, Traktor NML—the collection.nml file—and VirtualDJ database.xml. The process is file → intermediate representation → file: audio files are never touched or re-encoded, so your songs’ quality stays exactly as it was; only the record describing each track changes. Since the source library is not modified either, you can return to your starting point without losing anything if the result does not meet your needs.

The intermediate representation preserves these fields: identifier, location and path, filename, title, artist, album, genre, rating, duration, BPM, key, cues, tempos, playlists and provider data. There is no artwork field, so do not expect artwork to travel with the library.

The tool does not convert Serato or Engine DJ libraries: it detects them but rejects them. If your collection lives in Serato crates or Engine DJ, this is not your route. Start with a clear structure before exporting anything: the library organisation guide explains how to build one, while the guide to backups and the 3-2-1 rule explains how to back up the database before any migration.

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2. From Rekordbox to Traktor

Title, artist, album, genre, key, duration, BPM, path, cues and loops are preserved. Ratings, however, are lost: the Traktor export does not write the rating field, so the stars do not make it to the other side.

A beatgrid with several tempos is reduced to a single tempo marker: tracks with speed changes arrive with just one grid reference, and anyone using them in Traktor must review the grid before relying on the cues. Cue colours are never imported either, so if colour coding is how you read the track in the booth, you will need to reassign it or rely on each point’s name.

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3. From Traktor to Rekordbox

Something similar happens to stars in the opposite direction: the importer does not read the rating from the NML, so the resulting library has no stars even if you had already rated it in Traktor. Likewise, only one tempo marker is interpreted, with the same consequence for variable-tempo tracks.

Check the remaining text fields and the cue and playlist structure individually after import: open three tracks from each playlist and compare them with the original, rather than considering the migration successful at a glance.

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4. From VirtualDJ to Rekordbox

Playlists are the critical issue here: the importer does not parse them, so they are not imported and the library arrives as individual tracks within the collection. Ratings are not read either.

Review the hot cue numbering after import, because the order in which the points are marked does not always match what you had in VirtualDJ. If playlists are the backbone of your set, rebuild them before the gig instead of improvising in the booth; the same library organisation guide you used to build your system helps with that work.

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5. Checking afterwards: cues, loops, playlists and paths

After conversion in any direction, three checks are mandatory: hot cues—do they point to the same bar as before?—loops—do they start in the same place?—and playlist membership—is every track where it belongs?

Compare with both applications open, field by field: what looks identical on screen often differs in cue numbering or playlist membership, and those differences only become apparent when you open tracks individually.

The fourth check concerns files: paths are transferred as they stand, so another computer may not find the files and you may need to relink them. Relinking is a normal part of migration rather than a fault. The guide to rekordbox: USB export and library management and the guide to Traktor: installation, audio and decks document how each program handles its collection files, while the VirtualDJ and Engine DJ ecosystem guide completes the picture if you work with all three.

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6. Common mistakes

• Expecting artwork: the intermediate representation has no artwork field.
• Counting on stars: they are lost from Rekordbox to Traktor and not read from Traktor to Rekordbox.
• Trusting cue colours: they are not imported when converting to Traktor.
• Assuming VirtualDJ playlists are included: the importer does not read them.
• Importing without checking hot cue numbering: from VirtualDJ, the points’ order may not match the original.
• Moving or renaming files manually during migration: this breaks the very paths the conversion has just copied.
• Starting with Serato or Engine DJ: the tool rejects them even though it detects them.
• Checking nothing afterwards: without reviewing cues, loops, playlists and paths, the migration remains unverified.

The practical rule is simple: conversion does the heavy lifting, but verification remains your responsibility. Check a few tracks field by field before exporting the library to the unit you will perform with.