Rekordbox Device Library Plus – What You Need To Know

Device Library Plus is a new database that as of now gets added to your USB stick or SD card whenever you export playlists from Rekordbox to DJ with, alongside the music files. In this article (and accompanying video), I’ll explain what it is, why it’s there, what you should know, and what you should do next.

If you use Rekordbox on your laptop with a controller, this doesn’t concern you. Likewise if you use Rekordbox using Link mode with a cable to your laptop from an all-in-one or standalone system, there’s nothing you need to know or do. This is only for you if you export playlists to USB (or SD) to DJ on such gear.

About The Device Library

There’s been such a database for many years added to your USB or SD drives when you export to DJ from USB on Pioneer DJ CDJs, XDJ and so on, so this is an additional one that is also added, since Rekordbox 6.8.1 – meaning like it or not, your USBs and SDs will now feature two databases, not one, alongside the music. Before Rekordbox 6.8.1, you were given the option – it’s now just added automatically.

These “Device Library” database files contain important additional info about the music on the USB or SD – track and playlist info, cues and loops you may have added, beatgrid info and so on. Your DJ gear uses the info to make DJing with your playlists work properly, and to make the overall DJing experience on such gear as good as possible.

Why has this happened?

The old Device Library database is just that – old, slow, and limiting for modern hardware. So to support new gear, a new database was needed – and that’s what Device Library Plus is.

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From now on, all new standalone/all-in-one DJ gear that works with Rekordbox will need the new library, so this is to make sure such gear will always work when any Rekordbox USBs/SDs are plugged into it.

The Opus Quad was the very first piece of DJ equipment to use Device Library Plus, but expect more.

What does it mean for me?

Usually, nothing! Just carry on as you were. If you DJ on older gear, it will use the older database, and newer gear will use the newer one. While it does take up a bit more space on your USB or SD, it is a tiny amount really, so nothing to worry about.

However, if you DJ on both older gear (and that includes the relatively recent CDJ-3000s at the time of writing) AND newer gear (Opus Quad and any all-in-ones/standalones since), any changes you make while actually DJing will only be in that gear’s library – so to sync them over to the “other” library to use on gear that uses that library, you have to import back to Rekordbox for Mac/Windows from the USB/SD, then re-export to USB.

Also, when it comes to deleting playlists, you should do so on both device libraries on Rekordbox for Mac/Windows, and when creating or altering playlists, do so in your master collection, then export – don’t do so directly in the tree view in the individual libraries.

What happens next?

As a Rekordbox standalone/all-in-one equipment user, you don’t do anything – as soon as you update to Rekordbox 6.8.1, this will just start happening. Key thing is to understand it.

However, what we think should happen next – at the very least – is that the CDJ-3000 players get a firmware upgrade to work with the new database, because as of now, the database change makes them immediately out of date, which is pretty bad for a flagship player – watch this space for any info as we get it.

For more information on using Device Library Plus, head to the USB Export list here and the user guide here.

Finally, if you have any queries or questions about this, just ask in the comments – we’re here to help.