Administration Mode in Lexicon
How to operate the owned collection after the migration.
Administration Mode in Lexicon
Permanent owned-library work belongs in Lexicon: Create and maintain durable local playlists, smartlists, metadata and file organisation in Lexicon. Serato should receive those structures for performance. Temporary Serato-only event crates are allowed, but they must be imported back into Lexicon if they become permanent.
New purchased-track workflow
- 01Place the new audio file into the Lexicon Watch Folder, or drag it directly into Lexicon Incoming.
- 02Open Tracks > Incoming.
- 03Correct Artist, Title, Mix/Version, Grouping/riddim, Genre, BPM and Key.
- 04Add the track to relevant local playlists and smartlist-compatible metadata categories.
- 05Set cues or loops when useful.
- 06Mark the track Selected done.
- 07If a target folder is configured, Lexicon moves the file into Master Music Library.
- 08Run Modified Sync or a selected Playlist Sync to Serato.
Source basis: S7.
Recommended Watch Folder configuration
| Setting | Recommended value — Watch Folder | ~/Music/Lexicon/Watch Folder |
|---|---|---|
| Target Folder | ~/Music/Master Music Library/Music Library | |
| Automatic subfolder pattern | Leave simple or disabled until the library is stable. | |
| Automatic filename pattern | Do not enable until filenames, tags and duplicate policy have been reviewed. | |
| Incoming deletion | Use with care: deleting from Incoming can delete the file from the computer. |
Sync modes after the first migration
| Mode | Use when | Risk — Modified Sync | Normal additions and edits since the last sync. | Low; preferred routine mode. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playlist Sync | Sending selected playlists without replacing the entire Serato state. | Low to moderate. | ||
| Full Sync | Major relocation, clean reset or deliberate full mirror. | High: can remove Serato-only structures not represented in Lexicon. |
Backup discipline
- Create a Lexicon database backup before major imports, relocations, duplicate cleanup or bulk tag writing.
- Copy important migration checkpoints out of Documents/Lexicon/Backups because Lexicon automatically removes backups older than approximately one month.
- Maintain an independent backup of the Master Music Library audio; database backups do not contain the songs.
- Retain the successful first Serato migration backup and the corresponding Lexicon backup as a matched checkpoint.
Source basis: S5.
When to import Serato back into Lexicon
Import Serato with Merge ON when important permanent work has been created in Serato: new native crates, meaningful playlist ordering, cue preparation, colors or mixed local/Spotify performance crates that should survive. Do this before a future Full Sync, because a Full Sync makes Serato correspond to Lexicon.
Performance Mode in Serato
Use the combined local and streaming environment without turning Serato into the only archive.
What Serato now contains
- Native local crates and subcrates generated from Lexicon.
- Local files loaded directly from Master Music Library.
- Grouping/riddim, BPM, key, cues and other supported preparation.
- One active streaming provider at a time.
- Temporary event crates and performance organisation created during preparation or live use.
Local crate workflow
The historical iTunes playlists are now native Serato crates. You do not need to adopt a new conceptual language merely because Serato calls them crates. Functionally, they are the living performance copies of the Lexicon playlists.
Spotify performance use
- Spotify playlists can be created, renamed, deleted, reordered and edited from the Spotify section in current Serato versions; those changes write back to Spotify.
- Serato DJ Pro 4.0.4 and later can add Spotify tracks to ordinary Serato crates, allowing mixed local and Spotify performance crates.
- A Serato crate containing Spotify tracks is not a live mirror of the original Spotify playlist; it stores track references selected into that crate.
- Spotify tracks currently do not support Serato Stems, offline use or Serato recording.
Source basis: S9.
TIDAL performance use
- TIDAL requires an active subscription and DJ Extension for Serato use.
- TIDAL Stems are supported in Serato DJ Pro 3.1.3 and later.
- TIDAL can stream in AAC or FLAC with the DJ Extension.
- An active internet connection is required and Serato recording is not available with TIDAL streaming tracks.
- Official Serato documentation currently states that TIDAL tracks cannot be placed in ordinary Serato crates or Smart Crates.
- When a TIDAL playlist is updated outside Serato, toggling Show Streaming Services off and on forces a refresh.
Source basis: S10.
Permanent versus temporary Serato structures
| Structure | Create in | Lifecycle — Historical local genre/theme crate | Lexicon | Permanent and synced to Serato. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local Smart Crate | Lexicon Smartlist | Permanent if compatible with Serato. | ||
| Spotify service playlist | Spotify or Serato Spotify section | Permanent streaming structure. | ||
| TIDAL mirror playlist | Soundiiz destination | Derived streaming structure. | ||
| Tonight / Warm-up / Peak / Requests crate | Serato | Temporary unless imported back to Lexicon. | ||
| Mixed local + Spotify crate | Serato | Operational; import back to Lexicon if lasting value is required. |
Pre-gig performance check
- ✓The relevant Lexicon changes have been synced to Serato.
- ✓The active streaming provider is selected and logged in.
- ✓Soundiiz has updated the required TIDAL mirror playlists.
- ✓Critical local tracks load from Master Music Library.
- ✓Important TIDAL tracks have been analysed and tested with stems.
- ✓A stable internet connection and fallback local music plan are available.
- ✓The unresolved missing-files list does not contain tracks essential to the event.
Spotify-to-TIDAL Streaming Mirror
Build one-way cross-platform continuity without treating two services as equal masters.
Spotify-to-TIDAL Streaming Mirror
Operating rule
Matching audit
A successful service-to-service synchronization is a catalogue match, not a file copy. The wrong edition can be selected even when the artist and title appear correct.
Matching audit
- Album version versus single version.
- Radio edit versus extended mix.
- Clean versus explicit.
- Original versus remaster.
- Cover version versus original recording.
- Different remix with similar title.
- Track unavailable in TIDAL.
Matching audit
Soundiiz retains a limited synchronization history and permits matching rules from the sync result. Review active performance playlists rather than assuming perfect equivalence.
Source basis: S12.
Recommended mirror portfolio
Do not synchronize every household or casual Spotify playlist. Use Soundiiz slots for playlists that matter in DJ performance: current genre pools, classics, client requests, wedding/open-format lists, event-specific lists and active new-music intake.
Smartlists and Serato Smart Crates
Rebuild dynamic intelligence that did not survive the iTunes XML migration.
Why old iTunes Smart Playlists disappear
An exported Apple Music/iTunes XML can preserve playlist membership without reliably preserving the dynamic Smart Playlist rules in a form Lexicon can reconstruct. Some old smart playlists may therefore appear as normal playlists; others may be absent. The original rules must be reviewed in Apple Music and recreated in Lexicon.
Reconstruction order
- 01Open the old Smart Playlist in Apple Music while the legacy database is still available.
- 02Use Edit Rules and record or screenshot the criteria.
- 03Create a new Smartlist in Lexicon under the intended playlist folder.
- 04Recreate the rule with Any Rules or All Rules as appropriate.
- 05Check Lexicon's destination-compatibility indicator for Serato.
- 06Keep All smartlists to playlists OFF during sync.
- 07Run Modified Sync or Playlist Sync to Serato.
- 08Open Serato and confirm that compatible rules appear as native Smart Crates.
Source basis: S4, S14.
Rules that are especially useful for reggae libraries
| Smartlist purpose | Example rule — Riddim family | Grouping contains "Mud Up" |
|---|---|---|
| Genre and riddim | Genre contains "Reggae" AND Grouping contains "Sleng Teng" | |
| Dancehall tempo pool | Genre contains "Dancehall" AND BPM is between the chosen range | |
| Recent local acquisitions | Added date is within the desired period | |
| Trusted preparation | Rating is at or above the chosen level AND BPM is not empty | |
| Artist family | Artist contains the selected artist name OR Composer/Producer matches the chosen credit | |
| Version control | Title contains "Dub" or "Instrumental" or "Acapella" |
Compatibility rule
Lexicon supports more smartlist logic than every destination application. If Serato cannot reproduce a rule, Lexicon can convert the smartlist into a normal static playlist containing the current matching tracks. Basic text and number rules generally convert; complex nested rules, unsupported fields or Lexicon-specific tags may not remain dynamic.
Source basis: S4.
Compatibility rule
Do not create permanent smart logic only in Serato: Serato Smart Crates can be created directly, but doing so makes Serato the only holder of that logic. The stronger administration model is to create compatible Smartlists in Lexicon and sync them to Serato so the rule survives as part of the administrative master.
Metadata and Field Governance
Protect the fields that make a large personal DJ library navigable.
Field ownership register
| Field | Primary owner | Rule — Artist | Lexicon / embedded tags | Use consistent primary artist and featured-artist conventions. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Lexicon / embedded tags | Keep mix, version, dub, instrumental and edit information explicit. | ||
| Grouping | Lexicon | Use as the main riddim or musical-family field where relevant. | ||
| Genre | Lexicon | Use broad but practical navigation categories. | ||
| BPM | Lexicon after trusted import | Preserve existing values; reanalyse only deliberately. | ||
| Key | Lexicon after trusted import | Preserve notation and avoid casual conversion. | ||
| Cue points / loops | Serato operationally; merge into Lexicon for durability | Import back before full replacement when significant. | ||
| Rating / color | Choose one administrative owner | Avoid alternating authority between apps. | ||
| Filename | Filesystem | Keep stable during migration; bulk rename only after a tested policy. | ||
| Location | Master Music Library | Move through Lexicon once the baseline is stable. |
Grouping as the reggae intelligence field
For a reggae-heavy collection, Grouping can be more operationally important than Album. A riddim name connects many artists and releases into a playable musical family. It should therefore be treated as protected metadata, tested after every import and sync, and included in Smartlist design.
Grouping as the reggae intelligence field
Protected-field rule: Do not apply broad tag-cleaning, streaming metadata replacement or Serato text-field overwrite operations to Grouping without a verified backup and a field-level review.
Tag writing
Lexicon stores metadata in its database. Writing tags embeds supported fields into the audio files so other applications can read them. Do not perform a whole-library tag write immediately after migration. First validate a small mixed-format batch, especially for WAV, AAC, old files and files with unusual metadata.
Key notation
Keep Original keys during the first Serato sync. A later change to Camelot or another notation should be a deliberate system-wide decision, not a side effect of migration.