Maximum size of Collection

[Indiglo]

Hi all.
Is there a recommended maximum size of a Collection?

Thanks.

[DJ Vintage]

Not sure if there is a hard limit to collection size by way of number of tracks, folders or data size, from a workflow perspective I'd recommend keeping your collection down to about 2000 core tracks.

I find it's about the max you can be familiar with. Anything over that will soon become just a name in a tracklist.

If you are a mobile DJ (like me) you can keep your entire request collection seperately (keep mine on an external HD) and just do file searches.

Greetinx.

[RoJeC]

Agree with DJ vintage regarding practical amount. I do have a master collection of appx. 70000. Works fine but most collection activity take a few seconds instead of split second. E.g filter and sort.

[Indiglo]

Appreciate the advice very much, many thanks.

Have decided to digitize my collection and wondered if best option was to dump everything in to one collection or create different collections based on genre etc....or stick with playlists to manage the subsets....will have to experiment I guess.

[Okidoki_Sir]

Appreciate the advice very much, many thanks.

Have decided to digitize my collection and wondered if best option was to dump everything in to one collection or create different collections based on genre etc....or stick with playlists to manage the subsets....will have to experiment I guess.

If you would create different collections, would there still be a way to search all of them?

[RoJeC]

Only one collection can be used at one time.

Be aware that the search functions in Cross are database driven. Meaning that it is way faster than any other search or sort option.

I do use a few playlists, but this has become rare (for me). I use smartlists more. By this new tracks, once e.g. rating, color, genre, comment, group or whatever you want to use is set for a track, the 'playlist' always contains the latest tracks.

At the beginning/prep of a gig I usually make a playlist of the smartlist. I quickly throw out 'types' I do not likely need in that situation. Takes 1 or 2 minutes. Drag the the playlist to the node dock at the left and ready...

From this playlist I select tracks for prepare which are the possible 'next tracks'.

If someone asks a track not in my selection I can always search in the full collection.

Over the last days I checked somewhat the speed of activity. Just to be sure if large collection is better or not. My PC is a 5 year old dual core... so likely many are faster.

- collection of 75k tracks.
- longest 'change' of selection takes 6 seconds before new view; happens on sorted full (all) 'track' list. (caused by the sorting)
- sort or selection changes in limited lists take like 2 seconds.

- Deleting appx 50k tracks (after copying collection) takes appx 15 minutes.
- now all view changes (sort, select) take upto appx 2 seconds.

For me a good reason to put most in one collection... Even while using a few thousand only...

In some situations the main advantage of a smaller collection is that the startup is faster. But since I use the Cross DJ app as backup this has become less problem; 1 track to restart if only Cross crashed and 2 if the laptop stops (latter usually because the battery needs the cord connected at two sides....).
(not that I have many crashes even though I often use a Beta to test it live)

[Activated Soundwave]

Not sure if there is a hard limit to collection size by way of number of tracks, folders or data size, from a workflow perspective I'd recommend keeping your collection down to about 2000 core tracks.

I find it's about the max you can be familiar with. Anything over that will soon become just a name in a tracklist.

If you are a mobile DJ (like me) you can keep your entire request collection seperately (keep mine on an external HD) and just do file searches.

Greetinx.

Sounds like sound advice that, I have approx. the same per collection, although I say praise be to the instant Preview player with scroll second to none and quick to check out a track if you forget how they exactly go, this alone will prevent me from ever leaving Cross DJ .

[Okidoki_Sir]

Not sure if there is a hard limit to collection size by way of number of tracks, folders or data size, from a workflow perspective I'd recommend keeping your collection down to about 2000 core tracks.

I find it's about the max you can be familiar with. Anything over that will soon become just a name in a tracklist.

If you are a mobile DJ (like me) you can keep your entire request collection seperately (keep mine on an external HD) and just do file searches.

Greetinx.

Sounds like sound advice that, I have approx. the same per collection, although I say praise be to the instant Preview player with scroll second to none and quick to check out a track if you forget how they exactly go, this alone will prevent me from ever leaving Cross DJ .

The best feature is that you can turn it on or off on the fly!

[Indiglo]

Ok, many thanks for advice.