How to · Engine DJ

Analyze tracks in Engine DJ.

Engine DJ can analyze tracks one by one or in batches, but it ties up your hardware and takes time. Vibes runs the same analysis faster, on your laptop, and writes the results directly into Engine DJ's database.

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Vibes showing BPM, key, and waveform data for a track ready to export to Engine DJ

BPM, key, and waveform sections analyzed in Vibes, ready to land in Engine DJ.

Analyze tracks in Engine DJ, step by step.

Engine DJ software (the desktop companion to Denon and Rane hardware) can analyze your tracks and write BPM, key, and waveform data to its library database. Here is how to do it natively.

Import your tracks

Open Engine DJ on your computer. Using Finder on Mac or File Explorer on Windows, drag folders or individual files directly into the Collection panel. If Auto Analysis is enabled in Library settings (the default), Engine DJ will begin analyzing BPM, key, and waveform data immediately. A progress bar in the bottom-right corner shows analysis status; 'No Jobs Running' confirms completion.

Select tracks to analyze manually (if needed)

If Auto Analysis was off during import, or you want to force a fresh analysis, go to the Collection view and select the tracks you want to analyze. Use Cmd+A (Mac) or Ctrl+A (Windows) to select all, or hold Shift or Cmd/Ctrl to select a range or individual tracks.

Run analysis

Right-click the selection and choose 'Re-analyze tracks' to process all selected tracks, overwriting any existing analysis data. In Engine DJ 4.x, the context menu exposes 'Re-analyze tracks' as the primary manual analysis trigger. Engine DJ calculates BPM, key, and waveform data for each track in the background while the application stays usable. Note: auto-analysis on import handles unanalyzed tracks automatically, so manual re-analysis is typically used to apply updated algorithms or fix incorrect data.

Review and correct beatgrids

Load a track and open the Grid Edit mode to inspect the beatgrid. If the BPM or downbeat position looks off, use the grid edit controls to nudge or re-anchor the grid before syncing it to a device.

The catch

Native Engine DJ analysis runs in the background with a progress indicator, so the app stays usable during the process. For large libraries the job queue can take a significant amount of time, but you are not locked out of the application while it runs.

Track 001

Artist A

128

Afterhours

Mysterious

Introspective

Track 001

Artist A

128

Afterhours

Mysterious

Introspective

Track 002

Artist B

124

Cozy Floor

Peaceful

Home

Track 002

Artist B

124

Cozy Floor

Peaceful

Home

Track 003

Artist C

132

Rave

Aggressive

Festival

Build & Release

Track 003

Artist C

132

Rave

Aggressive

Festival

Build & Release

The faster way

Analyze your whole library in Vibes, then push it to Engine DJ.

Vibes runs BPM detection, neural-net key analysis (Camelot-aware), 3-band RGB waveform rendering, downbeat-locked beatgrid calculation, and auto section detection across your full library in one pass. When you export, it writes everything directly into Engine DJ's m.db database.

See how it works

Batch analysis runs on your laptop without tying up DJ hardware or the Engine DJ app

Neural-net key detection (Skey) outputs accurate Camelot values alongside standard key notation

Auto section detection tags intro, buildup, drop, breakdown, and outro with cue points per track

Export writes BPM, key, waveform, and cue data directly into Engine DJ's m.db so your hardware is ready to go

Organize in Vibes, export to Engine DJ.

Your playlists, tags, ratings, and cue points travel back to the gear you play on, so nothing you do in Vibes is locked away.

Track 001

Artist A

128

Afterhours

Mysterious

Introspective

Track 002

Artist B

124

Cozy Floor

Peaceful

Home

Track 003

Artist C

132

Rave

Aggressive

Festival

Build & Release

Playlists

Vibes

Mood

Aggressive

Euphoric

Melancholic

Mysterious

Peaceful

Playful

Tense

Function

Arrangement

Sets

Club Night 12/28

NYE Closing Set

Rooftop 01/04

Frequently asked questions

The honest answers, including the trade-offs.

For BPM, key, waveform, and section analysis, yes. Vibes runs all of that on your laptop and exports the results into Engine DJ's database, so you can skip the in-app analysis step entirely. What Vibes does not replace is Engine DJ itself: you still need Engine DJ (or Denon hardware) to actually perform.

Vibes exports into Engine DJ's m.db database and will write BPM, key, waveform, and cue point data for the tracks you export. If you have existing analysis you want to keep, export selectively rather than exporting your full library.

Vibes calculates its own downbeat-locked beatgrid during analysis. If Engine DJ produced an incorrect grid, running analysis in Vibes and re-exporting to m.db will replace the grid with Vibes's calculation. You can also review BPM values in Vibes before exporting.

Methodology