How to · Serato DJ Pro

Manage crates and subcrates in Serato DJ Pro.

Serato crates are your primary way to organize tracks for a gig. Building them by hand takes time. Here is how to do it natively, and a faster way to get there.

Discover Vibes

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Vibes library overview showing vibe tags that export directly as Serato crates

Vibes converts your vibe tags, Sets, and Combinations into Serato .crate files on export.

Manage crates and subcrates in Serato DJ Pro, step by step.

Serato DJ Pro stores your library in crates, which live in the left panel. You can nest crates inside other crates to create a multi-level folder structure for genres, moods, or any grouping you like.

Create a new crate

In the left panel of Serato DJ Pro, click the Create Crate button (a crate icon with a plus sign, located at the upper left of the library area) to create a new crate. Type a name and press Enter. The crate appears in your crate list and is ready to receive tracks.

Add tracks to a crate

Drag tracks from the main library view or from another crate and drop them onto your target crate in the left panel. You can also select multiple tracks and drag them in one move. Tracks in Serato crates are references, not copies, so no files are duplicated.

Create a subcrate

Drag one crate on top of another crate in the left panel, dropping it slightly to the right onto the target crate's name. The target crate highlights to confirm it will become the parent, and expands to show the nested crate underneath it. You can create subcrates inside subcrates for as many levels as you need.

Reorder and rename crates

To reorder crates, drag a crate to the far left of the crate panel (the entire panel will show a purple outline to indicate you are reordering, not nesting). Double-click a crate name to rename it inline. To promote a subcrate back to the top level, drag it to the far left of the crate panel above or below the desired position.

The catch

Building a complete crate structure by hand is repetitive work: every gig prep cycle means dragging tracks into new crates one by one, and any change to your tagging system means rebuilding crates from scratch.

Mood

Euphoric

Melancholic

Mysterious

Energy

Aggressive

Peaceful

Rave

Function

Afterhours

Club

Home

The faster way

Tag once in Vibes. Export your entire crate structure in one click.

Vibes writes .crate files directly into Serato's library folder on export. Every vibe tag, every Set, and every Combination becomes a crate automatically, with no manual dragging required.

See how it works

Each vibe you assign (energy level, mood, role) exports as its own .crate, ready to browse in Serato

Combinations, tracks sharing two or more vibes like House + Peak Time, export as additional crates automatically

Sets you build in Set Designer export as individual crates, so your planned setlists appear alongside your library crates

Optional BPM-range or Camelot-key subcrates subdivide any vibe crate on export, giving you a ready-made two-level structure

Organize in Vibes, export to Serato DJ Pro.

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.

No. Vibes is a prep and library tool, not a performance app. You still perform in Serato. What Vibes replaces is the manual work of building crates: it exports your tag structure as .crate files directly into Serato, so your crate library is ready before you even open the software.

Vibes writes new .crate files for the vibes, Sets, and Combinations you export. It does not delete crates you built manually inside Serato. Your existing crate structure stays intact alongside the crates Vibes generates.

Yes. Vibes exports the vibes, Sets, and Combinations you have in your library. You can also enable optional subcrate subdivision by BPM range or Camelot key on the export screen, giving you fine-grained control over the structure that lands in Serato.

Methodology