How to · Engine DJ

Organize by energy in Engine DJ.

Engine DJ has no energy field, so DJs code one into colors or comments. Here is how to build a workable energy system, and how to get a real energy read on every track.

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A DJ library organized by energy and feel

Pull the right energy for the room, with no laptop in the booth.

Building an energy system in Engine DJ.

With no dedicated energy field and no native track color system, the practical approach is to encode an energy scale into the comment field (or the label field) by hand, then build smartlists on that text. Star ratings (1-5 stars) are another option that maps naturally to a simple energy scale and are available as a smartlist rule field.

Choose an energy scale

Decide on a simple scale, for example 1 to 5 or warm-up to peak, and keep it consistent across the library.

Code it into a field

Apply the scale using text in the comment or label field (for example, write 'energy:4' or '#peak' as a hashtag so it is searchable), or use the 1-5 star rating field which Engine DJ supports as a smartlist rule. Engine DJ has no native track color system, so color-based coding is not a first-class option.

Build a smartlist

Create a smartlist with a rule that matches your energy code. Use 'Comment contains peak' or a rating equal to 4 or 5 so a list like Peak Energy maintains itself as you tag more tracks.

Order within energy

Inside an energy band, sort by BPM or key so the list is mix-ready when you open it on a player.

The catch

Energy here is a code you assign by ear and maintain by hand. Engine DJ never measures a track's actual energy, so the scale drifts as the library grows and you cannot fix it at a standalone gig. Engine DJ also has no native track color column, despite it being a frequently requested feature, so any color reference in your workflow lives as text in a metadata field rather than as a visual color tag.

bass

mids

highs

lead

intro

verse

buildup

drop

breakdown

outro

The faster way

An energy read on every track.

Vibes analyzes each track's energy curve and lets you tag energy as a first-class vibe, then exports it back into Engine DJ so your prepared library knows the energy of every track.

See how it works

An energy curve for every track from the audio analysis

Tag warm-up, build, and peak as real vibes you can filter

Auto-Tag proposes energy and mood so a big library sorts fast

Export the result back to Engine DJ for standalone gigs

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.

No. There is no native energy field. DJs build their own with colors or comment-field codes and then smartlist on them, which works but is fully manual.

Vibes analyzes each track locally and produces an energy curve from the audio, plus auto-tag suggestions for energy and mood, so the system is grounded in the real sound rather than guessed by ear.

Yes. Your vibe organization exports back into Engine DJ and onto your drive, so the energy system you built is available on the player.

Methodology