Vibes is live
Vibes
Affiliate
How to · any DJ app

Use one library in Rekordbox and Serato.

Rekordbox and Serato cannot share a database, so the working setup is one music folder both apps read, with your metadata written into the file tags. Serato saves titles, genres, key and its waveform overview into the track itself, while Rekordbox keeps playlists, cues and analysis in its own library, which is why tags travel between the two apps and cue points do not. Here is the setup that holds, and the parts you move by hand.

See DJ library features
Download trial

$49$79USD one-time purchase. First 250 licenses at this price. 14-day free trial.

A DJ library in Vibes showing BPM, key, rating, and vibe tags for every track in one list

One collection, ready to send into either app.

Running one library in Rekordbox and Serato, step by step.

DJs search for how to use rekordbox and serato same library, and the workable version is one music folder, one set of file tags, and two databases you keep aligned on purpose. Every step below uses only what the two apps ship with.

01

Point both apps at one music folder

Neither app copies your music. Serato DJ Pro references files where they already live on your drive, and so does Rekordbox. In Serato, click Files, find your music folder, and drag it onto the purple All icon above the crate panel. In Rekordbox, choose File > Import > Import Folder, or drag the same folder into the Collection track list. One file, one path, two apps.

02

Back up both libraries before you change tags

In Rekordbox, click File > Library > Backup Library, then answer whether to include the music files. It saves the Collection, playlists, and analysis information as one restorable file. Serato keeps its database in a _Serato_ folder inside your Music folder and prompts a backup when you quit, writing to Serato/Library/Backups. Take both backups before the first tag edit, not after.

03

Edit metadata in one app, reload it in the other

Serato stores track information in its DatabaseV2 and in the file itself, so a title, genre, comment, or grouping you fix in Serato is already in the track. To pick that up in Rekordbox, right-click the track and select Reload Tag. Going the other way, open the Files panel in Serato and click Re-scan File Info, which re-reads file tags for the entire library.

04

Make both apps write key into the tag

In Rekordbox, open the Preferences window, go to the Analysis category, and under Key Analysis switch on Write the value to the ID3 tag, which stores the detected key in the file. In Serato, open Analysis Settings and tick Set Key, which adds key tag data to the track, then choose your notation with Show Key As on the Library + Display tab of the Setup screen.

05

Move playlists as files where the direction allows it

Rekordbox exports one: right-click a playlist, choose Export a playlist to a file, then Export a playlist to a file for music apps (*.m3u8). It imports M3U, M3U8, and PLS back through File > Import > Import Playlist. Serato has no playlist file import, so rebuild the structure there by dragging a folder into the crates view, which creates a crate instantly.

06

Use Engine DJ as a read-only bridge if you have it

Engine DJ Desktop 5.0 can read the other libraries directly. In its Library preferences, set Serato Library, Traktor Library, or Rekordbox Library to On. The Serato library arrives with crates plus cue points, loops, and beat grids; the Rekordbox library arrives with playlists plus hot cues, memory loops, and beat grids. Smart crates are excluded, and each imported library shows as read-only.

The catch

Rekordbox and Serato never share one database. Serato keeps its cues, loops, and waveform overview in the track's tags and its own DatabaseV2, Rekordbox keeps analysis information in its own library, and neither app reads the other's format. Reload Tag in Rekordbox also replaces track information you had edited there, so decide which app owns your metadata before you start.

DJ Software
Rekordbox
Rekordbox
Import XML or Database
Serato
Serato
Import Library Database
Traktor
Traktor
Import NML Collection
Engine
Engine
Import Engine Database
File System
Local Folder
Scan directory
Audio Files
Select files

The faster way

One library that feeds both apps.

Vibes imports your collection straight from Rekordbox or Serato, and Smart Import detects which app it came from. You organize once, tag by feel, and then export playlists and vibes back into Rekordbox, Serato, Traktor, or Engine DJ as a folder tree, with optional Camelot key or BPM sub-folders. Your files stay exactly where they are, so both apps keep reading the same audio.

See how it works
Import Wizard reads Rekordbox, Serato, Traktor, and Engine DJ libraries, plus plain folders
Export playlists and vibes back into Rekordbox and Serato without rebuilding them twice
Optional Camelot key or BPM sub-folders on export, so the structure survives the trip
Duplicate finder and watched folders keep one collection clean instead of two

Organize in Vibes, export to any DJ app.

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 by Artist A

Track 001

Artist A

128
3A
Track 002 by Artist B

Track 002

Artist B

124
5B
Track 003 by Artist C

Track 003

Artist C

132
8A
Vibes App
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.

Rekordbox cannot read Serato crates. Import the audio instead: File > Import > Import Folder, pointed at the same music folder Serato uses. Then right-click the tracks and choose Reload Tag so the titles, genres, and comments Serato wrote into the files come across. Crates and cue points do not follow. The full Serato to Rekordbox path covers what carries and what gets rebuilt.
Yes, on one computer and one music folder. Both apps reference files where they sit rather than copying them, so nothing is duplicated on disk. What they do not share is the database: each keeps its own playlists, cues, and beatgrids. Run them side by side, decide which app owns your metadata, and move tags across with Reload Tag in Rekordbox and Re-scan File Info in Serato.
Serato has no playlist file import, so the playlist itself is the manual part. Export it from Rekordbox for reference (right-click, Export a playlist to a file, then the m3u8 option), then in Serato drag the matching folder into the crates view to create a crate and run Analyze Files on it. Rekordbox to Serato sets out what survives the move.
For the question on this page, you do not have to choose. Rekordbox is the library and export tool built around Pioneer CDJs and XDJs. Serato is built around controllers and DVS turntables. If you play both kinds of gear, keeping both installed on one music folder is normal practice. The real cost is maintaining two sets of playlists and cues, not two copies of your music.
Not natively. Serato saves cues, loops, and its waveform overview into the track's tags and its DatabaseV2. Rekordbox keeps hot cues, memory cues, and beatgrids in its own library and analysis data. Neither app reads the other's format, so you either set cues twice or use a tool that converts them. Keeping cue points when switching apps lays out the options.
Serato reads file tags when a track is added and then works from its own database. After editing tags in other software, click Files in Serato and press Re-scan File Info, which re-reads file tags for the whole library. It also surfaces files it can no longer find: those turn orange in the library pane with a question mark in the status column, which usually means the file moved or was renamed.
Not on its own in Rekordbox. Run File > Library > Backup Library yourself and choose whether to include the music files. Serato does more of this for you: it backs up its library database to Serato/Library/Backups about fifteen minutes after you open the library, then every 24 hours and whenever the database structure changes, plus on exit if you confirm. Restoring is a manual file copy.
That is a separate problem, and neither app solves it by itself. Because each one stores its database beside your music, the usual answer is an external drive carrying the music folder plus that drive's database files. Serato creates a _Serato_ folder on the root of every drive you add music from. Using one DJ library on two laptops walks through it.

From a Vibes customer

The import worked perfectly. Have created several sets now and my life is so much easier
Danny

One-time purchase

Get Vibes with a single payment. No subscription.

First 250 licenses at this price, then $79.

Free Trial

14 days • Full access

Full access to all features
No credit card required
Works offline
Download Free Trial

No strings attached

FREE UPDATES FOREVER
$49USD
one-time payment
Includes Vibes Companion Pro
Use on 2 devices (macOS and Windows)
All updates included, free forever
14-day free trial to evaluate

Secure checkout with Stripe

Already have Companion Pro? Upgrade instead

And there's more

Methodology

How we keep this honest.

Verified against the app

Every step is checked against the current version of any DJ app.

We own our bias

We make Vibes. We show the native way first and honestly, then where Vibes genuinely helps, and we say when it does not.

Live pricing

The Vibes price shown comes straight from our checkout, never a hardcoded marketing number.

Kept current

Last reviewed June 2026.

Keep exploring

5% off