How to · Serato DJ

Transfer your library to Rekordbox in Serato DJ.

Serato and Rekordbox keep their libraries in separate databases with no built-in bridge. Here is what the native process involves, and how Vibes bridges the gap by reading your Serato library directly and writing into Rekordbox.

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Vibes DJ library showing organized crates ready for export

Vibes reads your Serato library and exports it directly into Rekordbox's database.

Transfer your library to Rekordbox in Serato DJ, step by step.

There is no direct export from Serato to Rekordbox built into either app. The native approach involves exporting playlists as files and reimporting them, which means BPM and key data need to be re-analysed in Rekordbox.

Analyse your tracks in Serato DJ Pro

Before exporting anything, make sure all tracks in your Serato library have been analysed. Open Serato DJ Pro, select your crates, and run the Analyze Files function (the button is in the top-left corner of the library, or right-click a crate and choose Analyze Files in version 4.0). This ensures BPM, key, and waveform data are written into your files' tags and Serato database. Note: Rekordbox does not read BPM or key from file tags on import - it always re-analyses from scratch - so this step primarily keeps your Serato library clean and ensures file integrity before the move.

Convert your Serato crates to M3U playlist files

Serato DJ Pro does not have a native option to export crates as M3U files. The only built-in M3U export is from the History panel, which covers tracks you actually played in a session rather than your full crate contents. To convert crates, you need a third-party tool such as the command-line utility cratetom3u, which reads Serato's .crate files and outputs .m3u files. Note that cratetom3u does not support smart crates. Repeat the conversion for each regular crate you want to carry over.

Import the M3U playlists into Rekordbox

In Rekordbox, use File then Import then Import Playlist to load your exported M3U files. Rekordbox will add the tracks to its library and create matching playlists. If Auto Analysis is enabled in Rekordbox Preferences under the Analysis tab, analysis will begin automatically on import; otherwise the tracks are present but treated as unanalysed.

Re-analyse tracks in Rekordbox

Select all imported tracks and run Rekordbox analysis to generate its own BPM grid, key detection, and waveforms. Rekordbox does not use BPM values from file tags, so this step is required regardless of what analysis Serato already performed. This step can take significant time for large libraries. Any cue points or loops you set in Serato will not carry over through this method and must be recreated manually.

The catch

The native route has no built-in way to export crates directly: Serato's only native M3U export is from the History panel, so you must use a third-party tool to convert crates. Once you have M3U files, Rekordbox re-analyses every track from scratch, discards your Serato cue points, and requires you to process each crate separately. Third-party tools such as Lexicon or MIXO can transfer cues and beatgrids intact if that matters to you.

Mood

Euphoric

Melancholic

Mysterious

Energy

Aggressive

Peaceful

Rave

Function

Afterhours

Club

Home

The faster way

Vibes imports Serato and exports straight into Rekordbox.

Vibes reads your Serato library including crates and .crate files, then writes directly into Rekordbox's master.db via SQLCipher. Your BPM, key, and vibe-tagged playlists land in Rekordbox without a manual export step or re-analysis from scratch.

See how it works

Imports your full Serato library including nested crates in one step

Exports directly into Rekordbox's master.db, no CSV or XML round-trip required

Carries BPM and neural-net key detection (Camelot-aware) so Rekordbox sees clean analysis data

Turns your vibe tags and Combinations into ready-made Rekordbox playlists automatically

Organize in Vibes, export to Serato 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.

Vibes handles the library migration: it imports your Serato crates and exports them into Rekordbox's database with BPM, key, and playlist structure intact. It does not replace Serato DJ or Rekordbox as performance tools. You still use those apps to play out. Vibes is a prep and library management app that sits between your software.

Cue points are stored in Serato's own database format and are not part of the standard .crate export. The native M3U method does not carry cue points across. Vibes currently exports cue points it has detected (auto sections like intro, buildup, drop) into Rekordbox, but any cue points set manually inside Serato DJ Pro would need to be set again in Rekordbox.

Vibes writes BPM and key values directly into Rekordbox's database as part of the export, so Rekordbox will have that data immediately. Rekordbox may still generate its own waveform display the first time you load a track in its player, but the core analysis data travels with the export.

Methodology