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Pool Building

Grow and inspect an unordered pool whose members are mutually compatible for live improvisation, then optionally export the locked pool as a Rekordbox playlist.

Start here

Section titled “Start here”

Build a flexible crate for live mixing.

Safety: Read only until export

Time
Scope-dependent; driven by pool size, discovery rounds, and review.
You'll get
An approved improvisation pool, with an optional playlist XML file for Rekordbox.

Planning is read-only. Optional playlist export can also write and clear unrelated metadata that is already staged; review staged changes before exporting.

Export creates a backup and an XML file. Keep the XML until you have imported it and verified the result in Rekordbox.

Build a track pool from my collection.

What happens next

Section titled “What happens next”
  1. Set the intent. Confirm seed or candidate tracks, discovery scope, pool size, and whether you perform with master tempo enabled.
  2. Grow the pool. Compare suggested additions against the approved members; the score is symmetric because the crate must work in either direction.
  3. Inspect cohesion. Review weak members and surprising discoveries, then keep, replace, or remove them based on how the pool should feel live.
  4. Lock and export. Approve the final membership, preview unrelated staged metadata, and optionally create playlist XML.

Decisions and approval checkpoints

Section titled “Decisions and approval checkpoints”
  • Valid seeds/candidates and parameters are the only hard requirements. Missing BPM, key, genre, or analysis weakens an axis instead of blocking the pool.
  • Stratum contributes BPM/key evidence. Essentia is recommended for energy, brightness, rhythm, and timbral evidence, but unavailable axes degrade gracefully.
  • balanced prioritizes BPM and energy while using timbre for discovery; timbral increases cross-genre sonic discovery.
  • Pool tools default to master_tempo=false, accounting for pitch shift when tempo changes. Set it to true if that matches your Rekordbox performance setup.

Unlike Set Building, there is no fixed energy arc or track order. See Pool Discovery for the scoring and expansion model.

What changes and how to recover

Section titled “What changes and how to recover”

Current pool membership lives in the conversation. After a restart, re-submit the approved members; saved presets and exported XML persist. If growth stops early, widen filters, change seeds, or relax the scoring goal. Timbral normalization statistics may be stored locally when enough Essentia vectors exist.

Playlist export writes and clears unrelated staged metadata as well as the playlist, so review all prepared changes first and complete a separate metadata XML handoff when needed. Export fails closed unless the built-in database backup succeeds or the configured custom backup script exits zero. A failed export restores staged metadata for retry.

Finish in Rekordbox

Section titled “Finish in Rekordbox”

Keep the XML and follow the playlist XML import steps. Confirm the imported playlist name and count before calling the pool locked or deleting the XML. Use the separate All Tracks flow for any included staged metadata.

Technical details

Section titled “Technical details”

Before playlist export: export also writes any metadata already staged by another workflow and clears it from memory. Review staged changes first and complete the separate metadata XML handoff when needed.

Technical details, safety, and recovery

Complete reference

Workflow contract

Collection read-only

Grow and inspect a symmetric compatibility pool for live improvisation, then optionally export it as a playlist.

Best for
DJs building flexible crates whose tracks should mix well in any order.
Network
No networkDiscovery and scoring use Rekordbox metadata plus local cached analysis.
Scope
A selected seed set or filtered library subset, expanded in user-approved rounds.
Time
Scope-dependent; driven by pool size, discovery rounds, and review.
Resuming
The current pool lives in the conversation, not a durable workflow cursor. Re-submit approved members after restart; presets and exported XML persist.
Result
An approved improvisation pool, with an optional playlist XML file for Rekordbox.

What can change

Staged metadata
This workflow does not create staged metadata.
Direct user files
None.
Local state
  • Timbral normalization statistics When needed — Pool scoring has enough Essentia vectors and the derived statistics need to be created, refreshed, or cleared.
  • Saved scoring preset Optional — The user chooses to save custom pool weights for later sessions.
Files created
  • Rekordbox database backup On export — XML export proceeds only after the built-in backup succeeds or the configured custom script exits zero
  • Playlist XML file On export — The user locks a pool and approves export.

Existing staged changes: playlist export also writes any metadata already staged by another workflow and clears it from memory. Run preview_changes before export and complete the separate metadata XML handoff when needed.

Before you start

  • Valid seed or candidate tracks and valid pool-tool parameters.
  • A confirmed master-tempo setting.
  • BPM, key, genre, and optional analysis improve scoring but missing axes degrade rather than block.

Approval checkpoints

  • Confirm seeds, master-tempo behavior, and discovery scope.
  • Approve additions and any weak-member removals.
  • Preview unrelated staged metadata, then approve playlist export and confirm import before calling the pool locked.

Recovery

  • Widen filters, change seeds, or relax the scoring goal if expansion stops early.
  • If export fails, retry; staged metadata taken for the export is restored on failure.
  • Keep the XML until the imported playlist is verified.

Rekordbox handoff

  1. Playlist XML file On export — The approved pool is exported.
  2. Metadata XML file When needed — The playlist export also includes unrelated metadata that was already staged.

Next steps

Section titled “Next steps”