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Set Building

Compare transition-scored ordered set candidates, refine the best sequence with your own musical judgment, and optionally export the approved playlist for Rekordbox.

Start here

Section titled “Start here”

Build one fixed, ordered set.

Safety: Read only until export

Time
Scope-dependent; driven by requested set length and refinement rounds.
You'll get
An approved ordered set plan, 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 DJ set from my collection.

What happens next

Section titled “What happens next”
  1. Define the brief. Confirm duration, candidate scope, opener/closer pins, energy shape, and scoring priorities.
  2. Compare candidates. Review multiple orderings across key, BPM, energy, genre, brightness, and rhythm rather than treating the top score as final.
  3. Refine transitions. Inspect weak joins, move or replace tracks, and ask for axis-level evidence where the sequence feels wrong.
  4. Approve and export. Choose one ordering, preview any unrelated staged metadata, and optionally create playlist XML.

Decisions and approval checkpoints

Section titled “Decisions and approval checkpoints”
  • A resolvable candidate pool and valid parameters are the only hard technical requirements. Missing BPM, key, genre, or optional analysis weakens the corresponding axis; it does not block the build.
  • Stratum can contribute BPM and key evidence. Essentia adds richer energy, brightness, and rhythm scoring but remains optional.
  • Available curves are warmup_build_peak_release (default), flat, peak_only, and custom. Choose the arc that matches the slot rather than accepting the default automatically.
  • Start with more candidates than the final track count, and decide the opener, closer, and must-play tracks before final approval.

See Harmonic Mixing for the scoring model.

What changes and how to recover

Section titled “What changes and how to recover”

Candidate state lives in the conversation and must be rebuilt after a restart; saved presets and exported XML persist. Change filters, weights, or pinned tracks and regenerate when a candidate does not work.

Playlist export does not edit master.db, but it also writes and clears any metadata already staged by another workflow. Review all prepared changes first and complete the separate metadata XML handoff when needed. Export proceeds only after the built-in database backup succeeds or the configured custom backup script exits zero; an export failure restores staged metadata for retry.

Finish in Rekordbox

Section titled “Finish in Rekordbox”

Keep the XML file and follow the playlist XML import steps. Verify the playlist name, count, first and last tracks, and representative transitions before deleting the XML. Import any staged metadata through the separate All Tracks flow described on that page.

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

Compare transition-scored ordered set candidates, refine one with the user, and optionally export the approved playlist.

Best for
DJs planning a fixed sequence with a chosen duration, energy arc, and transition priorities.
Network
No networkSearch and scoring use Rekordbox metadata plus local cached analysis.
Scope
A selected candidate pool and requested target length, refined interactively.
Time
Scope-dependent; driven by requested set length and refinement rounds.
Resuming
Candidate and edit state lives in the conversation, not a durable workflow cursor. Rebuild after restart; saved custom presets and exported XML persist.
Result
An approved ordered set plan, 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
  • Saved scoring preset Optional — The user chooses to save custom transition 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 finalizes a set 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

  • A resolvable candidate pool and valid build_set parameters.
  • A user-defined duration, scope, and energy/priority preferences.
  • BPM, key, genre, and optional analysis improve scoring but missing axes degrade rather than block.

Approval checkpoints

  • Confirm parameters and candidate-pool scope.
  • Choose and refine a candidate ordering.
  • Preview unrelated staged metadata, then approve playlist export.

Recovery

  • Adjust filters, weights, or pinned tracks and regenerate candidates.
  • If export fails, retry; staged metadata taken for the export is restored on failure.
  • Keep the XML until the imported playlist name, count, endpoints, and representative order are verified.

Rekordbox handoff

  1. Playlist XML file On export — The approved set 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”