Atomix Productions VIRTUALDJ User Manual Update
VirtualDJ
version 5.0
User Guide
(Updated and NEW Features ONLY)
**This guide only addresses items updated in the VirtualDJ version 5 release. For features carried over from
previous versions the User Guide for those options should be referenced. FULL Version coming soon.
Copyright 2007
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NEW Installation Paths for Microsoft VISTA compliance
NEW Database Management
NEW Global Search
NEW Browser
NEW Track/Album Cover browser
NEW ID3Tag Support
NEW Auto-MIX PlayList
NEW SideList
NEW Play History Management
NEW Genre Filtering
NEW Filter Folders
NEW Integration with Third-Party Applications (Crates and iTunes Play lists)
NEW Video Plugins
NEW Video Sampler
NEW Timecode Engine
NEW TimeCode Plugins
NEW AutoGain Fine Tuning Control
Enhanced Karaoke CDG File Detection
What’s New
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If installing VirtualDJ v5 as a fresh clean install please make the following notes:
Default application path provided during the install -
C:\Program Files\VirtualDJ\
All Application Configuration, Plug-in, Skins and Support Files are stored in –
C:\MyDocuments\VirtualDJ
**VERY IMPORTANT – EXTERNAL DRIVE USERS**
You should have your COMPLETE gig ready computer setup connected before launching V5
for the first time.
**VERY IMPORTANT – EXTERNAL DRIVE USERS**
When upgrading to VirtualDJ v5 the default application path stays the same and the new
application configuration, plug-in, skins, and support files are copied to
C:\MyDocuments\VirtualDJ. Since VISTA does not like applications writing data to the
Program Files folders, the Development Team moved these entries to a more accessible
location so they wouldn’t be placed in the Microsoft managed hidden folders profile
environment.
*For Power Users who have changed the location of their MyDocuments from the default Microsoft setting
(C:\MyDocuments), your new/copied files are stored there in the VirtualDJ folder.
The NEW core VirtualDJ Database is now titled - VirtualDJ Database v5.xml and is stored
In Windows XP: C:\MyDocuments\VirtualDJ
In Windows VISTA C:\_UserName\Documents\VirtualDJ
The NEW VirtualDJ Database system segments the database to each drive attached to the
system. Each additional database file will be found on the ROOT of that drive and is titled –
VirtualDJ Local Database.xml
Because of the ‘split’ database files and depending on the size of the v4.x database XML, the
FIRST LAUNCH of VirtualDJ after upgrading may act like it has stopped at the applications
splash screen. Please be patient and look for activity on the hard drive(s). VirtualDJ is
reading the v4.x database and splitting the various entries across the respective hard drives of
the system.
What is stored in the NEW Database files?
Path to the file
Analyzed data about the tracks
ID3Tag Display Information
Automix Information
INSTALLATION / UPGRADE NOTES
** IMPORTANT READ **
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Example of a database entry –
*(this is not representative of all information stored)
The ‘split’ database files provide users of external hard drives the ability to COLD or HOT
SWAP drives between single or multiple systems. This allows for multiple DJs of a club or
venue to utilize 1 VirtualDJ installation and not have different OS logins in order to maintain
separate databases unique to each DJ. Now, the DJ just walks in plugs in the external device
and begins playing.
The NEW Database management system comes with additional tools as part of the VirtualDJ
Configuration Browser tab.
Save ‘On the Fly’ during each session use
Automatic check of database integrity at launch
Manually check the database integrity
Fix database error(s)
Clean out database entries for missing/moved files
VirtualDJ now saves the database immediately when additions or updates are required.
VirtualDJ also validates the integrity of all database files at the launch of the application. If a
problem is detected a message box will be displayed identifying which database has the
problem and what to do to correct the problem.
To correct the problem - here are the steps:
1. Open the configuration dialog
2. Go to the Browser tab
3. Select the Drive from the drop-down
4. Click the ‘FIX’ button
The other options for managing the databases are CHECK – this runs a validation of the database to
ensure the entries are still relevant to files stored on
that drive. The process simply re-labels the FilePath
entry for the file if it can not be found. Data about
that file is not lost.
CLEAN – this process will REMOVE any database
information about files that are no longer valid. This
is necessary for cleaning up the Global Search
capabilities.
DATABASE MANAGEMENT
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Local Database is no longer an option from the browser. Previous versions used the Local
Database (mp3database.txt) as the search pool for all tracks. VirtualDJ v5 now provides an
intuitive on the fly search capability. Adding files for using the need global search can be done
two (2) ways.
First is by setting the ‘Search Database’
property in the Configuration Browser
tab to ‘Add automatically’. This will add
all files when browsing the folder
structures to the search.
The other option is ‘Add manually’. This
requires using the ‘Add to Search DB’
option to be selected when right clicking
on a file or folder in the main browser
interface.
In either scenario, once added to the Global Search; the ability to find the file is always
available when doing a search. The difference is in the results display of the search
determines if it is in the currently selected folder or elsewhere in the system.
In the below example, a search on ‘ba’ is entered into the search box. The center file browser
panel displays the results of the search. The file(s) listed above the dividing line represent the
file(s) found in the folder that is currently highlighted in the left folder browser panel. All other
files below the dividing line are files that exist elsewhere in the database.
Also if you want to limit the results to specific types of files, click on
the second bull’s eye circle to the right of the search box and chose
from the Show Covers, Show Music, Show Videos, and Show
Karaoke options.
GLOBAL SEARCH
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What can be searched? Searching in VirtualDJ is now versatile a
variable. What is meant by that? Just to the right of the search box there
is a “search fields” selection button. Click on the bull’s eye circle and you
are presented with a list of 10 searchable fields.
Depending on what fields are selected your search results will very. So if
you want to ensure maximum results for all your searches, select all the
fields and you will be able to search anything all the time.
To browse the entire database just enter an asterisk - * - as the search
string and now the entire database is displayed.
Because of the expanded search fields you are able to get more creative. One way of being
more creative is when searching on BPM. You can now enter 110-120 and if the BPM column
is selected the results displayed will be tracks in the range of 110 to 120 BPM.
If this type of creative search is something you would do on a routine basis then VirtualDJ v5
has a NEW Filter Folder feature that can be used. This is explained later in the guide in the
Filter Folders section.
From the first look it is not much different from previous versions. What has been seen, in the
Configuration Browser tab; are entries that determine what will be displayed in the left browser
panel.
NEW Options
Genres – provides a generated tree of Genre types based on the imported ID3Tag Genre
field. But selecting on the various listed genres the file browser only shows those entries that
match the tag.
*POWER USERS – typically only
one genre is stored in the ID3Tag;
however, since VirtualDJ imports
and stores this data in it’s own
database multiple genres can be
assigned to a single file by
separating each genre with a semicolon ‘;’ . This action is performed
in the File Info dialog the Genre
field for the file.
BROWSER
SEARCHING
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