Pioneer’s software-known-round-the-world (for DJs, at least) returns today with a new public beta. Rekordbox 5.4.4. And this isn’t just any beta, nor is it another painful update from Pioneer that we’re so used to. This new beta features an intriguing, though perhaps too good to be true feature: track analysis data sharing.
The idea behind this feature is simple: as you analyze tracks in your own Rekordbox library, that data is uploaded to the Pioneer DJ servers and then shared with other users. In turn, this helps other uses analyze their tracks more quickly, and the data sharing is meant to make life a bit easier for Rekordbox users everywhere.
Using the system seems as straightforward as you’d expect. When analyzing a track, Rekordbox first digs in “to see if a fingerprint of your song already exists in the database, then it will match it and download the analysis file instead of generating it.” If there’s no match, it’ll complete your analysis as normal, then share the metadata – just beatgrid and analysis, but no cue points – to its servers.
Because the feature is new, it still seems a bit vague in regards to how well the back-and-forth of uploading and downloading analyses will go, and we have no doubt that there will be a fair share of bugs along way. The intention we appreciate, at least.
The feature announcement comes as part of Pioneer’s attempt to join the ranks of “definitely worth it” music subscription models. This comes as no surprise, since we’re seeing this trend grow increasingly common across music platforms including Beatport, SoundCloud and more. Regardless of their function, subscriptions seem to be the only way to guarantee (or hopefully, at least) brand longevity. The analysis option will only be available for paid users – the Pioneer team wrote, as straightforward as possible, that “we are planning to include this feature in the subscription plan in the future.”
You can download the new beta from the Pioneer forum here. Be wary, though – before you do any downloading, make sure to back up your library of tunes. The beta could corrupt or impact your Rekordbox collection, so be prepared if you’re going to take the risk. Better safe than sorry!
H/T DJ Tech Tools
