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The Crate System

Genre folders tell you what a track is. Under pressure you need to know what it does. Tag along five axes and the right record is always two clicks away.

Intake pipeline

  1. Discovery
  2. Inbox
  3. Review
  4. Purchase
  5. Analyze
  6. Tag
  7. Cue
  8. Crate

Full walkthrough in the library intake workflow.

Function

What the track does to a room. The most useful axis under pressure.

  • Opener
  • Builder
  • Peak
  • Reset
  • Closer

Energy

A 1–5 rating. Keep it blunt; nuance makes it useless mid-set.

  • 1 — background
  • 2 — moving
  • 3 — locked in
  • 4 — hands up
  • 5 — room breaks

Mood

How it feels, independent of tempo or genre.

  • Dark
  • Euphoric
  • Groovy
  • Funky
  • Hypnotic
  • Atmospheric

Situation

Where the track belongs. Saves you from playing a club record at a pool party.

  • Warm-up
  • Club
  • Lounge
  • After-hours
  • Pool
  • Radio
  • Festival

Transition role

How the track behaves between other tracks.

  • Bridge
  • Tool
  • Acapella
  • Loop
  • Emergency track