Every DJ spends hours preparing music libraries, fixing track titles, updating tags, and syncing between software. While performance tools have always been at the forefront of DJ technology, the process of managing libraries has often been left behind. Lexicon was created to solve that exact problem, giving DJs the ability to clean, organize, and move their collections across platforms with far greater ease.
Built by DJs with programming expertise, Lexicon is designed to handle the repetitive and time-consuming work of preparation so that artists can spend more time focusing on their sets. With features like automated cue generation, duplicate removal, bulk tagging, and support for large libraries, it has become a trusted tool for DJs at every level. In this interview, Chris and Mike share how the project began, what sets it apart, and how it continues to evolve.
Interview with Lexicon’s Team
What specific pain points in DJ library management inspired you to start building Lexicon?
Chris: My library was a mess and I started updating the track titles so they were neat again and after doing the same thing 10 times and seeing I had 1000+ to go I was thinking “there has to be a way to automate this”. I was studying Computer Science at the time so those two things just clicked and I found my new hobby project.
I love to program and having a useful goal to help my other hobby, just a great way to spend my time. That grew out to Rekordcloud (pre Lexicon), a web based program to handle Rekordbox XML and Traktor NML files.
Why did you feel the DJ software space needed an independent option like Lexicon?
Chris: Lexicon grew out of Rekordcloud because I was running into limitations and my own code needed big improvements so that’s when I decided to begin building Lexicon as a new program. I saw the DJ apps are all focused on mixing and barely on library management so that’s what I wanted to focus fully on.
The idea was that once you’re used to the power and speed of Lexicon, you don’t want to do that same work in the limited and slow DJ apps anymore. The fact that DJ apps are walled gardens that want to keep their users inside was a bonus, I could use Lexicon to allow DJs to move between DJ apps.
Lexicon is designed to be open, anyone can get their data in or out without problems. That’s a breath of fresh air in the DJ space.
Can you walk us through the most-requested feature that surprised you when users asked for it?
Mike: While it’s not really surprising, easily the most requested feature is direct to USB export. DJs want to stay within the Lexicon system without having to export/sync out to other DJ apps. We’re working on this so keep an eye out.
How do you see Lexicon fitting into the prep workflow of DJs at different levels – from bedroom users to touring acts?
Mike: No matter where you’re at in your DJ journey, a clean, organized library is so important. For beginners, Lexicon is the perfect foundation to build solid workflows as your library and skills grow. For pros juggling tens of thousands of tracks, tools like mass cleanup for titles, artists, genres, bulk tagging, and duplicate removal really shine.
And since you can import huge libraries from Serato, Rekordbox, and more while keeping cues, playlists, and beatgrids intact, Lexicon is a total lifesaver for DJs with years of history in their collections.
Chris: It’s like Mike said, a clean, well understood, library will save you time during the set so you can find the next track quicker. That’s important for any skill level.
If you had to give DJs one reason to adopt Lexicon today, what would it be?
Mike: Once you’ve tried it you’ll never want to go back.
Chris: You’ll see what is possible when library management isn’t an afterthought.
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
