With Lexicon you can manage your DJ library across two different computers. In this article, we will guide you through the process of setting this up.
Initial Setup
Before you can begin using Lexicon on two different computers, make sure you have Lexicon installed and set up on both machines. You'll need to create a Lexicon account and install the application on each computer. Make sure to log in with the same acount on both Lexicons.
You can use the same Lexicon account on multiple computers. You can use the same Lexicon library on multiple computer with the Basic or Pro subscription. The Pro subscription makes it easier but is not a requirement.
Cloud Database Backup
One of the essential steps in using Lexicon on two computers is making sure the same library is available on both computers. You do this by moving your Lexicon database between the two computers. With Cloud Database Backup (Pro subscription), it makes this process extremely easy. Without a Pro subscription, you can achieve the same result.
On the first computer, create a Lexicon database backup using the top menu option under Backup. If you have a Lexicon Pro subscription, you can easily upload this backup to the cloud. If not, you can manually transfer the backup to the second computer using an external drive, Dropbox or any other method.
Restoring on the Second Computer
On the second computer, you'll need to restore the Lexicon backup that you created on the first computer. If you used Cloud Database Backup, it is super simple. You can restore your database from the same place you created it, in the top menu bar. If you manually transferred the backup, you can restore it in the Backup menu with "Restore Database Backup" and point Lexicon to your backup file.
Once you have restored the database, everything will be there but your tracks may show as missing. Keep on reading.
Usernames and External Drives
There are two main problems after moving your database to a new computer; usernames and external drives. You might also have switched operating system (from Mac to Windows or vice versa).
You may have a different username on your second computer. This means a track that was found at /Users/chris/Music/track.mp3 is now at /Users/christiaan/Music/track.mp3. Lexicon doesn't know that your username is different so we need to give it instructions.
The same problem happens with external drives, the Windows drive letter might have changed from something like E:/ to D:/.
And the last similar thing happens when switching from Mac to Windows (or vice versa), as your tracks may have been at /Users/chris/Music/track.mp3 but are now at C:/Users/chris/Music/track.mp3.
All three of those problems can be fixed. The one-time fix is normally to use the Find Lost Tracks utility. But since you want to use Lexicon on two computers, you will probably be switching between the two quite often. Using Find Lost Tracks each time is a drag so we're not doing that.
If you are on the Pro subscription, there is something much better for this situation: Local Path Mappings, see below. Without the Pro subscription, you will need to use the Find Lost Tracks utility each time.
Using Local Path Mappings
Local Path Mappings are for Pro subscribers only and can significantly reduce the work needed to switch between multiple computers.
With Local Path Mappings, you can instruct Lexicon to automatically adjust the file paths it uses to locate your music files. This allows you to use your music library seamlessly on different machines, even if they run on different operating systems or with different usernames or drive letters.
Follow these steps to set up a Local Path Mappings. We are using a Mac as primary and Windows as secondary Lexicon in this example.
a. On the primary Lexicon computer, determine the file path to your music files. For instance, it might look like /Users/YourUsername/Music/TrackName.mp3.
b. On the secondary Lexicon computer, figure out the equivalent file path or directory structure for your music files. In the case of Windows, it might be C:/Users/YourUsername/Music/TrackName.mp3.
c. In Lexicon on your secondary computer, create a Local Path Mapping where the remote path is /Users/YourUsername/ and the local path is C:/Users/YourUsername/.
After setting that up, Lexicon will automatically look for your tracks on the C:/ drive instead of /Users/, even though the tracks were originally added on the Mac.
Keep in mind this is an advanced feature, so it is highly recommended to read the manual page so you know which pitfalls to avoid.
Back and Forth
The important thing to know is that Lexicon overwrites your database when you restore a backup. This means you can't use Lexicon in two places at the same time. Because one of the two databases is going to get overwritten. So always go through these steps:
- Backup the Lexicon you are using
- Restore the backup on other Lexicon
- Use Lexicon
- Repeat
There is no way to merge multiple Lexicon databses so keep the above in mind.
It all takes a bit to setup and there are a few things to know, but once this is up and running, you have the same DJ database on multiple computers (no need to stop at two!).
