# Decoding the TRAKTOR 4 binary data inside a PRIV tag

**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/decoding-the-traktor-4-binary-data-inside-a-priv-tag/54352
**Category:** General Discussion
**Created:** [September 12, 2021, 5:56pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/decoding-the-traktor-4-binary-data-inside-a-priv-tag/54352 "2021-09-12T17:56:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![LyricsLover](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/c6cbf5/32.png) [@LyricsLover](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/LyricsLover)
#### Post date: [September 12, 2021, 5:56pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/decoding-the-traktor-4-binary-data-inside-a-priv-tag/54352/1 "2021-09-12T17:56:26Z")

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I just add this free little online tool for all the people interested what the DJ-Software "[Traktor](https://www.native-instruments.com/en/catalog/traktor/)" saves inside his proprietary binary chunk inside a PRIV id3 tag.

If you save the few available metadata tags for a mp3 file in Traktor, it looks like this:

 ![Traktor 4 - Metadata](https://community.mp3tag.de/uploads/default/original/2X/c/cb91b205719a76a41ec9515a3a5547acc2b70042.png)  
Especially the fields **Comment 2** and **Cat. No.** can't be found as standard ID3 tag and are therefore not readable by Mp3tag.

If you analyze such a track with the help of this online tool:  
[https://hellricer.github.io/2021/05/05/decoding-traktor4-field.html](https://hellricer.github.io/2021/05/05/decoding-traktor4-field.html)  
you can see what _Traktor_ copies from the original standard id3 tags and save inside his own proprietary binary chunk in a PRIV tag:

 ![image](https://community.mp3tag.de/uploads/default/original/2X/d/d199f498f635685dd67738190ba66e26a0b24fa4.png)

**Important hint:**  
The above tool does NOT UPLOAD your track to any website. Everything is processed in the own local browser.

I would be interested to know why _Traktor_ doesn't use the standard fields and mix it in it's own not that easy readable format.

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### Author: ![Patch](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/patch/32/9350_2.png) [@Patch](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Patch)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2021, 1:23pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/decoding-the-traktor-4-binary-data-inside-a-priv-tag/54352/2 "2021-09-13T13:23:29Z")

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This is interesting, but, unfortunately, not useful.

Now - if, as well as being able to READ the PRIV4 tag, we could WRITE it (or, even just an indicator that there IS info in the PRIV4 tag) to an empty tag in the MP3 file, then it'd be useful... 👍

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![LyricsLover](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/c6cbf5/32.png) [@LyricsLover](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/LyricsLover)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2021, 1:45pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/decoding-the-traktor-4-binary-data-inside-a-priv-tag/54352/3 "2021-09-13T13:45:03Z")

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> [@Patch](#):
>
> ...we could WRITE it...

This will not happen anytime soon, because of the proprietary (not public) structure of this PRIV tag.  
[native-instruments.com](http://native-instruments.com) does not seem to be interested in allowing third-party tools to manipulate their "own" id3 tag.

You may have already read it: _"As you might have noticed, there is a check sum. And sure enough, changing even a single byte causes Traktor to completely ignore the data."_  
The necessary chechsum function has not been reverse engineered yet.

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Patch](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/patch/32/9350_2.png) [@Patch](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Patch)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2021, 2:32pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/decoding-the-traktor-4-binary-data-inside-a-priv-tag/54352/4 "2021-09-13T14:32:10Z")

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Not write to the PRIV4 tag - write to _another_ vacant tag, to indicate that the PRIV4 tag has bee populated by Traktor.

Then, we could tell (outside of Traktor - in iTunes, or MP3Tag, for example) if a file has already been analysed in Traktor.

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![LyricsLover](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/c6cbf5/32.png) [@LyricsLover](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/LyricsLover)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2021, 2:37pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/decoding-the-traktor-4-binary-data-inside-a-priv-tag/54352/5 "2021-09-13T14:37:21Z")

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> [@Patch](#):
>
> Not write to the PRIV4 tag - write to _another_ vacant tag, to indicate that the PRIV4 tag has bee populated by Traktor.

Yes, that would be nice.

BTW: There is no such frame type name as PRIV **4**. Frame type names according to the [id3.org](http://id3.org) standard are only 4 characters long ~~and without any numbers~~. (There are a few frame names with a number at 4th - not 5th - position.)

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/florian/32/5759_2.png) [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2022, 9:05am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/decoding-the-traktor-4-binary-data-inside-a-priv-tag/54352/6 "2022-09-09T09:05:53Z")

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5 posts were split to a new topic: [Remove TRAKTOR-specific fields from FLAC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/remove-traktor-specific-fields-from-flac/58446)

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### Author: ![savpank](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@savpank](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/savpank)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2025, 7:19pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/decoding-the-traktor-4-binary-data-inside-a-priv-tag/54352/7 "2025-11-04T19:19:57Z")

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Hey @LyricsLover, good stuff! I am working an app which helps for better organization of tracks, etc.

Do you know whenever the color category is included in the tags?

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![LyricsLover](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/c6cbf5/32.png) [@LyricsLover](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/LyricsLover)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2025, 8:52pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/decoding-the-traktor-4-binary-data-inside-a-priv-tag/54352/8 "2025-11-04T20:52:01Z")

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> [@savpank](#):
>
> Do you know whenever the color category is included in the tags?

Where do you see a "color category" in the TRAKTOR metadata?

Anyway: You would need to check that with a music file with embedded metadata from a current TRAKTOR version.
