DISCO is designed to help you find the right files fast. Whether you're looking for a specific track, building a shortlist for a brief, or revisiting work your team has already done, search is one of the most powerful parts of the platform.

This article covers how to use the search bar, refine results with filters, and uncover related tracks and playlists through DISCO’s Breadcrumb Trail.

In this article

You’ll learn how to:

• search across your tracks, playlists, metadata, tags, and lyrics
• narrow results using keywords and exclusions
• refine searches with advanced filters
• sort and organize search results
• use existing playlists and past searches to save time
• collaborate more effectively with your team

Start with the search bar

The search bar is the fastest way to find content in DISCO.

You can search for things like:

• track titles
• artist names
• album names
• playlist titles
• genres
• ISRCs
• lyrics
• track tags
• playlist tags
• other indexed metadata fields

Simply type your query into the search bar and DISCO will scan your content to return the most relevant results.

Combine search terms to narrow results

DISCO search uses “and” logic by default, not “or” logic.

That means if you search for:

if only racing

DISCO will look for results that contain both “If Only” and “Racing.”

This is useful when you want to narrow in on a specific track, artist, or combination of characteristics.

Exclude unwanted results

You can use a minus sign (-) to remove unwanted terms from your results.

For example:

rock male -female

This would return tracks that match rock and male, while excluding results that contain female in their metadata or tags.

This is a simple way to reduce irrelevant results without needing to open advanced filters.

Search, filter, and sort results

Open the Search area from the sidebar to refine how results are displayed.

From here, you can:

• filter results for more precision
• sort results in different ways
• choose which fields appear in the grid
• adjust column widths
• rearrange results by clicking column headers

When you need to narrow a search, there are two main ways to use filters.

Start with a search, then filter it

Begin with a broad search in the search bar, then apply filters to narrow the results.

For example, you might search for rock, then filter by:

• year: 1990 to 1993
• lyrics: containing “flying”
• BPM: above 120

This is useful when you want to cast a wide net first, then narrow the pool.

Start with filters

You can also begin by setting filters without entering a broad search term.

For example, you could filter by:

• genre: rock
• year: 1990 to 1993
• lyrics: “flying”
• BPM: above 120

This usually returns fewer, more targeted results because you are searching within specific fields from the start.

Filter by the fields that matter most

Use filters to narrow results by:

• metadata fields
• custom fields
• track tags
• playlist tags
• Channels and Inboxes

This helps you quickly focus on the most relevant part of your catalog.

Use Similarity Search to find related tracks instantly

If you already have a strong reference track, Similarity Search can help you quickly uncover more options in your DISCO. Just paste a reference URL into the search bar. DISCO can analyze audio from DISCO track links, Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube, then compare it against the tracks in your DISCO to return the closest matches.

Build playlists as you search

As you find relevant tracks, you can drag them into the Playlist Creator.

You can also add tracks directly from the player menu in the bottom-left corner. This makes it easy to build shortlists while you search, rather than doing everything in separate steps.

Uncover related tracks through the Breadcrumb Trail

Searching in DISCO is not only about typing keywords. It is also about building on work that already exists.

The Breadcrumb Trail helps you uncover related tracks, revisit past searches, and learn from playlists already made by you or your teammates.

Find existing playlists from a track

When you click on an individual track in Browse, DISCO opens a column to the right showing playlists that already contain that track.

This is useful because those playlists often group together tracks with similar sounds, moods, genres, or creative intent.

Exploring these playlists can quickly lead you to more relevant material without having to start a new search from scratch.

Reuse previous work

Every time someone on your team completes a search, that activity becomes part of the Breadcrumb Trail.

That means work that once took an hour to build can often be revisited in seconds.

Over time, this helps your team build a reusable knowledge base of:

• strong playlists
• useful search paths
• trusted tag combinations
• proven creative directions

This is especially valuable for teams handling repeated briefs, similar genres, or ongoing client requests.

Tips for team collaboration

When multiple people work in the same DISCO, search becomes even more powerful when paired with good playlist habits.

A few best practices:

• each team member should create and save their own playlists while searching
• saved playlists then appear in Browse for others to build from
• avoid editing the same playlist at the same time, since changes are not visible in real time and one saved session can overwrite another

A good workflow is to let individuals search and build independently, then combine the best material into final shared playlists.

Wrap-up

DISCO search is much more than a basic search bar. It helps you search across your entire catalog refine results with powerful filters, and build on existing team knowledge through playlists and the Breadcrumb Trail.

Used well, it can help you:

• find tracks faster
• narrow large catalogs more efficiently
• uncover hidden gems
• build high quality playlists faster
• save time across your whole team

In short, DISCO is like a search engine for your catalog - and learning how to use search well is one of the fastest ways to get more value from the platform.