Learn to DJ

1. What BPM means

BPM is beats per minute: the speed of the track. House is often around 120–130 BPM, hip hop 80–100, drum and bass about 170–175.

Two tracks sound good together when their BPMs are close. Large gaps are why DJs change the tempo of one track to match the other.

Tempo change calculator

Type the BPM of the track that is playing and the track you want to bring in. The calculator shows how far you must change the new track's tempo.

2. Beatmatching

Start the new track and listen to it with the playing track. If the new track's beats keep landing early, it is too fast: slow it down. If they keep landing late, it is too slow: speed it up. Make small moves, then listen for a few bars before moving again.

Try it in the trainer below. You will hear a low click (the playing track) and a high click (your new track). Match them by ear, then check your score.

Press "Start round". Headphones help: the low click is in your left ear, the high click in your right.

3. Phrasing: when to start the next track

Most dance music is in groups of four beats, and those groups form phrases of 8, 16 or 32 beats. You can often hear a phrase start when something changes: a new sound comes in, or the drums drop out.

• Start the new track right as a phrase begins on the playing track.
• Count in fours: "1 2 3 4, 2 2 3 4, 3 2 3 4…" so you know where you are.
• Use the Cue and Loop 4 buttons on the mixer to set up and practise the start.

Phrase trainer

You will hear a steady beat with a louder click on the first beat of every bar. A bell marks the start of the first two phrases. Press the button when you think the third phrase begins. The bell stays silent for that one.

Press Start. Count the bars silently: "1 2 3 4, 2 2 3 4…"

4. Blending with EQ

Two basslines at once sound muddy. A simple transition:

• Turn the new track's Low all the way down, then bring its volume up with the playing track.
• At a phrase change, swap: turn the playing track's Low down and the new track's Low up.
• Use the Mid and High knobs to keep vocals from clashing.
• Move the crossfader across, then take the old track out.

5. Harmonic mixing (keys)

Tracks in related musical keys sound smoother together. DJs label keys on the Camelot wheel: a number (1–12) and a letter (A = minor, B = major). Tap a key to see what mixes well with it.

Safe moves: the same key, one number up or down with the same letter, or the same number with the other letter. Your tracks' keys come from a key-detection tool, which this site does not have yet.

Key mixing trainer

Press "New question".

6. Cue points and loops

A cue point is a marker you can jump back to. Set one on the first beat of the part you want to start from, usually the first strong beat after the intro, so you can start a track exactly on time. Hot cues are several markers on pads, handy for jumping to the drop, a breakdown or a vocal.

A loop repeats a short section. Looping the last bars of a track's intro lets you hold the energy while you line up the next track. Loop lengths of 4, 8 or 16 beats stay in time with the music. Always release the loop on a phrase boundary, not in the middle of a bar.

• Load a track, press play, and set a cue on the first kick of the main beat.
• Use Loop 4 to repeat one bar, then release it exactly as the next bar begins.
• Practise starting a track from its cue while another one plays, to a count of four.

7. Filters and effects

A filter removes part of the sound. A low pass filter cuts the highs and makes a track sound muffled, as if heard through a wall. A high pass filter cuts the lows and leaves a thin sound. Sweeping a filter during a transition makes the change smooth.

Other effects, such as echo (repeats that fade away) and reverb (the sound of a room), are best used briefly. Echo out is a classic way to leave a track: add echo, then cut the track and let the repeats fade as the next one takes over.

• Less is more. An effect that is on all the time stops feeling special.
• Time effect changes with the music, at the start of a bar or phrase.
• Turn an effect down before it feeds back or clips the output.

8. Transition styles

There is more than one way to get from one track to the next. Pick the style that suits the two tracks.

Whatever you choose, change things at a phrase boundary, keep only one bassline at a time, and let the crowd hear the new track clearly before the old one is gone.

9. Building a set

A good set tells a story. Think about energy: open gently, build to a peak, give the crowd a breather, then finish well. Do not play your biggest tracks first.

• Plan a rough order by tempo and key. Move up or down by a few BPM at a time, and use the key finder to see which tracks fit together.
• Know your tracks. Mark cue points and note where the intro, drop and outro are.
• Read the room. Be ready to change the plan when the crowd reacts.
• Keep a history. The DJ console logs what you played so you can learn from each set.

10. Record, listen back, improve

The fastest way to get better is to record your practice mixes and listen the next day. Use the recorder in the DJ console, then check the set history to remember what you played.

1. Record a 20 minute practice mix with at least five transitions.
2. Listen back. Note where the beats drifted apart, where two basslines clashed, and where the energy dropped.
3. Fix one thing at a time in the next practice.
4. Check the loudness on the Mastering page before you share the mix, so it plays at a level streaming services expect.