This Rekordbox Hack Will Change How You DJ Forever
Hi Music Magicians,
I spotted the first Cherry Blossoms here in the UK the other day, and that means spring is on the way 🌱
Spring signals a fresh start, and it’s given me a fresh perspective on a few things I see in the DJ world right now.
Over the years I've interacted with countless DJs and observed their struggles. I've come to realise that the most significant barrier to their success is often not technical skill, but their own mindset.
The right techniques and tools can only take a DJ so far; to truly reach their potential, they must first overcome their limiting beliefs, self-doubt, and negative thought patterns.
This side of DJing is not spoken about much, and I’ve been putting a lot of thought into how I can help tackle some of these issues.
I’ve got some cool content planned around this topic, so watch this space.
Say goodbye to off-key sets with Rekordbox Traffic Light
You've probably experienced the frustration of dropping a track that doesn't blend well with the previous one, causing the energy on the dance floor to plummet.
But fear not, as there is a way to reduce this problem, and it’s built right into Rekordbox!
It's called Traffic Light. This feature is a game changer when it comes to creating smooth mixes that keep the energy flowing.
Traffic Light highlights tracks that match harmonically with the track currently playing. By using it, you can ensure that the keys of your tracks are in sync, resulting in smoother and more cohesive transitions.
Turn on analysis
To use Traffic Light, you must first ensure that key analysis is turned on and that the display format is set to alphanumeric in Rekordbox preferences.
🚦 Turn on Traffic Light
Head over to the view settings and locate the Traffic Light feature.
Traffic light is based on the Camelot wheel.
The feature can be set to different levels of key matching, with level 1 only looking for tracks that match the same key as the playing track, and level 2 looking at tracks that match one step either side of the playing track.
How to use it
Make sure that the playing deck is set to the Master. This will ensure that the software highlights tracks that match the key of the playing track.
Then click this little ‘Master’ button at the top right of your playlist:
You should now see tracks in the playlist with a key matching what’s playing on the master deck highlighted.
🚨 Some warnings
This will NOT work when you directly browse playlists from a streaming service such as Tidal
Instead, you need to create playlists within Rekordbox, and drag your tracks across (don’t ask me why)
Just because something is in a matching key doesn’t mean it will sound good in your set. Use Traffic light as a tool, not an automation.
If you need more help watch the full tutorial here.
Other updates
It amazes me how difficult Pioneer makes it to connect a laptop to club gear. I spent a good 30 minutes trying to hook up to some CDJ-3000’s yesterday and still failed. New tutorial? 🤔
Start DJing now or regret it forever
The prospect of becoming a DJ may seem daunting. But breaking down the process into small, achievable steps and approaching it with a growth mindset can you achieve your goals.