When to mix in
The question every new DJ asks: when do I press play on the next track? Type the tempo, where the outgoing track's music ends, how long the next intro is and how long you want to blend. You get the answer in time and in bars.
Assumes the outgoing track's music ends on a phrase line, as most club tracks do. In SetFlow the Mix view works this out for every transition from your own files.
Work backwards from the drop
Don't ask when to start the next track. Ask where its drop should land. In most sets the answer is where the outgoing track's music ends, as its last phrase finishes.
Then count back the length of the blend. That's when you press play. The bass swaps on the drop, in one move, and the old track is gone. Start on a phrase line, the first beat of an 8-bar block, and the drop lands on the one by itself.
In the timeline above, the cyan blocks are bars and the violet lines are phrases, every 8 bars, counted back from the drop. The green line is where you press play, and the red line is where the bass swaps and the drop lands. If phrases are new to you, read how to mix on the phrase first, or count along with the bar counter.
How long should a blend be?
There's no single right length. It depends on the music and on the two tracks:
- 32 bars for deep, hypnotic house and techno, where long blends are half the point.
- 16 bars as an everyday default for most house, tech house and disco edits.
- 8 bars for busier or faster music, like drum and bass, and for any blend that sounds crowded.
- A cut when a track has no proper intro. Drop it in on the one.
The tracks overrule the genre. Keep it short when the keys clash or when two vocals would sing over each other. And a blend can't be longer than the intro you're mixing into, so the calculator shortens it to fit.
What the cue bar means
The cue bar is where to park the incoming track before you press play. A 32-bar intro with a 16-bar blend means you skip the first 16 bars and cue bar 17. The drop is still at its bar 33, so it arrives 16 bars after you press play.
When the blend is as long as the intro, you cue bar 1, the very first beat. Set a hot cue there in your DJ software and you can find it again on the night.
A worked example
The outgoing track runs at 124 BPM and its music ends at 6:24. The next track has a 32-bar intro and you want a 16-bar blend.
- One bar is four beats: 240 ÷ 124 = 1.94 seconds.
- The blend is 16 bars: 16 × 1.94 = 31 seconds.
- Press play 31 seconds before the end: 6:24 − 0:31 = 5:53.
- Cue the incoming track at bar 17 (32 − 16 + 1).
- Swap the bass at 6:24, on the drop. Our bass swap guide explains how.
Want the full 32 bars instead? Press play at 5:22 from the incoming track's first beat, and the drop lands in the same place. For more on picking the moment, read when to start a DJ transition.
Work it out for every transition
Counting bars by hand gets old fast. SetFlow's Mix view reads your own files and shows where to start each incoming track, when to swap the bass and where the drop lands, for every transition in your set.
DJ Tutor then walks through each transition move by move on two decks and a mixer, counting you in. Both are part of SetFlow Pro, and a Weekend Pass unlocks them too. Your music is never uploaded. New to it all? Start with learning to DJ with your own music.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I start mixing in the next track?
Work backwards from the drop. Decide where the new track’s drop should land, usually where the outgoing track’s music ends, then press play the length of your blend earlier. For a 16-bar blend at 124 BPM that is 31 seconds before the end.
How long should a DJ transition be?
16 bars is a good everyday default for house and techno. Go to 32 bars for deep, hypnotic music and 8 bars for busier or faster genres. Keep it short when the keys clash or two vocals would overlap, and cut on the drop when a track has no intro.
What does the cue bar mean?
It is the bar of the incoming track to have ready under the cue button. With a 32-bar intro and a 16-bar blend you skip the first 16 bars and cue bar 17, so the drop still arrives after 16 bars. If the blend is as long as the intro, you cue bar 1, the first beat.
How long is 16 bars in seconds?
A bar is four beats, so one bar lasts 240 divided by the BPM in seconds. At 124 BPM that is 1.94 seconds, so 16 bars is about 31 seconds and 32 bars about 62. At 128 BPM, 32 bars is exactly a minute.
Why can’t the blend be longer than the intro?
Because the incoming track’s drop would arrive before the outgoing track had finished, and two main grooves would fight. If you want a longer blend than the intro allows, loop part of the intro, or pick a track with a longer one.
Can SetFlow work this out for my own tracks?
Yes. The Mix view in SetFlow Pro reads your own files and shows where to start each incoming track, when to swap the bass and where the drop lands, for every transition in a set. DJ Tutor then walks you through each one move by move. A Weekend Pass unlocks it too.
Let SetFlow time every transition
Import your Rekordbox, Traktor or Serato library, build a set, and open it in the Mix view to see where every transition starts.
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