Use Studio to build an arrangement and DJ mixer to perform a blend between two tracks. The navigation above the workspace switches between them. Switching pauses the workspace you leave so unrelated audio doesn’t play underneath. There is no Pads mode.
Deck A is orange and sits on the left. Deck B uses green accents on the right. Load one song on each deck, or drop a file directly onto that deck. Loading a replacement asks first and resets that deck’s cue, speed, loop, and channel controls. Other decks and your studio project stay as they were.
Play / pause continues from the current position. Stop returns to the start. Play both starts loaded, paused decks together; it doesn’t move an already-playing track or find matching musical phrases.
The waveform is an overview of the whole source. Click or drag it to seek, or use the slider immediately underneath for a keyboard-accessible position control. The time counter shows position in the source file; remaining time accounts for the current playback speed.
Set cue remembers the current source position. Cue pauses and returns there. Cue is a navigation point, not a separate headphone-preview bus. Every playing deck goes through the crossfader to the same output.
Track BPM is the original track tempo. The automatic estimate is always approximate; intros, weak beats, and half/double-time rhythms can fool it. Type the right value, or tap at least three steady beats with Tap. Changing this number relabels the beat timing; the speed slider changes the actual audio speed.
Align A / Align B matches this deck’s tempo and moves its playhead onto the other deck’s grid. Choose Beat align to line up beat pulses, or Phrase align to line up the same position within a 4-, 8-, or 16-bar block. We count four beats per bar. If the other deck is playing, Align starts this deck too; if both are paused they stay paused. Alignment releases this deck’s loop and can jump forward or back, so keep its crossfader side down while preparing.
Bar 1 here corrects the grid: pause at a clear first downbeat, then press it. The small counter reads bar.beat relative to that anchor. Do this on both tracks for dependable phrase alignment. Automatic analysis estimates a constant BPM and first strong beat; it cannot know where the chorus begins. Intros, live drummers, unusual meters, and half-time beats may need manual BPM and anchors. This is a one-time alignment, not continuous sync: re-align after seeking, changing tempo, or correcting a grid. Use − / + to nudge 40 milliseconds by ear.
Speed ranges from 50% to 200%; 1× returns to normal. Key lock is on by default, preserving the original pitch while changing duration. A background worker prepares the audio when you change tempo. The display says Preparing tempo; existing playback continues at its previous tempo until the new audio is ready. Longer tracks take longer and use extra memory. Wait for preparation before lining up a transition. If preparation fails, the previous tempo stays in place.
Turn Key lock off for record-style speed changes: half speed also drops pitch one octave. Key lock does not detect musical key or make two songs harmonically compatible. Large speed changes can soften transients or sound grainy; moderate changes usually sound cleaner. EQ and filters still work during playback.
Loop captures the selected number of beats starting at the current position. Set a sensible BPM first. Use ½ and 2× to resize from one to thirty-two beats. Turn Loop off to continue forward from the current loop position. Seeking outside the loop releases it.
HIGH / MID / LOW adjust each track’s tonal balance, from −24 to +6 dB. Start at zero. The bipolar Filter cuts highs on the left (LP, a darker sound) and cuts lows on the right (HP, a thinner sound). Center is open. Reset EQ resets EQ and filter, not the channel volume.
The channel Level sliders set deck loudness before the crossfader. The Master sets overall mixer output. A safety compressor catches larger peaks, but it cannot fix an already distorted file. Leave headroom; identical or very similar tracks can add loudly at the center.
Shortcuts: A plays/pauses deck A; L plays/pauses deck B. Q returns A to its cue; P returns B to its cue. Space plays or pauses the loaded decks. Shortcuts stay inactive while typing or using a dialog.