How to Beatmatch: Line Up Two Tracks at the Same Tempo

Beatmatching is the first real skill you learn as a DJ. It means lining up two tracks so they run at exactly the same speed and their kicks land at the same moment. Get it right and your transition sounds like one continuous piece of music. Get it wrong and you hear two kicks galloping over each other, and the whole floor knows something is off.

The good news: it is not a talent, it is practice. In this guide you will learn step by step how to beatmatch by ear, how to use the tempo fader, when sync is totally fine, and how to make your prep a lot easier.

What is beatmatching, exactly?

Beatmatching comes down to two things, and you need both:

• Matching the tempo: both tracks play at the same BPM (beats per minute).
• Matching the phase: the beats land at the same moment. Two tracks can both sit at 126 BPM and still be half a beat apart.

Only when both are right do the tracks lock in. After that comes the actual mixing: EQ, fades and picking the right moment.

What you need

• A DJ controller, two players with a mixer, or DJ software with two decks.
• Headphones, so you can cue the next track without the crowd hearing it.
• Two tracks with a clear, steady kick. House, tech house or other four-on-the-floor music is the easiest place to start.

How to beatmatch in 5 steps

Step 1: know the BPM of your tracks

Start with two tracks that are close together, for example 124 and 126 BPM. The smaller the gap, the less you have to adjust and the more natural it sounds.

Most DJ software already shows the BPM. If you have loose files or you doubt a value, check it in the free Beat Lab. It estimates BPM and key right in your browser with no upload, and you can also tap along to the beat yourself.

Watch out for half time and double time. A hip-hop track at 70 BPM blends fine with something at 140 BPM, because every kick of one track lands on every second beat of the other. Software sometimes picks one value, sometimes the other. Both are actually correct.

Step 2: set a cue on the first beat

Find the first kick of a phrase in the new track, usually the start of the intro. Set your cue point there. That is the "one" you will bring the track in on.

Start the new track on the one of the track that is already playing. Not just anywhere: dance music is built in phrases of 8, 16 or 32 bars. If your track comes in at the start of a phrase, every drop and every break will land at a moment that makes sense.

Step 3: match the tempo with the tempo fader

The tempo fader (also called the pitch fader) makes the new track faster or slower. To go from 124 to 128 BPM, the track needs to play about 3.2% faster. The math is simple: target BPM divided by original BPM, minus 1, times 100.

On many Pioneer DJ players you can set the fader range. On the XDJ-RX3, for example, you can choose between ±6, ±10, ±16 and WIDE, according to Pioneer DJ's manual. A small range like ±6 gives you finer control, which is exactly what you want when beatmatching.

Step 4: hear which track is ahead and correct it

Put both tracks in your headphones, or let the new track play quietly underneath. Listen to the kicks:

• You hear a "gallop" (boom-boom, boom-boom): the tracks are out of phase.
• The gallop keeps getting worse: the tempo is not matched yet. One of the two is faster.
• The gallop stays the same: the tempo is right, only the phase is off.

You fix the phase with the jog wheel. Turning the outer edge clockwise during playback speeds the track up for a moment; counterclockwise slows it down. Let go and it returns to normal speed. That way you nudge the track forward or pull it back a little without changing the tempo.

Tip: first figure out which track is ahead. Not sure? Give the new track a small nudge forward. If it gets worse, it needed to go back instead.

Step 5: let it run and check again

Once the kicks sit tight, let both tracks play together in your headphones for 8 to 16 bars. If they slowly drift apart again, your tempo fader is still slightly off. Move it a tiny bit and nudge again with the jog wheel. Only when it stays locked for a few phrases do you bring the track into the room.

The fastest way to practice beatmatching

1. Practice with two copies of the same track. Speed one deck up a little and try to bring it back by ear.
2. Hide the BPM and the waveforms. Stick a piece of paper on your screen if you have to. You are training your ears, not your eyes.
3. Practice short and often. Ten minutes a day works better than one long Sunday session.
4. Make it harder step by step. Start with a 2 BPM gap, then go to 4, then to tracks with a less obvious kick.

Is it okay to use sync?

Yes. Sync is a tool, not cheating. On Pioneer DJ gear, Beat Sync automatically matches the tempo and beat position of two decks. One catch: according to the manual, it only works with tracks you have analyzed in rekordbox first.

The downside of relying only on sync is that you do not know what to do when it goes wrong. A wrong beatgrid, a track with live drums or a track that shifts by a beat, and sync will happily lock you to the wrong spot. If you can beatmatch by ear, you hear it right away and fix it. So learn it without sync first, then use sync when you need your hands free for effects or loops.

Tempo up, pitch up: key lock

When you speed a track up, its pitch normally goes up with it. About 6% faster already means a semitone higher. With Master Tempo (other brands usually call it key lock) you change the tempo without changing the pitch.

That matters most when you also pay attention to key. Two tracks that are perfectly on tempo can still clash if their keys do not fit. Learn how to avoid that in harmonic mixing with the Camelot wheel.

Common beatmatching mistakes

• Starting on the wrong beat. The tempo is right, but your kick lands on the 2 or the 3. It just sounds slightly wrong, even when everything is locked.
• Tempo gaps that are too big. Speeding a track up by 10% often sounds unnatural. Pick tracks that are closer together.
• Headphones too loud. The louder they are, the harder it is to hear the difference between two kicks. Your ears also get tired faster.
• Only watching the screen. Waveforms help, but the crowd listens with their ears.
• Poor prep. Checking your BPMs and cue points at home saves you a lot of stress on the night.

Prep your set the smart way

The better you know what is in your folder, the easier beatmatching gets. With the free batch BPM and key finder you drop several tracks into your browser at once and see the BPM, key and Camelot code for each one. Select a track and you instantly see which other tracks fit in tempo and key. That way you can build blocks of tracks at home that flow into each other easily.

Want more free tools for DJs and producers? Check out the full overview of free music tools.

Beatmatching FAQ

How long does it take to learn beatmatching?

There is no fixed timeline, it differs per person. What does help: practicing a little every day, so your ears learn to hear whether a track is running fast or slow. Beatmatching tight and relaxed under pressure comes later, with hours behind the decks.

Can you learn beatmatching with just DJ software?

Yes. Any software with two decks, a tempo fader and a way to cue is enough. The principle is the same as on expensive players.

What is the difference between beatmatching and harmonic mixing?

Beatmatching is about tempo and rhythm. Harmonic mixing is about key: do the melodies of two tracks sound good together? For a smooth transition you want both.

Do I need to beatmatch if I only play hip-hop?

It always helps, but in hip-hop you often switch tracks quickly, for example with a cut or a short transition. Still, a blend of two tracks at the same tempo sounds a lot smoother.