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Mix two songs with your keyboard

A DJ plays one song, gets the next one ready, and slides from one into the other without the music stopping. PixelDJ lets you do that with the keys on your laptop.

Three steps

  1. PixelDJ's song list, with Neon Run on Deck A and Afterglow on Deck B

    1

    Choose your music

    PixelDJ comes with two practice songs made for mixing, Neon Run and Afterglow. When you're ready, add your own songs from your computer.

  2. Deck A in PixelDJ, its Pause button on Q and its Sync button on E

    2

    Use your keyboard

    Your left hand plays Deck A and your right hand plays Deck B. The arrow keys slide the crossfader between them, and the number keys play sounds.

  3. PixelDJ's beat row with House chosen, over the Kick, Snare, Closed Hat and Open Hat pads

    3

    Make it your own

    Add drums, loop part of a song, throw on an effect, and press F9 to record the whole thing.

What the words mean

DJs have a few words of their own. These are the ones PixelDJ uses.
Deck
Where a song plays. PixelDJ has two, Deck A and Deck B, so one song can play while you get the next one ready.
Crossfader
A slider between the two decks. All the way left you hear Deck A, all the way right Deck B, and in between a bit of both.
Mix
Sliding from one song into the next so the music never stops. That's most of what a DJ does.
Tempo
How fast a song is, counted in beats a minute. DJs write it BPM. PixelDJ finds it for every song.
Sync
Makes one song play at the same speed as the other, with their beats lined up, so they sound good together.
Cue
A spot you mark in a song to jump back to, like the start of the chorus.
Bar
Four beats, about two seconds in most dance songs. Loops and beats are counted in bars.
Loop
A piece of a song played over and over, to make a part last longer.

Your first mix, step by step

The first time PixelDJ opens, press Start First Mix. It puts the two practice songs on the decks and shows you each step on the real console, lighting the control to use. Nothing happens until you press the key yourself. If you've already put a sound on a pad, First Mix ends by asking you to play it.
  1. Q

    Step 1 of 4

    Start Deck A

    The app says, “Press Q to start your first song.”

    Step 1 of First Mix in PixelDJ. Press Q to start your first song.
  2. P

    Step 2 of 4

    Match the next song's beat

    The app says, “Press P to match the beats.”

    Step 2 of First Mix in PixelDJ. Press P to match the beats.
  3. I

    Step 3 of 4

    Start Deck B

    The app says, “Press I to start the next song.”

    Step 3 of First Mix in PixelDJ. Press I to start the next song.
  4. →

    Step 4 of 4

    Move the crossfader

    The app says, “Hold the right arrow to mix into song B.”

    Step 4 of First Mix in PixelDJ. Hold the right arrow to mix into song B.
  5. Done

    You just performed your first mix

    Then PixelDJ offers three ways on. Try Making a Beat puts the drums on the pads. Mix Another Song opens your music to pick the next one. Open the Full Console leaves you to play.

    PixelDJ saying You just performed your first mix, with Try Making a Beat, Mix Another Song and Open the Full Console

Ready for your first mix?

Two practice songs come with PixelDJ, so you can start mixing the moment it opens.

Coming soon for Windows 10 and 11. A Mac OS version is on the way.