Frequently asked questions
How do I learn to DJ as a beginner?
Get a 2-deck controller and free DJ software, learn how beats, bars and phrases work, then master six basic transitions: the hard cut on the phrase, the echo out, the long blend with a bass swap, the filter handoff, the short blend and the spinback. Practise with songs you already love. Cueball builds a set from your own playlist and walks you through every transition step by step.
What are the basic DJ transitions every beginner should learn?
Start with six: a hard cut on the phrase, an echo out, a long blend with a bass swap, a filter handoff, a short blend on the downbeat, and a spinback. Cueball has free step-by-step guides for all of them, plus 33 more advanced techniques.
Can I learn to DJ with my own music?
Yes, and it's the fastest way to learn. Import a rekordbox or Serato playlist, drop in your MP3s, or search for songs, and Cueball builds a set from them and teaches you the transitions between your actual songs.
What is Cueball?
Cueball is a web app for beginner DJs. You import a playlist (rekordbox, Serato, your own MP3s, or a song search) and it orders the songs into a set, then explains every transition: why the two songs work together, which technique to use, and exactly when to move each knob and fader on your controller.
How does Cueball pick the order of my songs?
It scores every pair of songs on tempo (BPM, including half and double time), musical key using the Camelot wheel, energy, and genre, then finds the order that gives the smoothest transitions while following the energy shape you chose: warm-up to peak to cool-down, keep building, or bangers only.
How does Cueball choose a transition technique?
It scores 39 DJ techniques on three things: how well each fits the energy change and the point in the set, how DJs actually mix that genre, and the BPM gap. Anything scoring under 5 out of 10 on any of the three is ruled out. You get a Safe pick, a Creative pick, and a Showstopper, and it never puts two showstoppers in a row.
Does Cueball work with my DJ controller?
Yes. The steps use the controls every 2-deck controller has: jog wheels, tempo sliders, channel faders, EQ and filter knobs, the crossfader and FX. There's an illustrated guide to every knob on a Pioneer DDJ-FLX4-style controller.
Can I hear the transition before I play it?
Yes. Hear it plays the two songs through a virtual mixer that moves the same faders, EQ and effects as the animation. With your own MP3s you hear the full songs at their real mix points; otherwise you hear 30-second previews or a synthesized beat in each song's key and tempo.
Where does the BPM and key data come from?
From your rekordbox or Serato export when available, then the GetSongBPM database, then by analysing the audio in your browser. The AI never guesses BPM or key. Your audio files never leave your computer.
Can I use Spotify or Apple Music playlists?
Open the playlist in rekordbox, Serato or djay (they all support streaming), export it, and drop the file into Cueball. You can also search for songs directly in Cueball, or let Magic mode build a set from the genres and vibe you pick.
How much does Cueball cost?
Free gives you 2 sets a month with up to 20 songs and the recommended technique for every transition. Learn is $24.99 once, yours forever: every technique, every audio preview and practice mode, made for learning at your own pace. The Gig Pass is $4.99 once for 7 days of everything, made for a single gig. Pro is $6.99 a month or $49.99 a year for unlimited sets, all three technique options, hearing every transition and exporting to your DJ software.
Is Cueball good for weddings and sangeets?
Yes. Cueball was designed with open-format and cultural sets in mind: Bollywood, Punjabi, Afrobeats, Latin and throwbacks, where BPM-only tools fall short. Pick Wedding / sangeet as the gig and it shapes the energy for mixed-age crowds.