How to do a quick cut
Stop A, start B. Bold and clean.
- Essential
- easy
- About 2 bars
When to use it
- Use it when the next song brings more energy, when both songs sit at a similar energy and when you're bringing the energy down.
- A natural fit for hip-hop/R&B and pop/open-format.
- DJs rarely use it in house/techno and melodic/trance.
- A strong choice when you're switching genres.
- Works at any tempo gap, and it's the go-to move when the songs are more than 8% apart, because there's no beatmatched overlap.
Step by step
- 1Cue B on its first big beat.
- 2Let A hit the end of a line or phrase.
- 3Flick the crossfader to B and press play in the same beat.
See it on a controller, and hear it with your own songs
Cueball picks the right technique for every pair of songs in your set and animates the knobs and faders in time with the music.
Build a set for freeGenres this works for
- How to mix Bollywood songs
- How to mix hip-hop and rap
- How to mix pop and throwback songs
- How to mix R&B
New to DJing? Start with how to DJ for beginners and the 6 basic transitions.
Similar techniques
- Hard cut on the phraseSnap from A to B exactly on a new phrase.
- Short blend on the downbeatA quick overlap so the keys never get time to clash.
- Echo outLet A ring out on an echo, then drop B.
- Tempo ramp, then blendGlide the tempo over, then do a short blend.
- SpinbackRewind A like a vinyl spin, then slam B in.
- Half-time switchDrop B so its beat sits at half (or double) A's speed.