The questions a working DJ (and a brand new one) actually asks. If yours isn't here, email us and it probably will be next week.
01the product
What's the difference between the three modes?
Listen mixes your library for you: click a track, the set builds itself. Perform never touches the audio: it listens to what you're playing and suggests next tracks with reasons. Prep is the planning room: set drafts, harmonic neighborhoods, exportable plans. One engine, one license, all three included.
Does it mix for me?
Only in Listen mode, and only your own files. In Perform mode it's strictly a coach. Every suggestion is yours to take or ignore, and it never touches your mixer. The read of the room is still your job.
Is this for pros or beginners?
Both, on purpose. The same scoring engine that auto-mixes a Sunday afternoon coaches a first gig in Perform mode and drafts sets for working DJs in Prep mode. A pro instrument that doubles as the way you learn the instrument. That's the design.
02detection + privacy
How does mic detection actually work?
CueDJ fingerprints your library during analysis. In Perform mode it fingerprints the room audio in short windows and matches against your own library's prints, locally, on your machine. It shows a confidence score instead of pretending; noisy rooms lower it.
So it can identify any song, like Shazam?
No, and that's deliberate. It resolves against the tracks you've analyzed. If a track isn't in your crates, CueDJ can't name it. There's no giant cloud catalog because there's no cloud.
Does my music or room audio get uploaded anywhere?
Never. Analysis, fingerprinting, and matching all run on your machine, and the app is fully functional offline. Room audio is processed in memory for matching and isn't recorded or stored. See the privacy policy: it's short because there's little to disclose.
03setup + compatibility
What does the analysis measure?
BPM, musical key (Camelot notation, relative-key aware), an energy estimate, spectral and vocal-density features, and the phrase grid: where the 16-bar boundaries actually fall, which is what makes seams and suggestions land cleanly.
Which formats does it read?
mp3, wav, aiff and flac out of folders today. Rekordbox / Serato library import is on the roadmap and high on the list.
Will it work with my controller or CDJs?
Perform mode works with any gear today. It listens via Link or the mic, so there's nothing to integrate. Direct MIDI mapping and hardware link for Listen-mode control are on the early-access roadmap; we'd rather ship those right than ship them first.
How long does analysis take on a big library?
It's a native Rust core, so: fast, and it runs in the background or overnight. Exact throughput depends on your machine; early-access builds print real numbers instead of marketing ones.
Does Listen mode work with Spotify / streaming?
No. Local files only, by design. Your crates are the catalog: nothing disappears because a license lapsed somewhere.
04money
Is it really one payment?
Yes. $79 once during early access ($99 at 1.0) covers every 1.x update, all three modes, both platforms, two machines. No subscription, no auto-renewal, nothing to cancel. Details on the pricing page.
What if it's not for me?
14-day trial before you pay, and a 14-day refund after: no questions, no retention flow, no "are you sure" maze.