Hi @tatu, personally what I do is follow a consistent general formula for how I set Hot Cues on all tracks. I like to have a lot of flexibility in my DJ sets and rarely pre-plan my set order and track selection. Having a consistent Hot Cue formula makes it much easier to mix unfamiliar tracks together on the fly.
- Typically I will set at least 1 good mix in point and 1 good mix out point on each track. Often this is a nice intro or outro section of the song or maybe an 8-16 bar breakdown before a drop. I set these more or less independent of other tracks in my collection and setlist.
- I will usually also set a Hot Cue for where the vocals first start. Mainly as a visual reminder to be fully mixed in before this point to avoid accidental vocals on vocals. I also usually rename this Hot Cue something like “VocalStart”.
- Then I set Hot Cues on the main drops or other key sections like the chorus or breakdown.
- This method leaves things pretty flexible for the track order and mixing within my set.
- Of course there will always be 2-3 songs that you know mix well together and in a certain order. In those cases you can change the name of your Hot Cue to help you remember when to mix in which track.
