CortexDJ

A finished, beatmatched set
from your own music.

Point it at a folder and get a finished set as a WAV or FLAC file. Play it live and take over any control, or take it to rekordbox, Serato and five more DJ apps. Offline and free for home use.

Download free for Windows macOS beta Apple Silicon

Desktop app: we'll email you the link · web mixer (beta)

Not sure yet? Hear a 15-minute set from your own tracks in the browser first ›

  • No card
  • Your first set needs no keyFirst set free
  • Your music never leaves your computerOffline
  • v2.38.5 · Windows 435 MB · Mac 452 MB · changelog · all downloads
CortexDJ 2.34 in Advanced mode during an auto-mix: the beat view over both tracks, two modern decks with progress rings (deck A has 1:26 left and its next transition starts in 0:21) and the mixer; on wider screens also the library, with the Collections sidebar open on Afro House

v2.38.5 · changelog · all downloads

Opens inrekordboxSeratoVirtualDJTraktorEngine DJMixxxdjay

How it works

Folder in. Finished set out.

No beatmatching practice and no hours spent ordering a playlist.

  1. The analysis CortexDJ keeps for one track: 122.0 BPM, key 9A, energy 6, −9.2 LUFS, and its waveform with eight hot cues

    Point it at a folder

    Install it on Windows 10/11 or an Apple Silicon Mac (beta) and open your music folder. It analyzes every track in it, on your computer: Camelot key, BPM, 1–10 energy, intro, drop and outro. The first pass takes a while.

  2. Simple mode's transitions choice: Short 32 beats, Medium 64 beats, Long 128 beats (selected) and its Make a mix button

    Make a mix

    In Simple mode: what to mix, how long, which transitions, then Make a mix. In Advanced mode, RENDER SET adds the vibe (energy curve), plain-English requests, a loudness target and splitting a big library into several mixes.

  3. The question CortexDJ asks before a rekordbox export: are these tracks already in your rekordbox collection, with beat grids and hot cues you set up there? Its buttons: Yes: playlist only, No: with grids and cues, Cancel

    Keep it, play it, take it anywhere

    A WAV or FLAC file with long, beatmatched blends and a timestamped tracklist. Play it live on the decks and take over any control, or open the set in rekordbox, Serato, VirtualDJ, Traktor, Engine DJ, Mixxx or djay.

Our earlier demo sets used commercial releases, so they're offline until we re-record them; the best demo is your own folder. About the demo sets

Who it's for

You pick the music. CortexDJ does the prep and the blends.

  • Streamers and creators

    A long, seamless set for a stream or a video, with a timestamped tracklist for the description. Use music you have the rights to, or a platform that licenses DJ mixes.

  • Party hosts

    Put the party's tracks in a crate, switch to Simple mode, pick that crate and 120 min, and press Make a mix.

  • Mixed In Key users

    Your keys and energy are already tagged. CortexDJ reads those tags, shows where each value came from, and builds and renders the set itself.

  • rekordbox & Serato DJs

    Let it draft the order, then take the set to rekordbox as a playlist only, so your own beat grids and hot cues stay, or to Serato and five other DJ apps.

New in 2.34 · October 29, 2026

Easier to start. Clearer while it plays.

Simple mode for your first mix, decks that tell you what happens next, and collections built from your own tags.

Simple mode or Advanced mode: one switch

It sits at the top of the window. Advanced stays the default, so after an update every control is where it was.

Simple mode

  1. What to mix: All music, 61 tracks, about 4.6 hours1 · What to mixAll your music, a crate, or a genre from your own tags.
  2. How long: 15, 30, 60 or 120 min, with 60 selected; the AI picks the best 13 of these 61 tracks2 · How long15, 30, 60 or 120 minutes; it says how many tracks it will pick.
  3. Transitions: Short 32 beats, Medium 64 beats, Long 128 beats, with Long selected3 · Transitions32, 64 or 128 beats: about 15 s, 30 s or a minute at 128 BPM.
  4. The Make a mix button
    ▶ Make a mixSave it to a file, or play it live on the decks.
Safe settings come with it
  • Creativity Balanced, unless you picked a level yourself
  • Safe buffering on, for steadier playback
  • EQ, filter and effects it hides go back to neutral first, so nothing out of sight changes the sound
Nothing is lost
  • The decks stay on screen and keep playing
  • A connected controller keeps working
  • Switch back and every control is where you left it

Advanced mode

Advanced mode: the beat view over both tracks, deck A playing with its progress ring and next-transition countdown, deck B ready, and the mixer with EQ knobs, channel faders and the crossfader
The libraryCollections, search, crates and the export menu, under the decks.
Hands-on decksEQ, filter, flanger, echo, cut, loops and 8 hot cues per deck.
RENDER SETThe vibe (energy curve), plain-English requests, loudness and the transition length.
Pro hardwareMIDI controllers, recording and live-streaming, with a Pro or Lifetime key.

Modern decks: what's next, at a glance New default

A progress ring replaces the spinning turntable, and a line under each deck reads out the numbers you check most.

Deck A close-up: the progress ring shows 1:26 remaining and MIX IN 0:21; the line under the waveform reads elapsed 3:03, remaining 1:26, total 4:29, BPM 122.0, key 9A and next transition 0:21
  1. The ring: time left in the middle, the time played as the arc.
  2. The purple mark and MIX IN: where and when the auto-mix starts its next blend.
  3. Elapsed, remaining and total time, BPM and key, on one line.
  4. Next transition: a countdown while the auto-mix runs.

Prefer the turntable? Settings → Mixing → Deck style → Vintage.

Collections, not the whole computer New

The library sidebar lists your crates, collections built from your genre tags, and only the music folders you've opened. Pick one and press Mix this collection.

The Collections sidebar: All tracks (61), Crates with New crate, Genres with Afro House selected (9), Funky House (6), House (10), Indie Tech (1) and Mainstage (1), and the Mix this collection button
  • Search matches genres too: afro → Afro House
  • Need the full folder tree? Tick Show all folders.
Export

Your set, in your DJ app.

Every rendered mix gets a playlists folder next to it, with the set in its play order. The Export to rekordbox / Serato menu does the same for the last AI set, a live auto-mix included, and for your whole library.

New in 2.34: rekordbox asks first. Playlist only, the default, keeps the beat grids and hot cues you set up there; with grids and cues brings CortexDJ's along, which suits tracks that are new to rekordbox.

Free on every tier. CortexDJ never rewrites your audio files. App names belong to their owners; CortexDJ isn't affiliated with them.

Your rendered setWAV or FLAC, a timestamped tracklist, and a playlists folder
  • rekordbox
  • Serato
  • VirtualDJ
  • Traktor
  • Engine DJ
  • Mixxx
  • djay
.xml (2 versions).m3u8.m3u.crateREADME.txt

Also in 2.34: a true-peak stage after the limiter, set to a −1 dBTP ceiling, catches the inter-sample peaks on the live output, and Safe buffering switches itself on if the audio keeps stuttering, never mid-song. How the live sound stays steady · every change

Features

What's in the box

All of it is in the free version, except what's marked Pro.

  • Track analysis

    Camelot key, BPM, 1–10 energy and structure. It reads Mixed In Key and Beatport tags and shows where each value came from.

  • Kick-locked beatmatching

    Beat grids are anchored to each track's real kick drums, so two tracks stay locked through the whole blend.

  • It won't gamble on a blend

    A track whose grid can't be locked with confidence is left out, and it tells you; if that would shorten the set much, it asks first.

  • Harmonic order, energy curve

    Tracks follow the Camelot wheel and a warm-up, peak or build shape, picked as the best fit from the whole folder.

  • Clean, varied transitions

    One bassline at a time; filter sweeps, echo throws and EQ carves that change every few blends. 32 to 256 beats, 128 by default.

  • Renders to WAV or FLAC

    A finished file in true stereo, plus a timestamped tracklist ready to paste into a YouTube or Mixcloud description.

  • Take over mid-mix

    Touch any EQ, filter or effect during a live auto-mix and that control is yours. Turn it back to centre (or switch the effect off), or press ↩AI, and the AI takes it again.

  • Stems and mashups

    On-device stem separation for cleaner swaps, and a mashup finder that scores which vocals sit over which instrumentals.

  • Controllers Pro

    8 controllers mapped from the maker's MIDI chart (Pioneer DDJ-FLX4, DDJ-400 and more) and 4 community maps, detected when CortexDJ starts. MIDI-learn maps anything else. Full list

  • Record and live-stream Pro

    Record audio or HD video, or go live to YouTube, Twitch, Facebook or a custom RTMP server.

Compare

Where CortexDJ fits

DJ apps help you mix live. Analysis tools tell you what will mix. CortexDJ builds and renders the set.

FeatureCortexDJLive DJ appsAnalysis tools
Builds and renders the whole set for youYesautomix plays a playlist—No
Key, BPM & energy analysisYesvariesYes
Stem separation & mashupsYessomesome
Beatmatched live decksYesYes—No
Set export to rekordbox, Serato and 5 more apps freetheir own formatvaries
Streaming services (Spotify, TIDAL…)— local files onlymany—No
One-time lifetime option $127variesvaries
What the same jobs cost elsewhere

Each of these jobs is usually a separate purchase. Here is what the best-known tool for each one costs, next to CortexDJ.

The jobBought separatelyCortexDJ
Key, BPM and energy analysis for your libraryMixed In Key 11: $58 onceFree
Stem separation and mix suggestionsMixed In Key 11 Pro: $99 once (includes the analysis above)Free
Play your sets on a DJ controller and record themrekordbox Core plan: $12 a month, or Serato DJ Pro: $299 oncePro $59 a year or Lifetime $127

Prices in US dollars before tax, as listed on mixedinkey.com and serato.com on October 19, 2026 and on rekordbox.com on October 14, 2026 (yearly billing is cheaper there); they can change. These products do more than the parts compared here, and CortexDJ supports fewer controllers than rekordbox or Serato (see the list), so check that yours is supported. Trademarks belong to their owners; CortexDJ is not affiliated with them.

Named, dated comparisons: vs VirtualDJ · vs djay Pro · vs Mixed In Key · vs DJ.Studio · best AI DJ software 2026

Pricing

Free builds the whole set.

Pro and Lifetime add your hardware: controllers, recording and live-streaming.

Free

$0 forever

For home use. No trial, no card.

  • Key, BPM, energy and structure analysis
  • Simple and Advanced modes; sets rendered to WAV or FLAC
  • Mashups, live decks, collections and crates
  • Export to rekordbox, Serato and 5 more DJ apps
  • First set needs no key; then a free key
Download free
Adds your hardware

Pro

$59 / year

That’s $4.92 a month. Everything in Free, plus your hardware.

  • MIDI controllers: 8 maker-mapped models, 4 community maps, plus MIDI-learn
  • Record your sets as audio or HD video
  • Live-stream to YouTube, Twitch, Facebook or RTMP
  • Priority email support
  • Cancel anytime; the app drops back to Free
Go Pro yearly

Lifetime

$127 one-time

Pay once. Pro, for good.

  • Everything in Pro, with no subscription
  • Future Pro features included
  • 30-day money-back guarantee
  • Your key arrives by email right after checkout
  • Every key works on 2 of your computers
Get Lifetime

Checkout by Lemon Squeezy Card, PayPal, Apple Pay 30-day money-back on Lifetime Sales tax and VAT handled

Compare Free and Pro line by line

FAQ

Questions, answered

Do I need any DJ experience?
None. Switch to Simple mode at the top of the window, pick what to mix, how long and the transitions, and press Make a mix. CortexDJ builds a beatmatched, harmonic set with safe settings. When you want the hands-on side, Advanced mode has the full decks, and you can take over any control while the AI mixes live.
What do I actually get at the end?
A finished set rendered to a WAV or FLAC file, plus a text tracklist with a timestamp for every track (it pastes straight into a YouTube or Mixcloud description as chapters). Next to it, a playlists folder holds the set in play order for rekordbox, Serato, VirtualDJ, Traktor, Engine DJ, Mixxx and djay. For rekordbox you choose: playlist only, so the beat grids and hot cues you set there stay, or with CortexDJ's grids and cues.
What computer do I need?
Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit), or for the beta an Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or later) with macOS 13 or later. About 8 GB of RAM and about 1.2 GB of free disk space. No graphics card is needed; stem separation runs on the CPU and is faster with more cores. Intel Macs and Linux aren't supported.
How long does it take?
The first time, CortexDJ analyzes every track in the folder (key, BPM, energy, structure). That is the slow part: for a few hundred tracks it takes minutes, not seconds, depending on your computer. After that first pass, picking and ordering the tracks for a new set takes seconds; rendering the audio of a long set takes longer.
Is it really beatmatched, or just crossfaded?
Really beatmatched. Every beat grid is anchored to the track's real kick drums, a phase-locked sync keeps both tracks aligned through the whole overlap, and the bass is handed over so there's only ever one bassline. If a track's grid can't be locked with confidence, the AI leaves it out of the set and tells you, instead of gambling on a shaky blend. If leaving tracks out would make the set much shorter than you asked for, it asks you first.
What audio formats does it work with?
It reads local MP3, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, M4A/AAC and OGG files, including the key, BPM and energy tags already in them (Mixed In Key and Beatport tags too). Hover a key, energy or BPM value in the library to see where it came from. Finished sets render to WAV or FLAC. Point it at a folder and it also scans the subfolders, up to 8 levels deep and 20,000 files per scan.
Can I stream or publish these sets?
Yes, with music you have the rights to use, or on a platform that licenses DJ mixes. CortexDJ is a tool, not a music licence: a set mixed from commercial releases can be muted or taken down on YouTube, Twitch or Facebook, as with any DJ software. Pro adds recording and live-streaming (YouTube, Twitch, Facebook or custom RTMP). See the streaming notes in the user guide before you go live.
Can I play these mixes at a gig or venue?
The Free edition is for personal, home use. To play CortexDJ at paid or public gigs, venues or events, use Pro or Lifetime. Publishing a mix you rendered at home (for example to YouTube or Mixcloud) is fine on Free, with the music rights; recording and live-streaming from inside the app are Pro. Either way, the rights to the music you play, record or stream are yours (or the venue's) to obtain: see section 5 of the EULA.
Does it work with Spotify or other streaming services?
No. CortexDJ mixes your own local files only, which is what lets it run fully offline. If you need Spotify, Apple Music or TIDAL inside a DJ app, see our comparison of AI DJ software.
Is my music uploaded anywhere?
No. Analysis and rendering run on your computer, and your music, library and mixes never leave it. The app contacts cortexdj.com only to activate a key, renew Pro, check for updates, request a free key when you ask for one (it sends the e-mail you type) and, if they're switched on, send diagnostics (on by default up to version 2.31, opt-in from 2.32). The privacy policy lists exactly what is sent.
Is the Windows installer safe?
The Windows installer is code-signed. If SmartScreen still says "Windows protected your PC" (it can for a brand-new release), click More info, then Run anyway; the notice is about how new the file is, not about anything found in it. If you'd rather check the file yourself, the user guide shows how to compare its SHA-256 checksum with the one we publish. The macOS build is signed and notarized by Apple.
Which MIDI controllers work with Pro?
Mapped from the maker's MIDI chart: Pioneer DDJ-FLX4, DDJ-400, DDJ-REV1, DDJ-FLX6, DDJ-1000, DDJ-FLX10, AlphaTheta DDJ-FLX2 (no LOAD button mapping) and Hercules DJControl Inpulse 300. Community-derived maps (not tested on the hardware by us, so check each control after plugging in): Hercules DJControl Inpulse 200, Numark Mixtrack Pro FX, Mixtrack Platinum FX and Party Mix II. Controllers are detected when CortexDJ starts; if you plug one in later, open Settings → MIDI, press Rescan, pick it and press Connect. Anything else that speaks class-compliant USB MIDI can be mapped with MIDI-learn. Not sure about yours? Email support@cortexdj.com before you buy.
Why do I need a key for the free version?
Your first set needs no key and no email, so you can hear it before you hand over anything. Every set after that needs a key. It's free too and covers 2 of your computers. In the app (version 2.32 and later): Get a free key, confirm your e-mail, done. CortexDJ activates itself. You can also request it on the download page and paste it in Settings, About, Activate.
What happens if I cancel Pro?
The app doesn't stop working. When the paid period ends you drop back to Free: analysis, auto-mixing, rendering and export keep working, and nothing you made is lost. You lose MIDI, recording and live-streaming until you resubscribe. Lifetime is $127 once, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Will updating to 2.34 change my setup?
Advanced mode stays the default, so every control is where it was; Simple mode is a switch at the top of the window. The decks now show a progress ring by default; if you prefer the turntable, choose it in Settings, Mixing, Deck style. Your library, crates and settings stay as they are.
Does it run on Mac?
Yes, as a beta on Apple Silicon Macs (M1 or later, macOS 13 or later). Auto-mixing, rendering, the decks, analysis and stem mashups all work; recording and live-streaming are the newest part of the beta. On Macs with 8 GB of RAM or less, Safe buffering is on by default for steadier playback. It's signed and notarized by Apple. Drag CortexDJ.app into Applications before opening it, so updates replace the right copy. Intel Macs and Linux aren't supported.

Build your first set tonight

Free for home use, not a trial: analysis, Simple and Advanced modes, WAV/FLAC rendering and export to your DJ app. The first set needs no key.

Download free for Windows macOS beta Apple Silicon

Every download option and the system requirements: all downloads.

Works on 2 computers. No card. Check Spam/Promotions if it doesn't arrive in a minute.