Welcome to Crossfader. In this article, we will help you get started with one of the leading DJ streaming platforms; Beatsource. This service allows DJs to stream millions of songs directly inside their DJ software or hardware, such as Rekordbox, Serato DJ, Denon DJ equipment, etc. Beatsource is one of the leaders in the industry simply because DJs build it for DJs. Their platform includes DJ edits, transition tracks and intro-versions of songs, ensuring the DJ always has the most helpful version of the song to hand. Unsure what DJ edits are? Click here to find out more.

Beatsource Ready Made DJ Playlists

Beatsource provides a wide range of ready-made DJ playlists so you can get mixing right away. Some of these can be accessed directly within your DJ software; however, the website boasts a much more extensive library. You can browse their website and then save any playlist you like the look of to your library. This will then become available to you inside your DJ software. We recommend checking out the Must-Have Playlists and VIP crates section, where you can see what DJs like DJ Puffy, Eskei83, Diplo and A-Trak are all playing amongst much more.

Beatsource VIP Crates

Importing Beatsource Music To Rekordbox

First, make sure you have saved the playlist to your Beatsource library or made a custom playlist in your account. You can add individual songs by using the drop-down icon on each song and adding them to the relevant playlist. After doing this, open up Rekordbox and log into the Beatsource integration in the tree view along the left-hand side. If you can’t see Beatsource here, go to the Rekordbox settings and display Beatsource in the view options. After logging in, you will view all your playlists and see some of the ready-made playlists provided by Beatsource.

How To Display Beatsource In Rekordbox

Music from Beatsource can also be dragged into playlists within Rekordbox and mixed with other streaming songs or songs from your library. This is a great way to start making specific DJ sets that include a combination of songs from different sources. It will also allow you to change the order of your music in the playlist.

Beatsource Ready Made Playlists In Rekordbox

Importing Beatsource Music To Serato DJ

The same applies to Serato DJ as it does for Rekordbox. Make sure you have some playlists ready, and then launch the software. You will need to log into Beatsource within Serato DJ. This is done in the settings under the ‘Library/Display’ tab. After logging in, you will access all your music directly within the Serato software along the left-hand side. You can make custom playlists within the Serato DJ software, too. If you decide to build your playlists this way, press the streaming crate icon and drag and drop new songs in.

How To Log Into Beatsource Inside Serato DJ

Video Guide – Part 1

Which Beatsource Subscription Type Do I Need?

We recommend if you can stretch to the higher tier, then go for it, as the DJ edits, tools, and transition tracks provided are what make Beatsource a leader in this space. As a DJ, you want access to the best versions of songs. The last thing you want to do is load a pop track in from a request at a party and not know how to mix it in because there isn’t an intro available. With Beatsource Pro+, you will access all the intro edits, allowing for much more confident mixing. You can download up to 1000 songs to the offline locker, meaning you can play those songs without even having an internet connection. This is something to think about if you’re gigging at lots of different venues with your Beatsource music library.

Is Beatsource Basic Plan Worth Subscribing To?

However, if you’re starting out and on a budget, the $9.99 version will suffice. You will get access to the music catalogue without DJ edits and access to the ready-made playlists provided by Beatsource. You can use the DJ App provided, but you will only be able to play 2 minutes of each song unless you upgrade to Pro+.

Beatsource Subscription Plans

Get 3 Months Free!

Did you know that any of our Hip Hop DJ Course customers or Complete package members also get three months of free access to any Beatsource subscription? Learn with Crossfader and follow along step by step with our lessons using the music from the Beatsource catalogue.

Online DJ App To Prepare Your Music

Introducing the Beatsource DJ Web App! This web app available in google chrome is an excellent way to plan your playlists. It’s got all the tools a DJ is used to embedded right on your desktop so you can test out mixes and blends and organise your music in the order you choose. This is a better way to browse the Beatsource catalogue of music than just using their website. Please note that to make full use of this app, you will need the Pro+ account. If you don’t have this account, you will only be able to preview up to 2 minutes of each song.

Beatsource DJ Web App

How To Transfer Playlists From Spotify To Beatsource

One of the biggest hurdles for new DJs is getting music from Spotify into their DJ software. Unfortunately, Spotify is not supported in any DJ software; however, thanks to third party websites, you can quickly transfer all your music to Beatsource. This isn’t just for Spotify either; you can move from any streaming service such as Apple Music, Deezer, Amazon Music, etc.

Watch the tutorial video below for step by step instructions on how to do this. Our favourite service is currently Soundiiz.com. There is both free and paid version of this service, depending on how deep you want to go with their features.

Video Guide – Part 2

Sharing Playlists With Friends & Social Media

An elegant feature in Beatsouce is the ability to make a playlist but then share it publicly with your fans or with friends. You could challenge them to mix your favourite songs or even share your playlists to help out a friend who is just getting started. To share a playlist, toggle the icon and generate the link within the Beatsource website.

Share Any Playlist In Beatsource

Refresh Beatsource Playlists In Serato DJ (Troubleshooting Tip)

Unfortunately, Serato DJ doesn’t have a refresh library button as Rekordbox does. However, here is a quick hack to force new updates on Beatsource’s website over to Serato DJ. This is useful if you add some new tracks to a playlist on the Beatsource website and don’t want to close Serato and then open it up again. Navigate to the Serato settings and uncheck/check the ‘Show Streaming Services’ icon again. Now any new songs added on the Beatsource website will be added to the internal playlists in Serato DJ.

Simply un-tick and re-tick this in Serato to update Beatsource playlists.

Planning & Performing A Creative DJ Mix

Now you know how to get started with Beatsource and your DJ software, it’s time to start getting creative. Watch and follow along as our tutor, DJ Lawrence James, picks some of his favourite songs and then performs a clever mix. If you would like to have a go at re-creating this mix, then here is access to the same playlist. Enjoy and have fun!

Video Guide – Part 3

Learn Skills Like These!

What’s Inside The Hip Hop DJ Course?

This course contains over 35 lessons in which you’ll learn:

Getting Started
We’ll show you how to get started on your equipment. We’ll also show you exactly where to download/access the music used in the course and Crossfader DJ Samples so you can easily follow along step-by-step.

Music Theory
We will teach you how to understand beats, phrasing, and timing in your music, which is essential to mix music accurately.

Beat Matching
No waveforms, no beat counters and no sync. Here we will help you master the art of beat matching with only your ears, a skill all DJs should learn when starting. We will give you all the theory, tools and techniques you need to master this. This is especially important when mixing hip hop. You will discover most music analysis performed by the software is incorrect, meaning you will need to learn how to determine the BPM and correct these issues.

Mixing Techniques
It’s time to put all the theory and techniques you’ve learned together to start mixing tracks. We’ll show you where and when to blend in and out and how to use EQs and filters. After mastering the basics, we take it up a level and introduce multiple techniques for mixing between songs, from fader to looped mixes, drop mixing to beat jumping and much more! Learning these techniques will arm you with various ways to mix and transition, keeping your DJ sets engaging and fresh.

Scratching Techniques
This section introduces how to start scratching practically in your DJ sets. Scratching is an essential tool for most hip hop DJs, unlocking a much more comprehensive range of possibilities. Please note this isn’t a fully comprehensive scratching course. You can find that here.

Mash-Up Mixing
One of the most fun elements of a hip hop set is mash-up techniques to blend different styles, sub-genres and more. We break down how to mix acapellas into instrumentals, transition creatively with acapellas and more.

Transitioning Wide BPM Ranges
Learn how to mix from 100bpm to 60bpm in one mix, and master those broad BPM transitions, so you don’t get stuck mixing just one type of hip hop music. This course section will unlock your ability to play to any crowd and not be restricted by the wide range of BPMs found in hip hop music.

Using DJ Samples
DJ samples are essential to any hip hop DJ set. This section will show you how to use the Crossfader DJ samples to level up your transitions and add energy to your DJ set.

Mix Breakdowns
In the final part of the course, you will get to follow along with extended mixes along with breakdowns to help you understand how all the techniques taught can be applied to an entire DJ set. See the methods in action and learn from following along, step by step.