How to beatmatch

Beatmatching: Training Your Ears, Not Your Eyes

Beatmatching, in a nutshell, is the process of aligning two kick drums from separate tracks so they play together as a single, unified rhythm. If the kicks are slightly off, your job is to close that gap. Many DJs struggle with this because they haven’t trained their ears to detect those subtle differences. I often see DJs relying on waveforms and becoming overly dependent on the screen. As a result, when tracks are exported incorrectly from Rekordbox, even the sync button can’t save them.

To be better prepared, it's essential to understand one of the fundamentals of DJing: beatmatching by ear.

Try this simple exercise—it’s incredibly effective. Loop both tracks and practice syncing them using only your ears, without looking at the screen. If you're not sure which way to adjust, commit to one direction until you can clearly hear whether the transients (the kick drums) are moving closer together or drifting apart. Listen closely: are the kicks merging, or are they separating? If they’re drifting apart as you adjust, you’re moving in the wrong direction—reverse it.

You can use the screens as a reference, but minimize how much you rely on them. Train yourself to depend on your ears.

Practice this for five minutes a day for one week, and you'll notice a dramatic improvement in your beatmatching precision.