Reference
DJ glossary
Every DJ term explained simply — from A to Z. 73 terms, free, ad-free.
73 terms in total
A
3B
9Backline
The DJ equipment permanently installed in a club.
Bass Swap
Swapping the bass from track A to track B at the same moment.
Beatmatching
Bringing two tracks to the same tempo and phase.
Beat Grid
A grid of lines placed exactly on every beat.
Blend
Smoothly fading one track into another.
Booking
A DJ's booked appearance at an event.
BPM (Beats Per Minute)
Unit of measurement for the tempo of a track.
Breakdown
The section of a track where the energy deliberately drops.
Build-Up
The rise in tension before the drop.
C
6Camelot Wheel
A system for finding compatible keys without music theory.
CDJ
The DJ player found in most clubs, made by Pioneer DJ.
Channel Fader
Slider that controls the volume of one channel.
Closing Set
The last DJ set of the night.
Crossfader
Horizontal fader that blends between two decks.
Cue
A preparation point, or the pre-listen function.
D
7DDJ-FLX2
Entry-level DJ controller by AlphaTheta.
Delay
Echo effect that repeats the signal after a set time.
DJing
The art of curating music for a crowd.
DJM
Pioneer DJ's mixer line — widespread in clubs.
Downbeat
Beat 1 of the bar — the strongest hit.
Drifting
When two tracks drift apart after beatmatching.
Drop
The moment of maximum energy, when every element comes in.
E
3F
4Fader Curve
The setting for how the crossfader or channel fader responds.
Filter
Effect that filters out particular frequencies.
Flanger
Modulation effect that produces a jet-sweep sound.
Four-on-the-Floor
A kick drum on every quarter note of the bar.
G
1H
3I
1J
1K
2L
4Latency
Delay between an input and the sound you hear.
Level Matching
Bringing two tracks to the same loudness.
Loop
A section of a track that repeats seamlessly.
Low-Pass Filter (LPF)
Filter that lets low frequencies pass.
M
3N
1O
3P
7Peak Hour
The high point of a club night, at maximum energy.
Performance Pads
Pads for hot cues, loops and more.
Phase Alignment
Lining the beats of two tracks up with each other.
Phrase
A connected musical unit of 8 or 16 bars.
Pioneer DJ
DJ equipment brand of AlphaTheta Corporation.
Pitch Bend
A brief tempo change made with the rim of the jog wheel.
Pre-Fader
The signal is tapped before the channel fader.
R
3S
6Scratch
Moving a track back and forth rhythmically with the jog wheel.
Set
A continuous DJ performance over a stretch of time.
Signal Chain
The path the audio signal takes from source to speaker.
Stems
AI separation of a track into its individual elements.
Streak
The number of consecutive days with learning activity.
Sync
Automatic beatmatching done by the software.
T
1U
2W
2X
1You know the term — now use it
The learning path lets you practise it on your own gear: 12 phases from your first track to a club set, free.