Level Matching
Bringing two tracks to the same loudness.
Detailed explanation
Level matching means bringing track B to the same level as track A before you make the transition. Tracks are mastered at very different loudness. Without level matching you get audible jumps in volume during the blend. How: adjust the gain of deck 2 (on a club mixer with the gain knob, on the FLX2 in rekordbox) until both level meters move similarly. A jump in volume during a transition is one of the most obvious and most avoidable beginner mistakes.
Assessment by the DJLearn editorial team — experience, not a sourced factual claim.
In practice
The transition was technically clean and the room still flinched — because the new track was louder. Level matching means both tracks are equally loud with the fader open, before you mix at all. It is the least spectacular move in the whole craft and the one people hear fastest when it is missing. To start with it is enough to bring both channels' meters into the same range.
Assessment by the DJLearn editorial team — experience, not a sourced factual claim.
Related terms
Where to learn this
EQ mixing
The guide that covers this topic in depth.
Explained in this phase
Phase 6: The First Clean Mix
Read on
DJ transitions →