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HardwarePhase 5#T

Tempo Fader

Slider for lasting BPM changes.

Detailed explanation

The tempo fader (also called the pitch fader) is a long vertical slider on each deck. It changes the playback speed, and with it the BPM, until you move it back. Up is faster, down is slower. In rekordbox 7 the range is switchable with [Tempo Range] on the platter: [±6], [±10], [±16] or [WIDE]. You use it for tempo matching in manual beatmatching — bring track B to the same BPM as track A before you align the beats.

Sources (1)
  • rekordbox Instruction Manual
    Primary sourceAlphaTheta Corporation·Manufacturer·2026-07-06·retrieved 04.08.2026

    Version 7.2.16, 265 pages, in English — full text in the archive. Menu paths and feature set can change with every update. ⚠️ A complete GERMAN edition of the 7.x manual does not exist — in German there is only a 30-page introduction to 7.2.14. Waiting for it was waiting for something that isn't there. Current software on 10.08.2026: 7.2.17 (30.07.2026).

In practice

The tempo fader changes speed permanently, unlike a short pull on the jog wheel. At the beginning a small range helps more than a wide one: the finer the resolution, the more accurately you land. Anyone who has to pull the fader a long way to bring two tracks together has usually picked the wrong pair — you hear it first in the voices, which start to sound strange.

Assessment by the DJLearn editorial team — experience, not a sourced factual claim.

Explained in this phase

Phase 5: Beatmatching — The Heart of It

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