Transitions

Like a real DJ, Ask the DJ preserves the beat when moving on to another track, by having the beats of both tracks coincide as they are cross-faded.

Ask the DJ features two transition modes:

• smart cross-fades: in this mode, the tempo is gradually shifted to reach that of the incoming track. All the beats match exactly, even if bpms differ!
• 1-beat cross-fades: in this faster mode, the transition only lasts for 1 beat, so no tempo shift is needed. This is the mode that is used when you switch to another track (e.g. with the Next button).

The “Transition” tab of the preferences window allows you to set which mode should be used for transitions: smart cross-fades, 1-beat cross-fades, or no cross-fades at all. It also features an option to downgrade the transition mode when tracks don't match. The duration for smart cross-fades is adjustable.

Smart and 1-beat cross-fades require both tracks to have been analysed. This analysis is performed automatically in advance and takes a few seconds per track.

Because they involve heavy signal processing, smart cross-fades must be pre-calculated, which can take about 1 minute. If the transition point is reached before the calculation is done, no cross-fade is performed.