Why it matters

Why Post a Tracklist With Every Mix

A tracklist turns a mix into something discoverable. Listeners searching for a track they heard find your set instead of scrolling past it, and a clean submission to 1001tracklists earns you a backlink and a profile listing that keeps drawing traffic long after upload day. On YouTube specifically, a tracklist formatted as chapters gives viewers a reason to jump around and keep watching instead of dropping off, which is exactly the retention signal the algorithm rewards.

YouTube chapters

YouTube's Automatic Chapter Rules

YouTube only turns a timestamp list into clickable chapters when it follows three rules. The export panel above checks your tracklist against them automatically and lists exactly what's failing if it isn't ready yet:

• The first chapter must start at 0:00
• You need at least 3 chapters total
• Every chapter must be at least 10 seconds long

Capture

How to Grab Timestamps While You Record

The easiest path is letting your recording software do it for you: most DJ mixers and standalone recorders can export a .cue sheet alongside the audio file, marking a new INDEX every time you hit the cue button. Drop that .cue file above and it prefills the whole editor. If your setup doesn't export one, note the mm:ss on your recorder's counter the moment each track drops in, then paste those rough notes into the Paste tab for cleanup.

Either way, plan the set before you record it: the DJ set time calculatorscaffolds how many tracks you need for your target length, so you're publishing a set you already planned rather than reverse-engineering one after the fact.

Unknown tracks

Be Honest About Unreleased IDs

Don't guess at a title you're not sure of: it misleads anyone searching for the real thing and can misattribute a producer's unreleased work. The standard convention is to label it plainly as "ID - ID", or "Artist - ID" if you know the artist but not the track name. If you want to leave yourself a better trail to identify it later, run the clip through the song key & BPM finder and note the key and tempo next to the ID: useful fingerprint data once someone reveals the real title.

Frequently Asked Questions