Streaming & Digital

CUE Sheet

A plain-text metadata file that stores the track listing and start times for a continuous audio recording such as a DJ mix.

A CUE sheet (file extension .cue) is a plain-text file that maps chapter markers, track titles, artists, and start times onto a single continuous audio file such as a DJ mix or album. Media players and CD burning software read the CUE sheet alongside the audio file to allow listeners to skip between individual tracks within the recording.

Why it matters

When a DJ releases a recorded mix as one continuous audio file, a CUE sheet lets listeners navigate to specific tracks without the DJ having to split the recording into separate files. It also provides the structured metadata (artist, title, start time) that DJ mix hosting platforms and CD creation tools require to display a proper tracklist.

In practice

Most CUE sheets are created manually in a text editor or automatically by DJ recording software. Each TRACK entry specifies an INDEX 01 timestamp in MM:SS:FF format (minutes, seconds, frames at 75 frames per second). Pair the .cue file with the audio file and keep both in the same folder so players can locate the recording.

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Frequently asked questions

A CUE sheet contains a header that names the audio file it references, followed by a numbered TRACK entry for each song. Each entry includes the track number, a title string, a performer string, and an INDEX 01 timestamp that marks where that track begins in the continuous recording. The file is plain ASCII text and can be opened and edited in any text editor.

Major streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal) do not read CUE sheets. CUE sheets are used by local media players such as foobar2000, VLC, and Winamp, as well as by CD burning tools like ImgBurn and EAC. For streaming distribution, a DJ mix must be submitted either as separate audio files per track or as a single file with the tracklist provided as descriptive metadata in the release notes.

They overlap in content but differ in function. A setlist is a planning or reference document listing the tracks a DJ intends to play or did play. A CUE sheet is a machine-readable file that encodes precise start-time timestamps so software can navigate a recorded audio file. A setlist has no fixed format; a CUE sheet follows a defined syntax that media players parse programmatically.

Hey, it's Ben Modigell 👋

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I DJ and produce as so I so — downtempo, minimal, dub house, tech house, and techno (releases on Spotify and SoundCloud, links above). Everything I write here comes from my own gigs, studio sessions, and library cleanups: the rules I follow, the failure modes I've actually hit, and the workflow I use when nobody's watching. If a technique didn't earn its place in my own sets, it doesn't make it into a tutorial.

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