How to · VirtualDJ

Set cue points in VirtualDJ.

VirtualDJ stores cue points as POIs, points of interest, alongside saved loops and other markers. Here is how to set hot cues on the deck and manage them properly in the POI editor.

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Cues placed at the moments that matter make every transition easier.

Set cue points in VirtualDJ, step by step.

In VirtualDJ, cue points are one type of POI, the umbrella system that also covers saved loops, beatgrid anchors, and automix points. You set hot cues from the deck's pads and manage everything in the POI editor.

Load the track and open the cue pads

Load the track onto a deck and make sure the performance pads are showing the hot cue page. In most default skins the pads sit under each deck; on a controller, select the cue pad mode.

Set hot cues at the key moments

Play or scrub to the moment you want to mark and press an empty cue pad to set a hot cue there. A common scheme is cue 1 at the first beat, cue 2 at the end of the intro, then the drop, the breakdown, and the start of the outro, in the same slots on every track so muscle memory transfers.

Open the POI editor to refine

Right-click the track in the browser or use the deck's track options to open the POI editor. It lists every POI on the track with its position, type, name, and color. Nudge positions so cues sit exactly on the beat, and delete accidental ones.

Name and color your cues

In the POI editor, give cues short names such as INTRO, DROP, or OUTRO and assign consistent colors per role. Names and colors show on the pads and waveform, which is what makes a track readable at a glance two hours into a set.

The catch

Cue placement is manual per track. Marking the intro, drop, breakdown, and outro across a few thousand tracks is real work, and VirtualDJ does not place structural cues for you.

bass

mids

highs

lead

intro

verse

buildup

drop

breakdown

outro

Where Vibes fits

Know the structure before you set a single cue

Vibes does not export to VirtualDJ, so its auto-detected cue points cannot land in your VirtualDJ database; cue export works for Rekordbox and Engine DJ. For a VirtualDJ user the value is the analysis itself: Vibes detects intro, buildup, drop, breakdown, and outro on every track and shows them on a section-colored waveform, so when you do open the POI editor you already know exactly where each cue belongs.

See how it works

Auto-detects intro, buildup, drop, breakdown, and outro on every track during local analysis

Section-colored waveform view shows track structure at a glance, so cue placement decisions are made before you open VirtualDJ

Energy curve per track reveals where the intensity actually peaks, not just where the arrangement changes

If you also run Rekordbox or Engine DJ, the detected cue points export straight into those libraries

Organize in Vibes, export to VirtualDJ.

Your playlists, tags, ratings, and cue points travel back to the gear you play on, so nothing you do in Vibes is locked away.

Track 001

Artist A

128

Afterhours

Mysterious

Introspective

Track 002

Artist B

124

Cozy Floor

Peaceful

Home

Track 003

Artist C

132

Rave

Aggressive

Festival

Build & Release

Playlists

Vibes

Mood

Aggressive

Euphoric

Melancholic

Mysterious

Peaceful

Playful

Tense

Function

Arrangement

Sets

Club Night 12/28

NYE Closing Set

Rooftop 01/04

Frequently asked questions

The honest answers, including the trade-offs.

No. Vibes exports cue points into Rekordbox and Engine DJ, but it has no VirtualDJ integration, so cues in VirtualDJ must be set by hand in the POI system. Vibes still shortens that work by showing you each track's detected sections up front, so placement is a decision you have already made.

POI stands for point of interest, VirtualDJ's umbrella term for markers saved on a track. Hot cues are the most common type, but POIs also cover saved loops, beatgrid anchors, load points, and automix mix points. The POI editor is where you view, rename, recolor, and fine-tune all of them in one list.

Yes. Keeping the same meaning in the same slot, for example cue 1 always the first beat and cue 3 always the drop, means you never have to think about what a pad does mid-set. Consistent colors per role reinforce it, since you read the color on the waveform faster than any label.

Methodology