How to · Rekordbox

Set quantize (beat snap) in Rekordbox.

Quantize locks your hot cues, loops, and beat jumps to the grid so nothing lands off the beat. Getting it right starts with an accurate beatgrid.

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Rekordbox deck view with quantize enabled and a hot cue snapping to the beatgrid

Quantize active in Rekordbox 7, with a cue point locked to the downbeat.

Set quantize (beat snap) in Rekordbox, step by step.

Quantize in Rekordbox forces hot cues, loops, and beat jump actions to snap to the nearest beat division. Here is how to enable and configure it in Rekordbox 7.x.

Open Preferences and navigate to Controller > Others

Click the gear icon in the top-right corner of Rekordbox to open Preferences. In the left-hand category list, select Controller, then click the Others tab within it. This is where quantize behavior for performance mode is configured, and it is available regardless of whether a controller is connected.

Enable Quantize and set the beat division

Under the Others tab, locate the Quantize section. You can toggle quantize on or off independently for hot cues and loops. Below those toggles, set the Quantize Beat Value - options typically range from 1 beat down to 1/8 or 1/16 beat. A 1-beat value is the most forgiving for standard mixing; smaller divisions give finer control for precise drops.

Confirm the Q indicator is lit during performance

In Performance view, each virtual deck has a small Q button. When quantize is active for that deck, the Q illuminates red. You can toggle quantize on and off per deck in real time by pressing the Q on the virtual deck, using a dedicated button on your controller, or using the keyboard shortcut (Q for Deck 1, Y for Deck 2 in Performance mode).

Verify your beatgrid is accurate before relying on snap

Quantize is only as good as the beatgrid underneath it. In Export mode, click the GRID button (below the CUE/LOOP button) to open the Grid edit panel. Confirm the grid markers align with visible transients in the waveform, especially at the downbeat. If the grid drifts, use the grid editing tools to pin and correct it before your set.

The catch

If a track has an inaccurate or misaligned beatgrid, quantize will snap cues and loops to the wrong position, making your performance less precise rather than more.

Track 001

Artist A

128

Afterhours

Mysterious

Introspective

Track 001

Artist A

128

Afterhours

Mysterious

Introspective

Track 002

Artist B

124

Cozy Floor

Peaceful

Home

Track 002

Artist B

124

Cozy Floor

Peaceful

Home

Track 003

Artist C

132

Rave

Aggressive

Festival

Build & Release

Track 003

Artist C

132

Rave

Aggressive

Festival

Build & Release

Where Vibes fits

A cleaner grid before you ever open Rekordbox.

Vibes analyzes every track and builds a downbeat-locked beatgrid during prep, so by the time you load a track in Rekordbox with quantize on, the grid is already accurate and your cues snap where you expect.

See how it works

Downbeat-locked beatgrid analysis during track import, not just BPM detection

Key and BPM displayed together so you spot grid anomalies before they cause problems live

Auto cue points placed at detected sections (intro, drop, breakdown) that land on accurate grid beats

Exports cue points directly into Rekordbox master.db so grid-aligned cues are waiting in your software

Organize in Vibes, export to Rekordbox.

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. Quantize is a live performance feature inside Rekordbox and must be configured and toggled there. Vibes is a prep and library tool. It contributes by delivering an accurate beatgrid and pre-placed cue points, which makes quantize more reliable once you are performing.

Start with 1 beat for most house and techno mixing. Drop to 1/2 or 1/4 if you want to place cues mid-beat, for example on an offbeat snare or a half-bar phrase. A smaller value gives more flexibility but also more room for small timing slips to go unnoticed.

A drifting or misaligned beatgrid is almost always the cause. Rekordbox can analyze BPM correctly but still place the downbeat one beat off, so the grid looks close but every snap lands on the wrong note. Fix the grid in Rekordbox Edit Grid view, or run the track through Vibes analysis which builds a downbeat-locked grid from scratch.

Methodology