Where to get Mixxx for free
https://www.mixxx.org/download/
We use a number of different DJ programs for laptops and mobile devices, currently Mixxx is one of the best open source options for laptop DJs out there – best of all it’s a completely free. No strings attached, you don’t have to pay to unlock features. It’s also a pretty great music player for personal home usage. The developer has asked for a small donation, which is pretty fair for full usage of a great little program
How to use Mixxx
We recommend the latest version 2.1, you’ll need to use the correct 64 bit or 32 bit version for you computer. Most computers run 64 bit these days. We did notice that the first version 2.0 had serious issues with our DJ music collection. Our large collection houses a few different types of audio files, our library would crash the 2.0 version consistently due to poor file handling – rendering it useless to us. However we the new 2.1 version seems stable, no issues have been observed.
Best in class for auto DJ
Sometimes you want to set it and leave it for background music or perhaps your DJ just needs a break. Mixxx does a good job of automatically cross-fading between songs and moving through playlists without a human.
In particular we prefer Mixxx for auto DJing, the auto pilot function mixes tighter/smoother and has more user friendly playlist system. We use it consistently for this feature, even though Traktor is one of our favorite DJ programs for professional controllerism DJs. It’s a serious piece of software, but not suitable for all scenarios. The “cruise” function on Traktor tends to leave gaps between certain songs, it’s awkward as Traktor is designed for a human DJ with a controller. Their is nothing worse than forgetting that you have “cruise” turned on when you start working your mixer after a break – it cuts the music abruptly creating a DJ fail.
Best in class for DIY DJ
Streaming services like Spotify are great, however they don’t work if your in a remote venue without reliable internet connections. Sometimes you’ll want to have your music on a HD and Mixxx is a great user friendly option. Most music lovers are able to pickup the basics of the software in a few minutes, the basic features aren’t any harder to use than iTunes.
Feature rich
If you are a more advanced DJ user Mixxx has allot of the essential features DJs need. Beat matching, multiple decks, tempo detection, EQ, effects, library and playlists, crates just to name a few. If you are really serious about the art of DJing we recommend a physical controller with Traktor or Serato but Mixxx is a great place to start. PC DJ is another popular paid option.
