Hot Cues in rekordbox & Mixxx: Set, Delete & Limits
· re:union Radio editorial · 3 min read
How many hot cues do rekordbox and Mixxx allow? Learn to set and delete them with color coding — and how they differ from the classic cue point.
Cue points are the waymarkers in your track: set them once and you'll find every important spot instantly, no searching required. rekordbox and Mixxx offer two distinct tools for this — the classic cue point for re-entry and hot cues for spontaneous jumps mid-set. How many are possible and how to create them in both programs is revealed by a look at their respective manuals.
At a glance
- rekordbox allows up to 8 hot cues (keys A–H) and up to 10 memory cues per track.
- Mixxx supports up to 36 hotcues per deck, though only a portion are visible in the interface by default.
- Colors indicate what's stored: in rekordbox, green marks a cue, orange marks a saved loop.
Cue Point vs. Hot Cue: What's the Difference?
In rekordbox, you first set a simple cue point via the function panel: pause at the desired position, then hit the MEMORY button to save it permanently. Setting a new cue point automatically replaces the previous one, and it's lost when loading another track — only a saved memory cue or hot cue persists. Mixxx has this same separation: every track starts with a single default cue point at the beginning, which can be moved but not deleted, unlike hotcues which can be freely set and removed.
Setting Hot Cues
In rekordbox, click one of the A–H buttons in the HOT CUE panel at the desired position to save a hot cue there, during playback or while paused. If you press the button while a loop is active, rekordbox saves the active loop as a hot cue instead, indicated by the orange color. Mixxx works on a similar principle: click a numbered hotcue button during playback to set the marker at the current position; the button then lights up. Read more about setting and triggering hot cues on the player in our CDJ tricks for hot cues, slip mode & beat jump.
Deleting & Color-Coding Hot Cues
In Mixxx, right-click the hotcue button or the marker in the waveform overview to open the context menu; the trash icon deletes the hot cue. The same menu lets you set the hot cue's label and color. In rekordbox, change a cue marker's color by right-clicking directly in the HOT CUE panel of the sub-info bar.
Hot Cue Bank Lists in rekordbox
Want to reuse hot cues across multiple tracks? rekordbox has Hot Cue Bank Lists: store up to 8 hot cue points from different tracks together and keep them ready for set preparation.
| rekordbox | Mixxx | |
|---|---|---|
| Hot Cues | up to 8 per track (A–H) | up to 36 per deck |
| Cue Points | up to 10 memory cues | 1 default cue point (movable only) |
FAQ
How many hot cues can I set in rekordbox?
Up to 8 hot cues per track, created via the A–H keys in the HOT CUE panel.
Can I color-code a hot cue in Mixxx?
Yes. Via the context menu opened by right-clicking the hotcue button or the waveform marker, you can set both the label and the color.
If you set your cue points to match harmonic transitions, you'll also benefit from our guide to harmonic mixing with the Camelot Wheel.
Source: rekordbox 7 Manual (AlphaTheta), Mixxx Manual: User Interface
