Documentation

LOADING TRACKS

openCrate supports multiple ways to load tracks onto each deck:

• Suno Playlists — Paste a Suno playlist URL (e.g. suno.com/playlist/...) and click FETCH. All tracks load into the crate.
• Individual Suno Songs — Paste a single Suno song URL (e.g. suno.com/song/...) to load one track.
• SoundCloud — Paste a SoundCloud playlist or track URL. Tracks are loaded via streaming proxy.
• Spotify — Paste a Spotify playlist or album URL. Note: Spotify provides 30-second preview clips only, due to licensing restrictions.

Tracks appear as vinyl records in the crate below the input field. Click any vinyl to load it onto the deck's turntable.

CRATE MANAGEMENT

Your loaded tracks appear as vinyl records in the crate. You can:

• Add more tracks — Fetch another playlist URL to append tracks to the existing crate.
• Delete individual tracks — Right-click a vinyl record or use the × button to remove it from the crate.
• Clear all tracks — Use the CLEAR button in the crate header to empty the entire crate.
• Duplicate crate — Use the copy button to duplicate your entire crate to the other deck.
• Hover to preview — Hover over vinyl records to see the track name and artist.

DECK CONTROLS

Each deck (A and B) provides the following playback controls:

• PLAY / PAUSE — Start or pause playback. The turntable spins while playing and the waveform animates in real-time.
• BPM Display — BPM is auto-detected when a track loads and displayed in the deck header LCD screen.
• TEMPO Fader — Adjust playback speed from -50% to +50%. The adjusted BPM is shown in real-time.
• SYNC — Press SYNC on a deck to match its BPM to the other deck. This adjusts the tempo fader automatically.
• Waveform Display — WaveSurfer.js waveform shows the full track with a playback cursor. Scrub by clicking on the waveform.
• Spectrum Visualizer — Animated frequency bars show visual activity while a track is playing.

MIXER PANEL

The central MIXER panel sits between the two decks and provides all mixing controls:

TRANSITIONS

The mixer offers 6 one-touch transition presets. The direction indicator shows which deck the transition will move to (e.g., A → B or B → A). Each transition animates the crossfader automatically:

• BASS SWAP — Kills the bass on the outgoing deck, swaps low-end to the incoming deck, then fades the crossfader. Classic DJ technique for seamless handoffs.
• CLEAN FADE — Smooth linear crossfade from one deck to the other. The simplest and most versatile transition.
• FILTER SWEEP — Applies a low-pass filter to the outgoing deck while sweeping a high-pass filter on the incoming deck. Creates a dramatic frequency-based transition.
• ECHO DROP — Drops the EQ on the outgoing deck creating an echo effect, then fast-fades the crossfader. Great for builds and drops.
• PUNCH CUT — Hard, instant cut from one deck to the other. No fade, no gradual blend. Snaps the crossfader immediately.
• STUTTER — Rapid alternating crossfader pulses between decks, creating a chopping effect before settling on the incoming deck.

SFX PAD BANK

A 4x4 grid of 16 sound effect trigger pads organized into 4 color-coded categories. Tap any pad to fire the effect immediately. Multiple pads can be triggered simultaneously. Effects are synthesized in real-time using Tone.js and play over both decks (bypassing the crossfader).

Each pad lights up in its category color while the effect is active. A VOL knob in the header controls the master SFX output level.

MIX RECORDING

Record your live mix and download it as an audio file:

• REC button — Press the red circular button in the RECORDING section of the mixer to start capturing your mix.
• Timer — The LCD display shows elapsed recording time in MM:SS format. It pulses red while recording.
• Stop — Press the square stop button to end the recording.
• Download — After stopping, click SAVE to download your mix as a .webm audio file.
• Recording LED — The red LED in the header blinks while recording is active.

Recording captures everything going through the master output, including both decks, transitions, EQ, filters, and SFX.

AUTO-MIX

Enable AUTO-MIX in the header to automatically trigger a transition when the active deck has 15 seconds or less remaining. Make sure the other deck has a track loaded and ready. The selected transition type from the mixer will be used.

MOBILE LAYOUT

On mobile devices, openCrate switches to a tab-based layout:

• Tab bar — Switch between Deck A, MIXER, and Deck B views.
• Persistent bottom controls — Play/pause buttons for both decks are always visible at the bottom of the screen, regardless of which tab is active.
• Touch-optimized — All pads, buttons, and faders are sized for touch interaction.

FOOTER NAVIGATION

The footer provides links to Help, Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy. These pages open as an overlay on top of the DJ interface, so your music never stops playing. Press Escape or click outside the overlay to close it.

AI STUDIO

The Studio lets you generate AI tracks using intuitive controls, then mix them live.

• Mood Wheel — Drag the red dot on the 2D mood wheel to set energy (left-right) and darkness (top-bottom). This shapes the feel of your generated track.
• Genre — Select from 10 genres including deep house, techno, ambient, drum & bass, lo-fi, and more.
• BPM — Set tempo from 60–180 BPM using the rotary knob. Drag up/down to adjust.
• Key — Choose a musical key for harmonic consistency with your existing tracks.
• Energy — Slide to control the intensity level of the generated track.
• Duration — Select track length from 1 to 5 minutes.
• Prompt — Optionally describe your track in words for more specific results.
• Generate — Tap GENERATE to create your track. It will automatically appear in your Library.
• Variations — Generate variations of existing tracks using the DARKER, MORE ENERGY, and ADD DROP buttons in your generation history.

TIPS & TRICKS

• Load a playlist on both decks for continuous mixing — use the copy button to duplicate your crate.
• Use SYNC before a transition to match BPMs for a seamless blend.
• EQ technique: cut the bass on the incoming track, transition, then bring the bass back in for a professional swap.
• Layer SFX pads — trigger a RISER before a transition, then hit DROP as the new track comes in.
• The LED indicators throughout the interface show active states: green for playing, orange for loading, and blinking for transitions in progress.
• Try combining FILTER SWEEP transitions with manual EQ cuts for maximum drama.
• Use the STUTTER transition sparingly — it is most effective as a surprise element.