How to mix two YouTube videos like a DJ
No software, no account: two YouTube videos, one crossfader, in your browser or on your phone. It takes about a minute.
Step by step
- Open the crossfader. Go to the crossfader and press ▶ load the videos. That loads YouTube’s player.
- Pick two tracks. Under each deck, type a search and press SEARCH, or paste a YouTube link. Click a thumbnail to load it, then press play in both videos.
- Slide the crossfader. All the way left plays only the left deck, all the way right only the right deck; in between you hear both. On a keyboard, ← and → move it and Shift + arrow slams it to one side.
- Match the tempo (optional). Open more knobs, press TAP along with the beat of each track (or type its BPM), then press match tempo. YouTube only changes speed in steps of 5%, so hold nudge to pull the beats together by ear.
- Make the transition. Slide slowly over a few bars, or press auto-fade (1 to 120 seconds). The crossfader curve changes how it feels: the 2009 original, smooth, a sharp cut, or an on/off switch.
- Hit the airhorn. Open sound effects for the airhorn, siren, laser, shotgun, crowd, 808 drop, scratch and rewind. Keys 1–4, Q–R and A–F fire them.
- Record and share. Press REC, mix, and press it again. You get a link that replays your moves for anyone, live from YouTube.
Tips for a smooth mix
- Pick tracks with a similar tempo. Two remixes in the same genre are the easy start: the classic is a trance remix of an 80s movie theme on each side.
- Mix at the start of a phrase. Most dance tracks change something every 8 or 16 bars; start the fade there.
- Balance the volume. Uploads are not equally loud. more knobs has a volume slider per deck.
- Find the next track fast. Under each deck, more from this channel shows other uploads by the same channel; click one and it loads on the other deck, ready to fade in.
- A video won’t play? Some uploaders turn off embedding and some videos are blocked in your country. Try another upload of the same track.
On a phone
It works on Android, iPhone and iPad. Android and iPad fade like a computer. On iPhone, Apple doesn’t let websites change a video’s volume, so the crossfader works as a switch: left plays the left deck, right plays the right deck. Tap ▶ in each video once before you start.
Why no EQ, and why no automatic beat sync?
A web page can’t touch the sound of a YouTube video, only its volume and speed, and the speed only moves in 5% steps. So tempo matching gets you close and you do the rest by ear. Very 2009.
Where this comes from: what happened to Two YouTube Videos and a Motherfucking Crossfader. Questions? See the FAQ.