Don't let your set die: USB & rekordbox basics

When you move from a controller to club CDJs, your music lives on a USB stick that you prep in software beforehand (rekordbox is the standard). It's easy to get right. But it's also the thing most likely to end your night before it starts.

Prep the stick, not just the tracks

• Use a fast, reliable USB. A cheap slow stick will stutter or fail to load at the worst possible moment. I've watched a mate's £3 stick freeze on a packed floor while the promoter stared at his watch.
• Analyze your tracks in rekordbox. It sets the beat grid and BPM, which is what makes sync, quantize, and clean beat-jumping work on the CDJs. Skip this and you're fighting the deck instead of playing it.
• Set your cue points. Drop a cue at the start and a hot cue on the drop so you can jump straight in.
• Export properly (rekordbox/"export" mode) — don't just drag audio files onto the stick; the CDJs need the rekordbox database to read your cues and grids.

Carry a backup. Seriously.

Bring a second USB with the same library. Sticks die. They get left in cabs. They get corrupted. One in your pocket means the difference between a quick swap and a dead set. Eject properly, and label your sticks so you're not squinting at three identical black rectangles in the dark.

Quick tips

• Fast, reliable USB — twice. One's a backup.
• Analyze + set cues in rekordbox before you leave home.
• Export in rekordbox mode, not raw file drag.
• Eject properly; label your sticks.

Grab a couple of CDJ-ready USB drives and you're set for every gig.