ANSWER · ARRANGEMENT & DJ EDIT
Cue points explained
“What are cue points?”
A cue point is a named, saved position in a track, measured from the start of the file. DJs use cue points to jump to the right place instantly: the end of the intro, the first drop, the start of the outro. Club Ready Music computes these for every take and writes them into the MP3 so they appear the moment the file is loaded.
The cue points Club Ready Music creates
| Name | How it is placed |
|---|---|
| start | 0:00, the first beat after the hard start trim |
| vocal in | The first sung line, from the model's lyric section timing |
| intro end | Your intro bar count converted to time at your BPM |
| first drop | Your drop-at-bar setting converted to time |
| outro start | Track length minus your outro bar count |
At 126 BPM a bar lasts 1.905 seconds, so a 16-bar intro ends at 0:30.5 and a drop at bar 32 lands at 1:01. If the model's lyric timing shows the vocal starting before the intro end on a drums-only intro, the intro end cue is pulled forward to the vocal, so the cue reflects what is actually in the audio.
Where they are stored
- In the MP3, as Serato-format hot cues with colours: red for intro, orange for drop, blue for outro, green for others. A Serato beat grid anchored on beat one is written alongside them.
- In the comment tag, as plain text, so any software that shows comments lists the times.
- In the DJ pack, as a
cue points.txtsheet and as position marks in a rekordbox XML. - In the crate's rekordbox XML export, for every ready track at once.
Why they matter for AI tracks
A DJ learns a record's structure by playing it. A freshly rendered track has never been heard, so cue points replace that familiarity: you know where the intro ends and where the drop hits before the first play. Combined with the vocal-free edges, they let a new track go straight into a set.
Cue points and the arrangement
The cues reflect your settings, not a detection of the model's output, except for the vocal in point. Models follow bar counts closely but not perfectly, so a drop may land a phrase early or late. Audition each take with the cue markers visible and you will see any offset immediately. The waveform in the studio shows the intro and outro regions for a first check.
Instrumentals and no-vocal takes
Instrumental renders have no lyric timing, so there is no vocal in cue. The other four are still computed.
Limits
Up to eight cues are written to the MP3. Club Ready Music creates five at most, leaving room for your own.
Frequently asked
Where do the cue times come from?
From your bar settings converted at your BPM, plus the model's lyric timing for the vocal in point.
Can I move a cue point?
Not in Club Ready Music. Your DJ software lets you edit hot cues after import, and the plain-text cue sheet in the DJ pack lists the times.