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Beat DJ Zero to Hero: Complete Beginner's Guide to Command-Line Music Production

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Beat DJ Zero to Hero: Complete Beginner's Guide to Command-Line Music Production

This may be out of date by around August 2026. The latest version is always on the Guide page.

Ready to become a Beat DJ wizard? This comprehensive guide will take you from complete beginner to advanced user, following the same progression that's built into Beat DJ itself. The command-line interface has a learning curve, but it's the fastest way to make music once you master it. Let's dive in!

Level 0: Getting Your Setup Ready (1 min)

You'll be making music in a couple minutes but first let's ensure your Beat DJ interface is comfortable and usable. Think of this as setting up your workspace.

Font and Display Settings

font

This command lets you adjust the font size and color. You can either run font and answer the prompts, or pass arguments directly like font 16 cyan. Choose a size that's easy to read and a color that's comfortable for your eyes.

screen

Adjusts your screen resolution for optimal performance. If you're unsure about the settings, just press Enter to accept the default values shown in parentheses.

scroll

Fine-tune your scroll sensitivity to match your preference.

Interface Customization

One of Beat DJ's unique features is its draggable interface. Hover your mouse over any element and you'll see drag buttons appear. You can rearrange the entire interface to suit your workflow. Position the console, waveform display, and other elements exactly where you want them.

Pro Tip: If you get stuck on any command, press Ctrl+C to cancel and try again.

Level 1: Making Your First Sounds

Time to make some noise! This is where Beat DJ starts to feel magical.

Loading Sounds

src

First, set your source folder – this tells Beat DJ where to find your audio files.

s

Load a random sound, or be specific: s kick to load a kick drum.

cs clap

Load sounds from Beat DJ's cloud database using cs (cloud splitter). This gives you access to thousands of professionally processed samples.

Basic Playback Control

p

Play your loaded sounds.

st

Stop playback (you can also use stop).

bpm

Set your tempo. Beat DJ automatically chops and fits all your sounds to match.

Essential Commands

  • 0 d – Delete sound 0
  • a d – Delete all sounds
  • ai – Ask the built-in AI assistant questions
  • help – View all available commands
  • help <command> – Learn about a specific command

Navigation Tips: Use up/down arrows to scroll through your command history, and Tab to re-run the last command.

Level 2: Sound Editing Mastery

Now we'll learn Beat DJ's editing system. Remember: the sound selection always comes first, then the command, then arguments.

Basic Editing Commands

The pattern is always: <selection> <command> <arguments>

0 le 16

Set the length of sound 0 to 16 sixteenth notes.

kick in 3

Position the kick drum at the 3rd sixteenth note.

0 shi -2

Shift sound 0 left by 2 sixteenth notes (use positive numbers to shift right).

Pattern Creation

hat pat

Create a grid pattern for your hi-hat. Beat DJ will ask you questions to build the perfect rhythm.

1 shu

Shuffle the order of chops in sound 1, adding human feel and variation.

Advanced Selection Types

Beat DJ offers powerful selection systems:

  • a mel – Change melody of all sounds
  • 0,1,2 dyn – Apply dynamics to sounds 0, 1, and 2
  • 3-6 ve – Apply volume envelope to sounds 3 through 6
  • h mut – Mute all high-frequency sounds

Run sel to see all selection types (then Ctrl+C to cancel).

Useful Editing Tools

  • cinch – Trim or expand chops by sixteenth notes
  • durations – Set individual chop durations
  • undo/redo – Revert changes to individual sounds
  • 0 sep – Separate a sound into multiple new sounds
  • 0-4 joi – Join sounds 0-4 into a single sound

Level 3: Effects and Live Performance

Effects Racks

Beat DJ has 6 effects racks for organizing your sound processing:

0 rac 1

Put sound 0 into effects rack 1.

fx 1

Choose effects for rack 1.

Direct Sound Modifiers

0 mo bitcrush 7

Apply bitcrush effect to sound 0 with intensity 7 (0-9 scale).

0 mo distortion 9306

Apply distortion with a pattern – 9 intensity, 3 intensity, 0 off, 6 intensity across the chops.

Live Performance Setup

Beat DJ's 4-channel system lets you mix between headphones and speakers like a DJ:

0 mv 1

Move sound 0 to speakers with a transition time (you'll be prompted).

kick mv -1

Move the kick to headphones for cueing.

a mv 0

Move all sounds to the staging area.

Sound Banks for Live Sets

bank techno

Create a genre-specific sound bank.

0 sb

Save sound 0 to the current bank.

lb kick

Load a kick from the bank – it automatically fits to your current BPM and scale.

Level 4: Global Controls and Project Management

Scales and Harmony

sc

Create or modify musical scales. Beat DJ automatically pitches all sounds to match your chosen scale.

Recording and Export

rec

Record your performance with all effects.

a exp

Export all sounds without effects (dry stems).

Project Management

save

Save your current project.

load

Load a saved project.

fil

View all your files and projects.

Advanced Global Controls

  • tts – Text-to-speech for adding vocal elements
  • timeSig – Change time signature (affects algorithms and display)
  • zi/zo – Zoom in/out for detailed editing

Level 5: Song Structure and Arrangement

Beat DJ creates larger structures by combining loops:

AI-Assisted Arrangement

ai create song structure

Let Beat DJ's AI generate a complete song structure for you.

Manual Arrangement

0 arr p --xx

Create arrangement patterns – this example is off for 2 phrases, then on for 2 phrases.

Spans (Mathematical Approach)

0 spp 1 2 2

Sound 0 plays from phrase 1 to 2, every 2 phrases.

1 spp 2 4 8

Sound 1 plays from phrase 2 to 4, every 8 phrases.

Level 6: Synthesis and Sound Design

Generated Sounds

g sinewave

Generate synthesized sounds. Check the Generators folder to see all available synth scripts.

Precision Splitting

ps 0 break

Create break-style chops (shortest).

ps 9 pad

Create pad-style chops (longest).

Use different precision values (0-9) for different musical styles: ps 2 bass, ps 3 chord.

Level 7: Advanced Editing Techniques

Rhythmic Manipulation

1 rol

Add rolls to create build-ups and tension.

0 egg

Apply egg-shaped timing (learn more about wonk patterns).

0 swi

Add swing feel to your rhythm.

Micro-Timing and Humanization

0 mt

Apply micro-timing offsets for groove.

0 hum

Humanize timing for organic feel.

Chop Manipulation

  • rot – Rotate chop order
  • rev – Reverse chops
  • 0 tra – Remove transients (attack portions)

Workflow Optimization

opt

Disable optional arguments to speed up your workflow – Beat DJ will use default values instead of asking questions.

Level 8: Visualization and Visual Performance

Themes and Backgrounds

theme

Choose from various visual themes.

img

Add background images to your performance.

sky

Control procedural sky backgrounds.

Live Visuals

vip

Use polygon visualizers that respond to your music. Check the Visualizers/VizPoly folder for available scripts, or write your own in C#.

vid

Play video files synchronized to your music.

Level 9: Custom Workflows and Automation

Advanced Automation

combo

Create reusable command combinations. Save complex sequences as single commands.

short

Bind keyboard shortcuts to frequently used commands.

sch

Schedule commands to run repeatedly at specific intervals.

sco

Schedule one-time commands for future execution.

Level 10: You're Now a Beat DJ Wizard!

Congratulations! You've mastered the complete Beat DJ workflow. You can now:

  • Set up and customize your interface
  • Load and manipulate sounds with precision
  • Create complex arrangements and song structures
  • Perform live with professional DJ-style mixing
  • Design custom sounds and effects
  • Automate your workflow with advanced commands
  • Create stunning visual performances

Next Steps

Now that you're a Beat DJ wizard, explore advanced topics like:

The command-line interface that seemed daunting at first is now your superpower – you can create, edit, and perform music faster than ever before. Welcome to the future of music production with Beat DJ!