Adding or editing a record

To add or edit a record, you must open the the database and click on the "Add record" button or "Edit" button.

Input fields

You may add song information like artist, title, label, catalog number, country, year, genre. Those fields are not required but if you enter them, you can use the filter options in preferences to create playlists based on one or more of these fields. If you leave the fields "artist" and "title" blank, the player will show the filename as alternative.

The genre field

You may add multiple genres in the "genre" field, seperating them by a comma. You can use this field to add genres like "rock", "techno", "rap", but also you can add keywords like "strong beats", "romantic", "german vocals", "remix", "sad", "happy", "covered song", "male vocals" et cetera. Or you can type the name of a producer for example, so you can later create a playlist with songs made by this producer.

The BPM field

MixPerfect does automatically calculate the estimated bpm of the song. You may alter it, if you know the exact bpm. This is not required but can be usefull with placing markers. After you placed markers the exact BPM will be recalculated.

Adding a sleeve

It is not required to add a sleeve. You can use the button next to the sleeve field or the grey square to open an image. The image file must be in the indicated sleeve folder. Allow file extensions are: .jpg, .bmp, .png.

The waveform

The audiofile is displayed as waveform. This make it easy to find mix points.

Changing the waveform scale

The height of the waveform can be changed with the slider at the left of the waveform to to get a clearer picture.

Zoom buttons

Use the zoom buttons below the waveform to zoom in, zoom out, zoom to a selection or to display the full waveform.

The cursor

The cursor is the yellow vertical line in the waveform. You can move it by clicking somewhere in the waveform. This is usefull for zooming and playback.

Play the song

You can listen to (a part) of the song with spacebar or the play button at the top left. First move the cursor to the position from where you want to listen. You can also zoom in if necessary. Then click on the stop button or hit spacebar again to stop playing.

Placing mixpoints

You can indicate mixpoints by zooming in, place the cursor at the wanted position and select a marker in the marker box at the left of the waveform. Set the selected marker by clicking the "add" button. If you made a mistake, you can always remove a marker with the "delete" button.

Intro markers - Intro markers are required and indicate the begin and end position of the intro. You get the best result if you choose the least noisy parts, for example only beats, a vocal or a melody. You can often recognize such quiet parts in the waveform. If you add a "intro begin" marker, an "intro end" marker is automatically set (if possible) and the intro will get a yellow color. You can do it vice versa: first add an "intro end" marker, and an "intro begin" marker will be set automatically. The automatically placed marker is an estimated position (based on the BPM input field) and and possible must be moved a bit for an optimal result. Important: the intro must always has a length of 32 beats (this may be less if you place a loop).

Intro prestart marker - After you have set the intro markers, you can also place an "intro prestart" marker (if desired). This can be useful if a voice or melody starts just before the beginning of the intro. The "intro prestart" marker must be set before the "intro begin" marker.

Intro loop markers - It is also possible to mix songs with a short intro (less than 32 beats) by placing an "intro loop begin" marker and an "intro loop end" marker between the intro markers. After placing those intro loop markers, zoom out until the full loop is visible, right-click on the loop and enter how many times the loop must be repeated. If you don't know how to calculate this value you may also enter the number of beats between the "intro begin" and "intro end" markers and the number of beats between the "intro loop begin" and "intro loop end" markers (separate both values by a comma).

Intro beat markers - If you've noticed the beats are not in sync after testing with the "beat sync test" button, and if you are 100% sure that you made no mistakes (markers are at the correct position and loops repeat correctly), you can place a "intro beat" marker on each beat position to correct this. It's sometimes necessary with old vinyl recordings.

Break markers - Break markers are required and indicate the begin and end position of the break. You get the best result if you choose the least noisy parts, for example only beats, a vocal or a melody. You can often recognize such quiet parts in the waveform. If you add a "break begin" marker, an "break end" marker is automatically set (if possible) and the break will get a blue color. You can do it vice versa: first add an "break end" marker, and an "break begin" marker will be set automatically. The automatically placed marker is an estimated position (based on the BPM input field) and and possible must be moved a bit for an optimal result. Important: the break must always has a length of 32 beats (this may be less if you place a loop).

Break loop markers - It is also possible to mix songs with a short break (less than 32 beats) by placing an "break loop begin" marker and an "break loop end" marker between the break markers. After placing those break loop markers, zoom out until the full loop is visible, right-click on the loop and enter how many times the loop must be repeated. If you don't know how to calculate this value you may also enter the number of beats between the "break begin" and "break end" markers and the number of beats between the "break loop begin" and "break loop end" markers (separate both values by a comma).

Break mute marker - Optionally place a "break mute" marker if you want to switch off the sound in the break at a certain point. For example, when a melody or singing begins just before the end of the break.

Break continue marker - Optionally place a "break continue" marker if you want to continue mixing a small part after the break. This can be useful to complete a sung phrase or sound effect)

Break beat markers - If you've noticed the beats are not in sync after testing with the "beat sync test" button, and if you are 100% sure that you made no mistakes (markers are at the correct position and loops repeat correctly), you can place a "break beat" marker on each beat position to correct this. It's sometimes neccesary with old vinyl recordings.


TIP: Intro and break must have approximately have the same length. To check whether this is the case, you can doubleclick on the blue or yellow part to compare their lengths.

Skip markers - With skip markers you can shorten a song. During playback, MixPerfect will skip the part between the "skip begin" and "skip end" markers. If you do this well, you will not notice this during playback. For example, set the "skip start" marker at the first beat of a chorus. Then search for a chorus later in the song and put the "end marker" on the first beat of that chorus. To test whether the cut sounds good you can place the cursor in front of the "skip begin" marker and click on the play button. Please note that skip markers can only be placed between the "intro end" marker and "break begin" marker.

Intro and break checkboxes

Above the waveform you see checkboxes for the intro and break. It's not required to select any of these checkboxes, but if you want to create harmonious mixes, it's recommended to use them. Listen which elements (vocal, bass, melody, beat) you hear in the intro and break and select those checkboxes. Optionally you can also select the intro-fade-in checkbox (useful if the intro starts loud or with incomplete vocals), and select the break-fade-out checkbox (useful if the break has a loud ending).

"Beat sync test" button

You will get only smooth transitions if the markers are placed correctly. The "Beat sync test" is a tool to check if you did it right. Click on the "Beat sync test" button at the top left to open the beat sync test window.

"Save" button

If you've passed the beat sync test, you can save the record by clicking the "save" button at the top right. You will return to the database.