Deck controls
Censor
Censor plays the track in reverse for as long as the button is held, then returns playback to where it would have been if you had never pressed it. The timeline continues underneath; only what you hear changes.
In practice
Hold to reverse, release to land back in time. It hides a word without ever losing the beat.
Learn the timing on records you know: the button has to go down slightly before the word and come up after it, and half a beat either side is the difference between clean and obvious. Because the hidden playhead keeps running, you can hold it for a bar and still land correctly, which makes it far more forgiving than a fader cut. If a set genuinely needs clean versions throughout, use them — censor is for the one word you did not expect, not a substitute for the right edit.
Held
How long it reverses
In time
Where it returns you
½ beat
The margin either side
Where these come from: Standard censor behaviour on club media players — documented behaviour, not catalog figures. For what we can measure, see the mechanism underneath it.
Why it matters
It exists to hide a word without losing the beat. Radio and daytime sets need explicit lyrics removed, and every alternative — cutting the fader, jumping a cue, muting — either leaves a hole or loses the position. Censor removes the word and returns you in time.
It is also a usable effect in its own right. A short censor on a percussion hit reads as a stutter rather than as a correction, which is why plenty of DJs use it where nothing needs censoring at all.
Frequently asked
Does censor lose my place in the track?+
No — that is the point of it. Playback continues silently underneath, so releasing the button returns you to exactly where the track would have been.
Is censor the same as reverse play?+
No. Reverse actually plays the track backwards and takes the position with it; censor reverses only what you hear and returns you in time.
Should I use censor instead of clean versions?+
For the occasional unexpected word, yes. For a set that has to be clean throughout, use clean versions — censoring every line is neither reliable nor invisible.
Related terms
Reverse play
Reverse play runs the track backwards and moves the playback position with it, so releasing it leaves you earlier in the record than when you started. Unlike censor, the position genuinely changes.
Slip mode
Slip mode keeps the track running silently underneath whatever you are doing to it. When you release a loop, a scratch or a reverse, playback jumps to where the record would have been if you had never touched it.
Radio edit
A radio edit is a shortened version cut for airplay — usually under four minutes, with the long intro and outro removed and the arrangement tightened. It is the version that gives a DJ the least to work with.
Beat jump
Beat jump moves playback forward or backward by a fixed number of beats while the track keeps playing, landing exactly in time. It skips or repeats sections without ever leaving the grid.
Explore: Planning a radio mix · Slip mode · Radio edit · All DJ terms