Deck controls
Performance pads
Performance pads are the grid of rubber buttons on a controller or player. Each pad mode reassigns the whole grid to a different job — hot cues, loop rolls, slicing, samples or beat jumps.
In practice
Pick two pad modes and stay in them: hot cues for navigation, rolls for tension. The rest are for records you know.
The modes are not equally useful on the fly. Hot cue and roll cover almost everything a mix needs; slicer and sampler reward preparation and punish improvisation, because both assume you know exactly what is under each pad. Beat jump is the underrated one — it moves you a fixed number of bars without a cue point, which is how you skip a long breakdown you did not plan for.
| Mode | What the pads become | When it earns its place |
|---|---|---|
| Hot cue | Saved entry points | Every record, every set |
| Loop roll | Repeats of 1/4 to 4 beats | The bar before a landing |
| Beat jump | Fixed jumps forward or back | Skipping an unplanned section |
| Slicer | Eight slices of the current bar | Prepared, on records you know |
| Sampler | One-shots and loops you loaded | Prepared, and sparingly |
Where these come from: Standard pad modes across CDJs and controllers, and a technique convention — not catalog figures. For what we can measure, see the mode you will use most.
Why it matters
The pads are where a DJ setup stops being two record players and starts being an instrument. The same eight buttons are a set of entry points in one mode and a rhythmic effect in another, and switching between them mid-record is the whole technique.
The practical consequence is that pad mode is a decision you make before you need it. Hunting for the right mode with a mix already running is the most common way a pad move turns into a mistake, so most DJs settle on two modes and live in them.
Frequently asked
What are the pad modes on a DJ controller?+
Typically hot cue, loop roll, beat jump, slicer and sampler. Each reassigns the same eight pads to a different job, so the grid is a different instrument depending on the mode selected.
Which pad mode should I use?+
Hot cue for navigation and loop roll for tension will cover almost every mix. Slicer and sampler reward preparation, so they belong on records you already know rather than on anything improvised.
What is beat jump used for?+
Moving a fixed number of bars forward or back without a cue point. It is the fastest way out of a breakdown that is longer than the mix you planned around it.
Related terms
Hot cue
A hot cue is a saved position in a track that plays from that point the instant you press its pad. Most players store eight per track, and they are stored with the file rather than with the session.
Loop roll
A loop roll repeats a short slice of the track — usually a beat or less — while the record keeps running underneath. Release it and playback continues from where it would have been, so nothing is lost.
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.
Quantize
Quantize snaps your actions to the beatgrid: a cue point, a loop or a hot cue fires on the next grid line rather than the instant your finger lands. The setting decides how coarse that grid line is.
Explore: Hot cue · Loop roll · Mixing guides · All DJ terms