Library & files
Set list
A set list is the running order a DJ intends to play — the sequence rather than the collection. How long it needs to be is arithmetic: slot length divided by how long the records actually run.
Measured in our catalog
The median track in our catalog runs 5:48, so a two-hour set played back to back is about 21 records — and half that again is a sensible list.
The spread is what stops this being one number: a tenth of the catalog runs under 3:32 and a tenth over 7:38, measured across 443,414 tracks with a stored duration. Mixing overlaps the ends, so the real count runs slightly higher than the table — which is the direction you want to be wrong in.
5:48
Median track length
10
Records per hour
3:32
Shortest tenth
7:38
Longest tenth
| Slot | Played end to end | Bring |
|---|---|---|
| 1 hour | 10 | 21 |
| 2 hours | 21 | 41 |
| 3 hours | 31 | 62 |
| 4 hours | 41 | 83 |
| 6 hours | 62 | 124 |
Measured on 11 August 2026 across public tracks carrying a stored duration (443,414 of 443,460), median and deciles taken over all of them.
Why it matters
Under-preparing a slot is the classic first-gig mistake, and it is entirely avoidable because the sum is knowable in advance. The other half of the same mistake is planning a running order so rigid that reading the room means abandoning it.
The useful preparation is a list about twice the length of the slot, ordered loosely, so there is always somewhere to go without there being only one place to go.
In Mixgraph
Build the running order track by track and every neighbour is scored as you go, so the order is what gets judged rather than the collection.
Frequently asked
How many tracks do you need for a 2 hour DJ set?+
About 21 played end to end at the catalog median of 5:48, and roughly double that in the bag. Mixing overlaps the ends, so the played count runs a little higher.
How long is the average DJ track?+
5:48 at the median across 443,414 tracks, with a tenth under 3:32 and a tenth over 7:38. Extended mixes sit at the long end and radio edits at the short.
Should you plan a DJ set in advance?+
Plan the material, not the sequence. A list about twice the length of the slot gives you somewhere to go all night; a fixed running order gives you one place to go and no way to read the room.
Related terms
Playlist vs crate
A crate is a collection of tracks you might play; a playlist is a running order you intend to play. The distinction is order — a crate is a box, a playlist is a sequence.
Energy curve
An energy curve is the shape a set makes over time — where it starts, how steeply it climbs, where it peaks. It is the plan behind a running order, and the thing a crowd feels without being able to name.
Cue sheet
A cue sheet is a small text file listing what plays when inside one long audio recording — track titles, artists and start times. It is how a recorded mix is split into a tracklist without being cut into separate files.
USB prep
USB prep is exporting the tracks, grids, cue points and playlists you need onto a drive a club player can read. What is not exported does not exist once you are behind the decks.
Explore: Set length calculator · Set planning guide · Flow Builder · All DJ terms