How to Optimize Your Rekordbox Playlist Order

The Rekordbox Sorting Problem

Every DJ who uses Rekordbox has run into this: you can sort your playlist by key, or you can sort by BPM, but you can't do both. And even sorting by key only puts tracks in alphabetical key order (A, Ab, Am, B, Bb, Bm...) — which has nothing to do with harmonic compatibility. A minor and Ab major are alphabetically adjacent but harmonically distant.

The standard workaround is the "renumber track order" trick: sort by one column, right-click the column header, and renumber. But this is a single-dimension sort. It can't simultaneously optimize for harmonic flow and energy progression.

DJ.Studio offers a "Harmonize" feature, but it requires installing separate software and importing your library into their ecosystem. What if you just want to take a Rekordbox playlist, get an optimal order, and go?

Step 1: Export Your Playlist from Rekordbox

There are two ways to export from Rekordbox that work with HarmonySet:

Step 2: Upload to HarmonySet

Go to the HarmonySet optimizer and drag your exported file onto the upload area (or click to browse). HarmonySet accepts .xml, .csv, and .txt files.

The parser automatically detects the file format and extracts your track data. You'll see a table with all your tracks, their keys (converted to standard musical notation), and BPMs. Any tracks with unrecognized keys are highlighted so you can spot issues.

Your file never leaves your browser. All parsing happens client-side in JavaScript — nothing is uploaded to any server.

Step 3: Choose Your Energy Mode and Optimize

Pick one of three energy modes based on your set context:

• Ramp Up — BPM increases through the set. Best for peak-time slots and opening-to-main transitions.
• Ramp Down — BPM decreases through the set. Best for closing sets and after-hours wind-downs.
• Wave — BPM alternates between peaks and valleys. Best for longer sets where you want dynamic energy shifts.

Hit "Optimize Playlist" and the algorithm runs in under a second. You'll get the optimized track order, a before/after quality score comparison, a circle of fifths visualization of your harmonic path, and a per-transition breakdown showing which transitions are perfect (green), acceptable (yellow), or clashing (red).

Step 4: Download and Use the Optimized Order

Download the optimized playlist as a CSV file. You can then use this order as a reference when reordering your playlist manually in Rekordbox, or import it into other tools.

For the fastest workflow: open HarmonySet and Rekordbox side by side. Follow the optimized order in HarmonySet and drag tracks into the matching position in your Rekordbox playlist. Use the "renumber track order" function after reordering to lock in the sequence for export to USB.

Why This Beats Rekordbox's Built-in Sorting

Rekordbox sorts by a single column — key OR BPM, not both. And its key sort is alphabetical, not harmonic. HarmonySet uses the actual circle of fifths distances between keys, weighted by BPM-based energy flow, solved with a mathematical optimization algorithm that evaluates every possible ordering.

The result is a playlist that flows harmonically AND energetically — something no column sort can achieve.