Back-to-back, from wherever you both are.
Back2Back lets two DJs play a live set together from separate locations, as if they were in the same room. It works just like a regular B2B set in front of a live audience, except the audience is listening online and both DJs can be anywhere in the world.
During a MIDI session, you and your B2B partner share one pair of decks and a mixer in the Back2Back app, played with a MIDI controller or with the keyboard and mouse on the on-screen decks. Whoever is on-air has the decks; the other DJ listens and gets their next track ready in their headphones. When the on-air DJ presses Hand off, the decks go over as they’re playing: on a controller, the incoming DJ turns their knobs to where the sound is, and the decks are theirs. Nothing stops and nothing jumps. The Back2Back app deals with the latency, timing and audio routing, so you can focus on mixing.
The app does all of the work.
There’s no audio interface to wire up and no soundcheck: the decks and mixer are in the app, and both of you hear exactly the same set. The app tells you whose decks they are, what a handoff is doing, and which of your controls still need turning.
Handoff flow
DJ-A
- Mix a few tracks as you usually would
- Press Hand off in the Back2Back app. Your controls are held from here
DJ-B
- On a controller, the app lists which of your knobs and faders don’t match the sound yet, and where to turn them
- Turn each one round until it matches. On the keyboard and mouse there’s nothing to match: the on-screen controls simply take their positions
- Once they all match, the decks are yours, playing just as they were, and you’re on-air
- Mix in another track and carry on mixing as you usually would
- When ready, hand off back to DJ-A by pressing Hand off in the Back2Back app.
Continue handing back-and-forth for the rest of the session.
One pair of decks, shared
The decks are on screen, so a controller is optional: everything can be played with the keyboard and mouse, and a controller simply makes it easier. Both apps play the same two decks, so the set sounds exactly the same in both locations, with nothing to catch up and no count-in.
While the other DJ has the decks, yours are greyed out, but your headphones, levels and library are still yours, so you can get your next track ready.
Each track you play is sent to the other DJ while it plays, so a handoff never waits for a download.
Everyone hears one seamless mix
Listeners don’t need the app. A session can be heard from a web page that can be opened on a phone, tablet or laptop, with nothing to install.
Listeners hear one continuous seamless set, whoever has the decks. Listeners can comment on sessions and follow DJs so they are notified when a session starts or a future session has been scheduled.
All currently live public sessions can be found here. Private sessions require a private link from the DJs in the session in order to listen to the session.
Session flow
Invite the other DJ
Invite another DJ on the platform to play now, or schedule a future session together. Use the DJs wanted feature to find other DJs on the platform to perform a session with.
Set up your decks
No soundcheck needed. Plug in your controller if you have one, choose where the set plays and your headphones, and load your music. Next session, it’s all ready to go.
Play, hand over, play
Take turns handing off to each other for as long as you both have On-Air time.
Keep the recording
Every set is recorded for the DJs who played the session to download, for 3 days after the session ends. Download the ones you want to keep. After 3 days it’s deleted.
Best practices
- Hand off as soon as possible
- Press Hand off as soon as your mix into a track is done. The decks go over while they’re playing, so the sooner you hand off, the more of the track the other DJ has to make their mix.
- Bring your controls round straight away
- On a controller: once a handoff starts, the decks are held until the incoming DJ’s knobs and faders match the sound. The app says which ones to turn and where to, so do it as soon as it asks: the sooner they match, the sooner you’re on-air and the more time you’ll have to mix in the next track.
- Get your next track ready while you listen
- While the other DJ has the decks, find and cue up your next track in your headphones, so you’re ready to mix as soon as the decks are yours.
- Don't hog the session
- DJs can request that the other DJ performs a Handoff in the session. The request is valid for 10 seconds. The currently playing DJ can accept or decline the request. If the currently playing DJ has been playing for more than 10 minutes and the other DJ has requested handoff twice already, handoff will be automatically activated and pass to the requesting DJ on the third request.
In the app
- Up to four steps to set up
- Before you’re in, the app takes you through up to four steps: your speakers and headphones, with a test sound through each, your controller, its meters, then a check of each deck. Then press Join the session.
- Your controller’s meters
- If your controller has level meters, Back2Back can light them while the decks play. Watch each meter climb in turn and tick the ones that did. Skip meters goes on without them, and Find the meters, on Ready, brings you back.
- Joined first?
- You wait on the decks. Load and cue: PLAY unlocks when the countdown ends, and what you load goes into the set. Back to set-up, beside Leave session, takes you back to Ready, still in the session.
- QUANTIZE and RELEASE
- QUANTIZE keeps hot cues, loops and needle drops on the beat. RELEASE is how fast a record you let go of on the jog comes back to tempo, like a CDJ’s vinyl speed adjust.
- Your music
- TRACKS opens your music over the decks: your rekordbox collection, a rekordbox USB stick, a Music folder or Apple Music. With XML Auto Export on, the rekordbox collection is read again each time rekordbox closes: see how to turn it on. On a Mac, Apple Music is read from the Music app.
- Play on the virtual decks
- Out of a session, press Play on the virtual decks on the start screen to practise on the app’s own decks. Nobody else hears them. Press Exit virtual decks when you’re done. Accepting an invitation exits them too.
- If you drop out
- If the app quits, open Back2Back again. If your connection drops, wait. Either way it puts you back in the session by itself. If the other DJ drops out, keep playing: Hand off is back once they rejoin.
Requirements
- Back2Back account
- You'll need a Back2Back account to access the app. You can create one for free here.
- Laptop/ computer
- Back2Back is compatible with Windows and Mac. Once signed up, you can download it from the user portal here.
- MIDI controller (optional)
- The on-screen decks can be played with the keyboard and mouse alone, but a controller makes mixing much easier. Any USB MIDI controller with two decks and a mixer will do: plug it in by USB and the set-up maps its jogs, knobs, faders and buttons with you, a control at a time. Hot cues, loops, effects and SHIFT are mapped with MIDI LEARN on the decks.
- Speakers & headphones
- The set plays out of your computer's speakers, or your controller's own outputs if you're using one. Plug your headphones in to cue up your next track.
- Your music
- Your rekordbox collection, a music folder or Apple Music. Tracks are loaded on to the decks straight from the app.
- Internet connection
- A wired internet connection is preferred, but Wi-Fi will also work.
One of you on CDJs/ XDJs, the other on MIDI, with a controller or simply the keyboard and mouse on the app’s on-screen decks: each DJ plays their own gear. When the DJ on CDJs/ XDJs presses Hand off, their playing track lands on a free deck in the MIDI DJ’s app, already playing and in time, with nothing to press; on a controller they turn its knobs to where the sound is. When the DJ on MIDI presses Hand off, the DJ on CDJs/ XDJs takes their playing track onto a deck of their choice with the INST. DOUBLES/ SYNC button, as in a CDJ session, and turns their mixer’s knobs to where the sound is. The Back2Back app deals with the latency, timing and audio routing, so you can focus on mixing.
The app does all of the work.
You'll get insights during a handoff, so you know exactly when you can start mixing in the next track. The DJ on CDJs/ XDJs needs their audio inputs and outputs set up as for any CDJ session: see how to setup your equipment (account required). The DJ on MIDI just plugs in their controller, or plays the on-screen decks with the keyboard and mouse.
Handoff flow
From CDJs/ XDJs to MIDI
- The DJ on CDJs/ XDJs presses Hand off in the Back2Back app
- Their playing track lands on a free deck in the MIDI DJ’s app, already playing and in time. There’s nothing to press
- On a controller, the app lists which of its knobs and faders don’t match the sound yet, and where to turn them
- Wait for the app to tell you can start mixing in another track
- Mix in another track and carry on mixing as you usually would
From MIDI to CDJs/ XDJs
- The DJ on MIDI presses Hand off in the Back2Back app
- The DJ on CDJs/ XDJs sees the INSTANT DOUBLES/ SYNC button light up, and presses and holds it
- The track starts playing on the deck they pressed it on, in time
- The app lists which of their mixer’s knobs and faders don’t match the sound yet, and where to turn them
- Wait for the app to tell you can start mixing in another track
- Mix in another track and carry on mixing as you usually would
Continue handing back-and-forth for the rest of the session.
In time, in both locations
The track arrives in time, so there’s nothing to catch up and no count-in. The mix doesn’t fall apart because the two of you are miles apart, or on different gear.
The DJ on CDJs/ XDJs hears the other DJ on a spare mixer channel or AUX input; the DJ on MIDI hears them through the app. Neither of you misses the other’s transition, regardless of latency.
DJs hear seamless continuous audio throughout the session, whether they are on-air or the other DJ is on-air.
Everyone hears one seamless mix
Listeners don’t need the app. A session can be heard from a web page that can be opened on a phone, tablet or laptop, with nothing to install.
Listeners hear one continuous seamless set, whatever gear the music is coming from. Listeners can comment on sessions and follow DJs so they are notified when a session starts or a future session has been scheduled.
All currently live public sessions can be found here. Private sessions require a private link from the DJs in the session in order to listen to the session.
Session flow
Invite the other DJ
Invite another DJ on the platform to play now, or schedule a future session together. Use the DJs wanted feature to find other DJs on the platform to perform a session with.
Get set up
The DJ on CDJs/ XDJs runs the soundcheck, and the wizard will guide them on which levels need changing. The DJ on MIDI plugs in their controller (if they have one), chooses where the set plays and loads their music.
Play, hand over, play
Take turns handing off to each other for as long as you both have On-Air time.
Keep the recording
Every set is recorded for the DJs who played the session to download, for 3 days after the session ends. Download the ones you want to keep. After 3 days it’s deleted.
Best practices
- Hand off as soon as possible
- A handoff takes a little while to fully complete. Be mindful when handing off to another DJ and ensure there is enough time left of the playing track for the other DJ to mix into. Safeguards are in place and may block the handoff if there is not enough time for a successful transition, so always check the app for warnings so your set never goes silent. Where possible, Hand off at the start of a track.
- On MIDI: keep a deck free, and match your controls
- A track handed to you from CDJs/ XDJs lands on a free deck, so keep one deck stopped and ready for it. On a controller, turn its knobs and faders to where the app says straight away: the sooner they match, the more time you’ll have to mix in the next track.
- On CDJs/ XDJs: INST. DOUBLE and match your mixer as soon as possible
- When the DJ on MIDI hands off, press INST. DOUBLES/ SYNC as soon as it lights up, then turn your mixer’s knobs and faders to where the app says. The sooner you do, the more time you’ll have to mix in the next track.
- Don't hog the session
- DJs can request that the other DJ performs a Handoff in the session. The request is valid for 10 seconds. The currently playing DJ can accept or decline the request. If the currently playing DJ has been playing for more than 10 minutes and the other DJ has requested handoff twice already, handoff will be automatically activated and pass to the requesting DJ on the third request.
In the app
- On MIDI: up to four steps to set up
- Your speakers and headphones, with a test sound through each, your controller, its meters, then a check of each deck. No soundcheck. Joined first? Load and cue while you wait; Back to set-up takes you back to Ready, still in the session.
- On CDJs/ XDJs: map your mixer in the soundcheck
- On the Audio step, choose Map it in the soundcheck: about two extra minutes, once. At a handoff the other DJ sees your EQ, and your Instant Double waits for your fader. Caught a control wrong? Map this channel again starts that channel over.
- Wi-Fi on as well as your cable
- With your internet on a cable, your sound could go out over the Wi-Fi instead, and Wi-Fi loses sound. The app says so: press Turn Wi-Fi off. On CDJs/ XDJs, the Decks step waits until it’s off.
- If you drop out
- If the app quits, open Back2Back again. If your connection drops, wait. Either way it puts you back in the session by itself. If the other DJ drops out, keep playing: Hand off is back once they rejoin.
Requirements
- Back2Back account
- Both DJs need a Back2Back account to access the app. You can create one for free here.
- The DJ on CDJs/ XDJs
- Everything listed under CDJs/ XDJs, including a spare mixer channel or AUX input, where you hear the other DJ while they’re on-air.
- The DJ on MIDI
- Everything listed under MIDI: a computer, a MIDI controller (optional: the keyboard and mouse will do), speakers and headphones, and your music.
- Internet connection
- A wired internet connection is preferred, but Wi-Fi will also work.
When your B2B partner presses the Hand off button during a session with CDJs/ XDJs, you recieve their playing track directly on your deck of choice, using the INST. DOUBLES button on the CDJs/ XDJs. On CDJs, this is the done by pressing and holding the SYNC or BEAT SYNC button. On XDJs this is done by pressing and holding the SYNC button on screen. The Back2Back app deals with the latency, timing and audio routing, so you can focus on mixing.
The app does all of the work.
You'll get insights during a handoff, so you know exactly when you can start mixing in the next track. For a seamless experience for the audience, other DJ and yourself, you'll need to ensure your audio inputs and outputs are setup correctly. For more information, see how to setup your equipment (account required).
Handoff flow
DJ-A
- Mix a few tracks as you usually would
- Press Hand off in the Back2Back app.
DJ-B
- Track is lined up and brought in time
- INSTANT DOUBLES/ SYNC button lights up
- Press and hold the INSTANT DOUBLES/ SYNC button
- DJ-A's playing track starts playing on the deck you pressed INSTANT DOUBLES/ SYNC on
- Wait for the app to tell you can start mixing in another track
- Mix in another track and carry on mixing as you usually would
- When ready, hand off back to DJ-A by pressing Hand off in the Back2Back app.
Continue handing back-and-forth for the rest of the session.
In time, in both locations
The track arrives in time, so there’s nothing to catch up and no count-in. The mix doesn’t fall apart because the two of you are miles apart.
You each hear the other on a spare mixer channel or AUX input, so you never miss the other DJs transition - regardless of latency.
DJs hear seamless continuous audio throughout the session, whether they are on-air or the other DJ is on-air.
Everyone hears one seamless mix
Listeners don’t need the app. A session can be heard from a web page the can be opened on a phone, tablet or laptop, with nothing to install.
Listeners hear one continuous seamless set, whever the audio is coming from. Listeners can comment on sessions and follow DJs so they are notified when a session starts or a future session has been scheduled.
All currently live public sessions can be found here. Private sessions require a private link from the DJs in the session in order to listen to the session.
Session flow
Invite the other DJ
Invite another DJ on the platform to play now, or schedule a future session together. Use the DJs wanted feature to find other DJs on the platform to perform a session with.
Soundcheck
Every session a soundcheck is performed to ensure levels between DJs match. The soundcheck wizard will guide you on which levels need changing if needed.
Play, hand over, play
Take turns handing off to each other for as long as you both have On-Air time.
Keep the recording
Every set is recorded for the DJs who played the session to download, for 3 days after the session ends. Download the ones you want to keep. After 3 days it’s deleted.
Best practices
- Hand off as soon as possible
- A handoff usually takes around 45 seconds to fully complete and in some cases can take longer. Be mindful when handing off to another DJ and ensure there is enough time left of the playing track for the other DJ to mix into. Safeguards are in place and may block the handoff if there is not enough time for a successful transition. Keep this in mind as you may need to play another track and always check the app for warnings so your set never goes silent. Where possible, Hand off at the start of a track.
- INST. DOUBLE as soon as possible
- Once a DJ has pressed Hand off, the incoming DJ has a limited window in which to activate the instant double. It is advised that the incoming DJ instant doubles as soon as possible. The sooner it's pressed, the more time you'll have to mix in the next track.
- Don't hog the session
- DJs can request that the other DJ performs a Handoff in the session. The request is valid for 10 seconds. The currently playing DJ can accept or decline the request. If the currently playing DJ has been playing for more than 10 minutes and the other DJ has requested handoff twice already, handoff will be automatically activated and pass to the requesting DJ on the third request.
In the app
- Map your mixer in the soundcheck
- On the Audio step, choose Map it in the soundcheck: about two extra minutes, once. At a handoff the other DJ sees your EQ, and your Instant Double waits for your fader. The soundcheck asks for each channel’s controls in turn, and Skip this one passes any you don’t have. Caught a control wrong? Map this channel again starts that channel over.
- Wi-Fi on as well as your cable
- With your internet on the cable, your sound could go out over the Wi-Fi instead, and Wi-Fi loses sound. Press Turn Wi-Fi off: the Decks step waits until it’s off, and while you’re off-air the main screen offers it too. Internet over Wi-Fi, with your decks on the cable, is fine.
- Play on the virtual decks
- Out of a session, press Play on the virtual decks on the start screen to practise on the app’s own decks, with a controller or the keyboard and mouse. Nobody else hears them. Press Exit virtual decks when you’re done. Accepting an invitation exits them too.
- If you drop out
- If the app quits, open Back2Back again. If your connection drops, wait. Either way it puts you back in the session by itself, with no need to pause a deck. If the other DJ drops out, keep playing: Hand off is back once they rejoin.
Requirements
- Back2Back account
- You'll need a Back2Back account to access the app. You can create one for free here.
- Laptop/ computer
- Back2Back is compatible with Windows and Mac. Once signed up, you can download it from the user portal here.
- CDJs/ XDJs
-
The following units should be compatible, but not all have been tested:
- CDJ-900NXS (confirmed working)
- CDJ-2000NXS (not tested but should work)
- CDJ-2000NXS2 (not tested but should work)
- CDJ-3000 (confirmed working)
- XDJ-1000MK2 (not tested but should work)
You can have up to 3 CDJs/ XDJs in each DJs setup and no more due to app limitations.
- A mixer
- Any mixer will work. Ideally you want a mixer that has USB and MIDI capability to get the best experience possible. This is to get audio in and out of the mixer as well as track values like eq and fader position.
- Spare mixer channel or AUX mixer input
- The other DJs audio needs somewhere to go so it can be played in your room, so you need a spare channel or AUX input (available on most 2 channel mixers) to route this audio in to. If using an AUX input, ensure that it goes directly to your master out, as routing anywhere else will cause issues. See how to setup (account required) for more information.
- Audio interface (optional)
- If your mixer doesn't have USB and MIDI capabilities, you can use an external audio interface to route the audio from the app in to your mixer. Just make sure that it is routed correctly. See how to setup (account required) for more information. Keep in mind that you won't get any fader or eq insights when using this method.
- Cables & extras
- You'll also need the following:
- USB cable from your laptop/computer to the mixer
- USB Ethernet adapter (if your laptop/ computer doesn't have an ethernet port)
- Ethernet cables to/from decks and laptop
- Audio cables to/from audio interface (if using the audio interface method - optional)
- Internet connection
- A wired internet connection is preferred, but Wi-Fi will also work. Where possible, connect your CDJs/ XDJs, laptop and internet connection to the same switch/ router for ease. If using a wired connection, disable Wi-Fi to avoid port conflicts on the network.
Rookie, Pro and Ultra
Back2Back is free to use and there are 3 available tiers.
- Rookie
- Every account starts here. Rookie accounts have 1 hour of On-Air time a week.
- Pro
- You reach Pro when 1,000 people follow you. Pro accouts have 3 hours of On-Air time a week.
- Ultra
- You reach Ultra when 10,000 people follow you. Ultra accounts have unlimited On-Air time.
- Once reached, it is kept
- A tier you reach stays yours, even if your followers fall below the threshold.
- On-Air time
- Starts counting down as soon as you’re in a session until you leave, whether you’re on-air or listenin to the other DJ. It is reset in full every Friday at 05:00 UTC.