Use this guide to understand what crates are, how Mixable Crates work, how to save crates to My Crates, and how to export them to your DJ software.

A crate is a focused group of songs built around a purpose. That purpose might be a wedding dance floor, cocktail hour, club warmup, throwbacks, country crossover, clean pop, hip hop, EDM, or any other moment where you need music ready fast.

The goal is simple: fewer random searches, fewer panic scrolls, and a cleaner path to the next useful song.

Fast Fix

  1. A crate is a saved group of songs.
  2. A Mixable Crate is organized to help songs work better together.
  3. Crates may be sorted or built around BPM, key, energy, genre, mood, event type, or use case.
  4. You can browse Crate Hackers crates or build your own.
  5. Save useful crates to My Crates.
  6. Match the tracks against your music library.
  7. Add or download any missing tracks you need.
  8. Click Export and choose your DJ software or M3U.
  9. Open your DJ software and test the crate before using it live.

What Is a Crate?

In DJ software, a crate is a playlist-style folder used to organize songs. DJs use crates so they can find the right music faster during prep or during a set.

Crates can be built around almost anything:

  • Genre
  • Decade
  • Energy level
  • Event type
  • Dance floor moment
  • Client request list
  • Clean versions
  • Opening sets
  • Peak hour tracks
  • End of night songs

A good crate is not just a giant pile of songs. A good crate gives you useful options when you need them.

What Makes Crate Hackers Crates Different?

Crate Hackers crates are built to help DJs make faster music decisions. Many crates are organized around practical DJ use, not just casual listening.

Depending on the crate, songs may be organized by:

  • BPM: The speed of the song.
  • Key: The musical key, when available.
  • Energy: How calm, steady, upbeat, or intense the song feels.
  • Genre: The musical lane or format.
  • Use case: The type of event, room, or dance floor moment.
  • Mixability: How easily tracks may work together in a DJ set.

This helps you move through music with more intention instead of scrolling your entire library like it personally betrayed you.

What Are Mixable Crates?

Mixable Crates are crates arranged to help DJs move from one track to another more easily.

They are useful when you want a crate that already has some structure. Instead of starting from a blank page, you start with songs grouped around a format, event, genre, energy level, or DJ use case.

Mixable Crates can help with:

  • Building a cleaner set flow
  • Finding songs that sit closer together in BPM
  • Reviewing songs by energy
  • Finding tracks that may work better in sequence
  • Preparing music faster for a specific gig

You still make the final call. Crate Hackers gives you a better starting point. The dance floor still gets a vote.

Step 1: Browse Crates

Start by browsing available crates inside Crate Hackers.

  1. Open Crate Hackers.
  2. Go to Crates.
  3. Open Mixable Crates or another crate section available in the app.
  4. Browse by genre, event type, energy, mood, or theme when available.
  5. Use search if you know what kind of crate you want.

Good first searches might include wedding, cocktail, hip hop, pop, throwback, country, EDM, Latin, clean, warmup, or dance.

Step 2: Open a Crate and Review the Tracks

Once you find a crate that looks useful, open it and review the track list.

Look for:

  • Songs you already know
  • Songs that fit the event or crowd
  • Songs that match the energy you need
  • Songs that may work together by BPM or key
  • Tracks you want to remove before saving
  • Tracks you need to add to your library

Do not assume every song belongs in your version of the crate. A crate is a starting point. You are still allowed to have taste. Strongly encouraged, actually.

Step 3: Save the Crate to My Crates

When you find a crate you want to use, save it to My Crates.

  1. Open the crate.
  2. Review the track list.
  3. Click Save to My Crates.
  4. Rename the crate if needed.
  5. Open it from My Crates when you are ready to edit, match, or export.

Saving a crate gives you your own working version. That way you can adjust it without losing track of the original idea.

Step 4: Match the Crate to Your Music Library

Crate Hackers can compare crate tracks against your scanned music library.

Tracks may appear as:

  • Matched: Crate Hackers found a likely version in your library.
  • Missing: Crate Hackers did not find the song in your scanned folders.
  • Needs review: A similar track may exist, but you should confirm the exact version.

Always check your versions. Clean, explicit, intro, short edit, extended, remix, and live versions can all behave differently in a set.

Step 5: Fill Any Gaps

If tracks are missing, add them to your library before exporting.

Depending on the track and your workflow, you may use:

  • Your existing music library
  • A record pool
  • A music store
  • A cloud folder
  • A supported streaming workflow

After adding new songs, go to Library, open Music Sources, and use Re-sync so Crate Hackers can find the new files.

Step 6: Export the Crate

Once your crate is saved, reviewed, and matched, export it to your DJ software.

  1. Open the crate inside Crate Hackers.
  2. Click Export.
  3. Rename the crate if needed.
  4. Choose your DJ software export option if available.
  5. Use M3U if you need a universal playlist file.
  6. Open your DJ software and confirm the crate imported correctly.

Depending on your export options, you may also see PDF, CSV, or Spotify backup. Those are useful for reference or sharing, but they are not the same as exporting a playable crate to DJ software.

Can I Create My Own Crates?

Yes. You can build your own crates inside Crate Hackers for specific gigs, rooms, formats, clients, or moments.

Custom crates are useful when you want to organize music around your own workflow.

Good custom crate ideas include:

  • Wedding dinner
  • Wedding dance floor
  • Club warmup
  • Peak hour
  • Clean pop
  • Country crossover
  • Throwback hip hop
  • Latin dance floor
  • EDM open format
  • Last 30 minutes

Build crates around actual use. A crate named Saturday Wedding Dance Floor is more useful than a crate named Good Songs Maybe. We have all made that folder. It did not help.

Best Practices for Better Crates

  • Keep crates focused: One crate should solve one job.
  • Use clear names: Name crates by event, genre, energy, or moment.
  • Review before exporting: Remove tracks that do not fit.
  • Check versions: Clean, explicit, intro, short edit, and extended versions matter.
  • Match your files: Make sure Crate Hackers can find the tracks in your library.
  • Re-sync after adding music: New tracks need to be scanned before they can match correctly.
  • Test in your DJ software: Always confirm the crate opens and the files load.

Common Beginner Mistakes

Making Crates Too Big

A 500-song crate is usually not a crate. It is a storage unit with a search bar.

Keep crates focused so they are useful when you are actually DJing.

Not Checking Versions

The title alone is not enough. Always check whether you are using the clean edit, explicit edit, remix, intro edit, short edit, extended edit, or radio version.

Skipping the Library Scan

Crate Hackers needs your music sources scanned before it can match tracks correctly. If your music folder is missing, your crate matches will be messy.

Exporting Without Testing

Always open the exported crate in your DJ software before using it live. Missing files are easier to fix at home than in front of people with drinks.

How Crates Fit Into the Crate Hackers Workflow

Crates are the bridge between music discovery and actual DJ use.

A clean workflow looks like this:

  1. Scan your music library.
  2. Browse or build a crate.
  3. Save the crate to My Crates.
  4. Review the tracks.
  5. Match tracks you already own.
  6. Add missing songs if needed.
  7. Re-sync your music sources.
  8. Export the crate.
  9. Open your DJ software and test it.

That is the clean path. Find music, organize it, match it, export it, test it.

Join the Crate Hackers Community

Crate Hackers also includes a DJ community built around music discovery, crate building, and live testing.

You can:

  • Join the private Crate Hackers Facebook group.
  • Watch live Crate Hackathons.
  • See how other DJs think through crates.
  • Use community ideas as starting points for your own prep.

The point is not to copy everything another DJ plays. The point is to learn how better decisions get made.

Best First Crate to Build

If you are brand new, do not start with your entire library.

Start with one crate you can actually use this week.

  1. Pick one real use case.
  2. Find or build a crate for that use case.
  3. Keep it focused.
  4. Save it to My Crates.
  5. Match the tracks.
  6. Export it.
  7. Test it in your DJ software.

One useful crate beats ten half-built ideas. Every time.

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