Set Time Calculator
The Set Time Calculator* allows you to load your rekordbox 6 library to quickly get an estimate of your playlist runtime based on the cue points you have set on your tracks.
It works by calculating the time between the first and last cue point on each track and adding that together to give you an estimated set length.
Preparing Your Rekordbox Playlist
In order to get the most accurate estimation, you should set a beginning an end cue point in rekordbox for each track. The ending cue point on the outgoing track should mark where you plan to begin your transition. And the start cue point on the incoming track should be exactly where you plan on starting playback of that track.
Note: Only cue points are supported, hot cues are ignored.
Loading Your Rekordbox Library
Once the cue points are set, close rekordbox to ensure your changes are written to the database file.
Open Producer Toolkit and switch to the Set Time Calculator tab (keyboard shortcut: [5]).
Click on “Select Rekordbox 6 Library”. Producer Toolkit will minimize and present you with a file selection window.
If your rekordbox database is in the default location, it will automatically be selected and you can just click Select Library.
If is not, you will need to manually navigate to the location of your library. Regardless of where you library is stored, the file will be named master.db
Producer Toolkit will re-open automatically and load your library.
Note: Producer Toolkit never reads or modifies your original rekordbox 6 library database file. Instead a copy is made to read from, ensuring you never have to worry about making a backup.
Navigating the Calculator
The Set Time Calculator window is split into two panes. The left pane shows you a list of your playlists, in the same order and structure as they appear in rekordbox. Smart Playlists are displayed in italics and not selectable.
The right pane shows you the list of songs in the selected playlist, with 4 columns:
#: The song number in the playlist.
Time: The estimated time within your set the song will start. This is useful for building a flow to your set. For example, you may want to begin building up the energy in the last 15 minutes, and this will tell you if the tracks you are playing line up with that timeframe.
Name: The track name.
Cue Points: The detected cue points and the time within the track they are set to.
Bitrate: Audio bitrate of the track. Will warn you about tracks with < 320kbps bitrate.
BPM: BPM of the track.
Cue point Colors
Green: Assumed to be the cue point you wish to start playback of that track.
Red: Assumed to be the cue point you wish to begin the transition into the next track.
Black: Additional cue points within the middle of a track that are ignored by the calculator.
If no cue points are set, a warning will show noting that the calculator assumes you plan to play that track all the way through.
If only a single cue point is set, it will assume it’s a Start cue point if it is within the first half of the song, and an End cue point if it’s within the last half.
Reloading your library
In the bottom of the left pane there are two buttons: Reload Library will make a new copy of your rekordbox database and load it into the Set Time Calculator. Switch Library will allow you to select a different library if you have moved your rekordbox database file.
Note: It is OK to have rekordbox and Producer Toolkit running at the same time, however in order for any cue point changes to be loaded back into Set Time Calculator, you will first need to close rekordbox before clicking Reload Library.
Calculated Information
The bottom of the right pane shows you 4 calculations:
Track Count: Number of tracks in the set.
Set Length: Estimated set length calculated.
Avg Track Time: The average duration each track is played, calculated by taking the Set Length and dividing by the Track Count. It’s typically a good idea to keep the average around 2 minutes to keep the energy flowing within your set, and an absolute minimum of just 1 minute to avoid irritating the audience from not allowing their favorite songs to play for long enough!
Avg Bpm: Average BPM of all the tracks in the set.
Fixed BPM Setting
If you tend to play all your tracks at the same BPM throughout your set, you can get more accurate estimate by setting a fixed BPM value. When enabled, Set Time Calculator will factor in the difference between the track BPM and the entered BPM value and adjust the calculation accordingly.
To enable, click the gear icon in the Calculation Results pane, then check the the box next to Fixed Playback BPM. Enter in a BPM value and the Set Length calculation will update!
Getting the most accurate estimates
As mentioned, start and end cue points should line up with each other. If this is done, then the Set Length calculation should be very accurate. However, if you frequently loop incoming tracks during transitions, then the Set Time Calculator cannot account for the additional playtime from the looping.
It’s always a good idea to have at least one or two extra tracks towards the end that you can play if you end up cutting another track short that isn’t vibing well with the audience. For example, if you have a 60 minute set, you should aim for a 65 minute Set Length just in case. Those tracks should fit within the vibe of your set, but be skippable if not needed.
* Feature is only available on Producer Toolkit Pro.
