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Set Lists in tinytunes DJ: Planning and Reusing Your Sets

2025-12-16

Learn how set lists capture your Deck A/B queues and set-specific cue points, how to save and load them, and how they behave across devices.

Playlists are collections of tracks.
Set lists are snapshots of an actual performance plan: which tracks, on which deck, in which order, with their own cue points.

This doc explains how to use set lists to plan, save, and reuse your sets.

1. Set lists vs playlists

Playlists:

  • Just know which tracks you want to use.
  • Don't care about:
    • Which deck you'll use.
    • The exact order per deck.
    • Special cue points for this specific night.

Set lists:

  • Store:
    • Deck A queue (ordered list of tracks).
    • Deck B queue.
    • Set-specific cue points for each track in this set.
  • Are tied to the performance strategy for a particular session.

Use playlists for crates; use set lists for actual shows.

2. Saving your current set as a set list

When your Deck A and Deck B queues are ready:

  1. In the SETTINGS panel (below the queues), find SET LIST.

  2. Click OPEN to open the set list dialog.

    • Tip: Press L to toggle the Set List dialog from the keyboard (see Keyboard controls).

  3. Choose Save current set list (or equivalent).

  4. Enter a descriptive name, for example:

    • Club Warmup - 122 BPM - Feb
    • Lo-fi Practice - 80-90 BPM

  5. Confirm to save.

tinytunes DJ will capture:

  • Current Deck A queue order.
  • Current Deck B queue order.
  • Cue points for each track, specific to this set.

3. Loading a saved set list

To reuse a set list:

  1. In SETTINGS, click OPEN next to SET LIST.

  2. Select a set from the list.

  3. tinytunes DJ will:

    • Clear or update existing queues.
    • Restore Deck A queue from the set.
    • Restore Deck B queue from the set.
    • Load any set-specific cue points for those tracks.

If some tracks are unavailable on this device:

  • Local tracks that aren't available on this device are skipped.
  • You still see the set list in the dialog, but queues only contain tracks that are playable here.

4. Editing and versioning set lists

Depending on your UI, a set list workflow might look like this:

  • Tweak then Save As
    Load a set list, adjust order/cues, then save as:

    • Club Warmup - 122 BPM - v2

  • Rename
    Change a set list name after a good run:

    • Friday Night House - v1 -> Friday Night House - final

  • Delete
    Remove old or experimental sets to keep the list manageable.

Set lists are designed so cue points can be different per set.

5. Using set lists for practice vs performance

5.1 For practice

Set lists are great for:

  • Repeating a specific routine:
    • "Beginner House Transition Drill".
  • Tracking progress:
    • Drill - Week 1, Drill - Week 2, etc.
  • Keeping different difficulty levels:
    • Easy - Same BPM.
    • Intermediate - +/- 2 BPM.
    • Advanced - Mixed genres.

5.2 For real sets

For gigs and parties:

  • Use playlists to collect candidates.
  • Use a set list to plan the actual flow:
    • Start with warmup tracks on Deck A.
    • Plan main energy tracks across both decks.
    • Reserve a few "emergency" or "reset" tracks.

You can:

  • Prepare multiple variations:
    • Friday - Early Crowd.
    • Friday - Peak Time.
  • Decide live which set list to load based on the room.

6. Set lists across devices

When signed in:

  • Set list definitions sync with your account.
  • On another device you'll see the same list of sets.

But remember:

  • Local tracks referenced by a set list may not exist on the second machine.
  • Those entries are skipped when loading the set.
  • For critical shows on another machine:
    • Copy your audio library.
    • Add the same folders in tinytunes DJ.
    • Test the set list end-to-end beforehand.

7. Tips for building good set lists

  • Group by BPM ranges (e.g. 120-124, 124-128) to avoid extreme tempo jumps.
  • Note key or energy in titles, or use tags if available.
  • Use cues to mark:
    • "Safe in" points.
    • "Safe out" points.
    • Alternative breakdowns for creative mixing.
  • Keep a "last chance" track at the end of each deck:
    • Something long and stable you can lean on if you need time.

Set lists are one of the fastest ways to turn loose playlists into repeatable, reliable sets.
Once you've built a few and tried loading them across sessions, you'll never want to start from scratch every time again.