A Beatgrid maps the beats and bars of a track. Sync, Quantize, Auto Loop, Loop Roll and Beat Jump all follow it, so a good Beatgrid keeps them in time.

Serato DJ for iOS builds a Beatgrid when a track is analyzed. Tracks are analyzed automatically when you import them.

To analyze a track yourself, press and hold it in your library and tap Analyze. To analyze a whole crate, press and hold the crate and tap Analyze songs. To analyze everything, go to Advanced Settings > Library and tap Analyze Entire Library.

NOTE: Analyzing can take some time. We recommend doing it before a gig.

A Beatgrid is made up of four kinds of marker, drawn over the waveform:

Downbeat Marker

The Downbeat Marker is the first marker on a Beatgrid. It sits on the first beat of the first bar and is labeled

1. Everything else counts from it, including bar numbers, Auto Loop lengths, Beat Jump distances and Quantize.

On most tracks the Downbeat Marker lands on the first kick drum or bass note. If the BPM is accurate, the rest of the Beatgrid falls into place and you won’t need to adjust anything.

If the markers don’t fall on the beats, see Editing Beatgrids.

NOTE: The Downbeat Marker doesn’t have to be the first marker on the track. Any bar before it is numbered backward from it, so you may see bar -1 or bar -2 at the top of a track. This is expected.

Bar Markers

Once the Downbeat Marker is in place, Bar Markers are laid out across the track, one on the first beat of every bar. Each has its bar number beside it, counting up from the Downbeat Marker.

Every fourth bar is thicker and brighter than the others. Most dance music changes on a four-bar or eight-bar boundary, so these lines show you where a section is likely to start or end.

Beat Markers

Between each pair of Bar Markers are three small, unnumbered Beat Markers. Serato counts four beats to a bar. The Bar Marker takes the place of the Beat Marker on the “one”, so a bar reads Bar 1, beat, beat, beat, Bar 2.

NOTE: In house music the Beat Markers usually fall on each kick drum. In hip hop or funk they may not land on a drum hit.

Beat Warp Markers

Not every track holds one tempo. Live recordings drift, and some tracks change tempo on purpose. A Beat Warp Marker is a point where the tempo changes. The Beatgrid follows the track from that marker, so a track with Beat Warp Markers stays in time when you sync it to a track with a steady tempo.

As the playhead passes a Beat Warp Marker, the BPM shown on the Deck updates to the track’s current tempo.

Fixed and Flexible Beatgrids

A Fixed Beatgrid has one Beat Warp Marker, on the Downbeat Marker, and a single BPM for the whole track. It suits most electronic music. A Flexible Beatgrid has several Beat Warp Markers and follows a tempo that moves. It suits live recordings and tracks with tempo changes. Flexible is the default.

To choose one, press and hold a track in your library, tap Set Beatgrid, then tap Set Flexible Beatgrid or Set Fixed Beatgrid. You can do the same to a whole crate. The track or crate is analyzed again.

If a steady-tempo track has a cluster of Beat Warp Markers it doesn’t need, set it to Fixed.

Beatgrid Settings

Go to Advanced Settings > DJ Preferences > Beatgrid:

• BPM Changes: choose On Bars for fewer tempo changes and a smoother Beatgrid, or On Beats for more tempo changes and a tighter one.
• Waveform BPM Labels: choose All Changes, Major Changes or None to set how many tempo labels are drawn on the waveform.

Editing Beatgrids

If the Beatgrid markers aren’t falling on the beats, you can edit the Beatgrid on the Deck.

1. Load the track to a Deck.
2. Tap the cog icon in the top right to open Quick Settings.
3. Tap Edit Beat Grid, then choose the Deck.
4. Make your changes.
5. Tap Save to keep them, or Cancel to discard them.

The panel has five buttons:

You can only edit one Deck at a time. If you open the panel for the other Deck, or open the Library, the panel closes and your changes are saved. The panel stays open if you rotate your device, lock your screen or switch to another app.

If the track’s Beatgrid is locked, the panel won’t open. A message appears at the top of the screen instead. 

Beatgrid editing is available in Free Mode.

NOTE: Serato DJ for iOS has fewer Beatgrid tools than Serato DJ Pro. There’s no Slip, no Adjust, no nudge, no Set Beat, no halve or double buttons, no Grid Edit Pad Mode on hardware and no keyboard shortcuts. For a detailed repair, use Serato DJ Pro.

Incorrect Downbeat Marker

If the Downbeat Marker is in the wrong place, or you want the first beat somewhere else, such as after a long intro, set a new one. This is the most common Beatgrid fix. The markers line up with the beats, but bar numbering starts in the wrong place.

1. Load the track to a Deck.
2. Tap the cog icon, tap Edit Beat Grid, then choose the Deck.
3. Move the playhead to the true first downbeat.
4. Tap Set Grid Start.
5. Tap Save.

Bar 1 now counts from the marker closest to the playhead. Set Grid Start only renumbers the Beatgrid. If the markers themselves sit off the beat, see Adjust Incorrect Beatgrid.

Adjust Incorrect Beatgrid

Sometimes a Beatgrid starts in time but slides out of time as the track plays. Serato DJ Pro lets you stretch the Beatgrid. Serato DJ for iOS doesn’t, so try these fixes in order.

Choose the Other Beatgrid Type

Press and hold the track, tap Set Beatgrid, then choose Set Flexible Beatgrid or Set Fixed Beatgrid. Flexible fixes a grid that drifts on a track with tempo changes. Fixed fixes a grid with too many Beat Warp Markers on a steady track.

Correct the BPM

1. Press and hold the track in your library.
2. Tap Edit to open the Edit song sheet.
3. Type the correct value into the BPM field.
4. Save your change.

If the grid is out by exactly double or half, the BPM was read at the wrong rate. Type the correct value to fix it.

NOTE: The BPM field is grayed out for tracks with a locked tempo and for tracks from a streaming service.

Set a Beat Warp Marker Where It Drifts

1. Open Edit Beat Grid from Quick Settings and choose the Deck.
2. Move the playhead to the beat where the Beatgrid first drifts.
3. Tap Set Bar.
4. Tap Save. 

Start Again

Open Edit Beat Grid, tap Clear, move the playhead to the true first downbeat and tap Set Bar. Work through the track, tapping Set Bar wherever the Beatgrid drifts. Tap Save when you’re done.

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