rekordbox

Overview

rekordbox is Pioneer DJ’s (AlphaTheta’s) professional DJ software, widely used for both library management and live performance. Now Playing connects directly to rekordbox running on the same machine and reads track information as you mix: title, artist, BPM, key, artwork, and more. No network configuration is required. If rekordbox is open and Now Playing is running, they communicate automatically.

This source is the right choice if you’re using rekordbox as your performance software, either with a controller or with rekordbox-linked CDJs where the software is the primary source of track data.

Compatible Versions

• rekordbox 6.x (all versions)
• rekordbox 7.x (all versions)

Older versions of rekordbox (version 5 and below) are not officially supported. If you’re on an older version, upgrading to rekordbox 6 or later is recommended.

What Gets Captured

Field	Notes
Track title	From the rekordbox library
Artist	From the rekordbox library
Album	From the rekordbox library
Artwork	As displayed in rekordbox
BPM	As analyzed and displayed in rekordbox
Musical key	As analyzed by rekordbox

Requirements

• rekordbox must be installed and running on the same computer as the Now Playing desktop app
• No special network configuration, plugins, or rekordbox settings changes are needed
• Both apps must be running simultaneously during your session

Setup

1. Launch rekordbox and load your library as you normally would.
2. Open the Now Playing desktop app.
3. Go to Settings, expand Sources, and select rekordbox.
4. Toggle Enable Monitoring.

Now Playing will begin detecting track changes immediately. No additional configuration inside rekordbox is required. There are no preferences to change, no plugins to install, and no export steps needed.

Note

Launch rekordbox before starting your session. If you open rekordbox after Now Playing is already running, the connection should still establish automatically. Starting rekordbox first ensures the cleanest initial handshake between the two apps.

How It Works

Now Playing reads rekordbox’s currently-playing track data by monitoring the software’s internal state. It does not interfere with rekordbox’s operation and does not modify your library or any files. The integration is read-only.

Track data updates whenever rekordbox reports a new track on air, typically when you move a track to the on-air deck or the auto-fader detection registers a cue.

Play Detection

rekordbox does not include deck numbers in the track data it exposes, so the mix processor always uses the BYPASS strategy for this source. The overlay updates immediately when rekordbox marks a track as on-air in its internal history. This happens when a track goes live in rekordbox’s performance view, not simply when a track is loaded to a deck. There is no mix processor gating for rekordbox: connecting a MIDI controller or mixer alongside it has no effect on when the overlay updates.

Troubleshooting

rekordbox is not detected

• Confirm rekordbox is fully open and has finished loading. Now Playing reads state from the running application, so rekordbox must be fully initialized.
• Try quitting and relaunching rekordbox, then check the Now Playing connection status again.
• On Windows, check that no antivirus or security software is blocking inter-process communication between Now Playing and rekordbox.

Track information stops updating

• This can happen if rekordbox crashes silently or becomes unresponsive. Check the rekordbox window to confirm it is still running normally.
• Quit and relaunch rekordbox. Now Playing will automatically reconnect within a few seconds.

BPM or key is missing for some tracks

BPM and key data come from rekordbox’s track analysis. Tracks that have not been analyzed in rekordbox will not have this data. In rekordbox, right-click unanalyzed tracks and select Analyze to populate BPM and key values.

Artwork is not appearing in the overlay

Ensure artwork is set in your rekordbox library. You can add artwork by right-clicking a track in rekordbox and selecting Get Track Info or by dragging artwork files onto the track. If artwork is present in rekordbox but not appearing in the overlay, try restarting Now Playing.