Arrangement is the center
Tracks, edits, loops, tempo, EQ, automation, and cue moments live on a single readable timeline.
Open source DJ mix design
TimelineDJ
The future of timeline-first DJ software: arrange the whole journey, sculpt transitions, perform with confidence, and build it together in the open.
Timeline-native
Arrangement before improvisation
Open source
Community charter first
Fusion fans welcome
Independent, inspired, new
Why this exists
Some DJs do not think in decks first. They think in arcs.
TimelineDJ is for DJs who loved planning an entire mix like a composition: phrasing, energy, overlays, drops, tempo ramps, edits, and recovery points all visible at once. The project is inspired by the timeline-first workflow many MixMeister Fusion users loved, but it is independent and not affiliated with any legacy product.
Project promise
Design a set like a producer. Deliver it like a DJ.
Performance stays alive
Prepared mixes can still breathe with live overrides, section jumps, safety cues, and expressive controls.
Ownership is non-negotiable
Local libraries, portable projects, open formats, no lock-in, and no subscription wall around your sets.
The software surface
A DAW-like timeline built for DJ decisions.
The first prototype should make the hard parts visible: phrase alignment, key confidence, energy pacing, beat grids, transition length, gain staging, and export readiness.
Deck A
Deck B
Automation
Arrange mode
Snap clips to phrase boundaries, sketch energy arcs, and see the whole set before pressing play.
Open roadmap
Build the boring core first, then make it sing.
The early work should protect the project from becoming a shiny mockup with fragile audio underneath. Audio accuracy, file handling, and project format come before spectacle.
Charter and architecture
Define the license, governance, project format, supported platforms, and audio engine strategy.
Library and analysis
Import music, read metadata, analyze BPM and beat grids, detect keys, cache waveforms, and keep data local.
Timeline MVP
Arrange tracks on lanes, create transitions, preview mixes, automate gain and tempo, and export a set.
Live performance
Add controllers, cue jumps, emergency loops, live effects, stems-ready lanes, and dependable show mode.
Non-negotiables
A tool DJs can trust for years.
Local-first by default
Your crates, grids, cues, and set files should not depend on a cloud account.
Readable project files
Mixes should be portable, diffable where possible, and resilient to future maintainers.
Respect for libraries
No destructive writes to music files without explicit consent, previews, and backups.
Extensible engine
Make room for plugins, controller maps, analysis providers, export targets, and visualizers.
Contributor lanes
The first community can be more than coders.
DJs
Share workflows, broken dreams, set-prep habits, library pain, transition examples, and test mixes.
Audio developers
Help evaluate engines, waveform rendering, beat analysis, time-stretching, latency, and export quality.
Product designers
Prototype timeline interactions that feel powerful without turning into overloaded studio software.
Maintainers
Shape governance, issue hygiene, release discipline, docs, testing, and community expectations.
Prototype bounties
$250 first-issue bounty.
Not every early supporter needs a full architecture session. A sponsor, DJ, or contributor can fund one concrete proof: a small issue that makes the repo real before the larger roadmap expands.
Library proof
Cache a waveform without touching the music file.
Best for proving that TimelineDJ respects local libraries and can show a reliable timeline view from imported audio.
- Acceptance
- Import one local track, create a cached waveform asset, and reopen it without rescanning.
- Needs
- Audio fixture, cache format decision, and no destructive file writes.
Each issue needs owner, fixture, acceptance criteria, demo note, and one review path before work starts.
No destructive writes to a DJ library, no broad feature promises, and no paid sprawl beyond the accepted issue.
License, maintainership, contribution norms, and repo boundaries should be clear before public issue chaos.
Launch signal
Raise your hand for the first architecture circle.
The repository should open with a clear charter, not chaos. Join the early list to help shape the license, technical stack, prototype scope, and contributor norms.
Helpful notes say whether you are a DJ, designer, developer, tester, or sponsor, and whether you want to discuss architecture, contribute an issue, fund a $250 bounty, or test an early prototype.