How to find songs in a DJ set
To find songs in a DJ set, paste the link to the full recording into Setlist.ID, which returns the recognized tracks in playing order with timestamps. Use Shazam if one clear track is playing. For anything still unknown, check the description, chapters and comments, then ask the DJ or a genre community using the exact timestamp.
What you have | Where to begin |
|---|---|
A link to the full DJ set | Analyze it with Setlist.ID |
One clear track playing nearby | Try Shazam |
A tracklist in the description | Match the names to the timestamps |
An unidentified part of a recorded set | Check the comments or ask using the exact time |
A private edit or unreleased track | Follow the DJ or producer and check again later |
Get the full tracklist from a mix link
Copy the link to the recording. Setlist.ID supports YouTube, SoundCloud, Mixcloud, Instagram, TikTok, Vimeo, Facebook, Hearthis, Audiomack, Bandcamp, X and 100+ platforms. The link must be accessible: an unlisted YouTube video works, but a deleted, private, expired or restricted upload can't be read. If the recording is only on your phone or computer, upload it to a supported platform first.
Paste it and confirm the recording. You don't need to cut a clip. The full mix is split into overlapping sections, which are compared against audio fingerprints in the recognition catalog, so blends, filtered intros and loops are checked along with the clean passages.
Read the results in playing order. Each recognized track can include the artist and title, its timestamp in the set, BPM and key, artwork, listening and purchase links, and export to text or YouTube chapters.
Unidentified passages are shown as gaps with their position in the set. That timestamp is what you take to the comments or the DJ.
Use Shazam for one clear track
If one released track is playing clearly and you only want its name, Shazam can be quicker than processing the whole set. In a transition it may hear the drums of one track, the vocal of another and room noise at once, and return the wrong song or nothing.
Shazam has a better chance when | Shazam may struggle when |
|---|---|
One track is playing clearly | Two tracks are overlapping |
The song has been released | The track is unreleased |
The recording is clean | Crowd noise covers the music |
The tempo stays close to the original | The DJ changes the pitch heavily |
You need one song name | You need the full tracklist |
Shazam identifies one song per attempt. It doesn't process a two-hour recording or place each result at its timestamp.
Check the description, chapters and comments
DJs, radio stations, promoters and listeners often add track information after a set is uploaded.
YouTube description and chapters
Expand the full description with "Show more"; a tracklist can sit below the fold. Look for a numbered list, track names with timestamps, playlist links, credits for unreleased tracks, or label names and release dates. Then check the timeline: some uploaders make one chapter per track, and YouTube's chapter guidance confirms creators can create chapters from timestamped titles in the description.
SoundCloud timed comments
Comments can be attached to an exact second on the waveform, so an "ID please?" at 36:14 may already have a reply. SoundCloud confirms that comments and replies can be connected to precise timestamps.
Mixcloud tracklists
Creators can enter the artist, title and start time when they upload a show. The names may appear gradually as you listen, so a tracklist that looks empty can fill in once the show plays.
Comment threads and replies
Answers often arrive days later as a reply to the original question. Search the comments for:
The timestamp you need
"Track ID" or "Tune ID" (see what a track ID means)
A lyric or vocal phrase
"Unreleased", "edit" or "remix"
Pinned and top comments often collect several IDs in one timestamped list. Check newer comments too: a track unknown on upload day may get a title after its release.
Other uploads and the DJ's posts
A DJ may share the recording on YouTube and post the tracklist on Instagram, or a radio station may host the audio on Mixcloud and publish credits on its own episode page. Search the DJ, event and set title together, and check posts from around the performance date for an official tracklist, a tagged producer or a release announcement.
Platform | Where clues appear |
|---|---|
YouTube | Description, chapters, pinned comments and replies |
SoundCloud | Description and timed waveform comments |
Mixcloud | Creator tracklist revealed during playback |
Caption, tagged audio, comments and live replays | |
TikTok | Sound label, caption, comments and creator replies |
Hearthis | Description, comments and creator profile |
Vimeo | Description, credits and linked event pages |
Video caption, comments, event page and livestream replay | |
Audiomack | Description, creator details and comments |
If one upload gives you nothing, search for the same DJ, event and date elsewhere. Another copy may have cleaner audio or a published tracklist, and reposts can carry extra compression. Converting a poor recording to WAV won't restore detail lost in recording or compression.
Ask the DJ or a genre community
People can recognize a white label, an unreleased tune heard in another set, or a private edit shared in a small scene. Ask under the original upload or reply to a post about the set. If you're at the event, wait until the DJ has finished.
A useful ID request includes:
The original recording link
The exact timestamp
The DJ and event name
The year or performance date
Any clear lyric you can hear
What you already tried
For example: "Can anyone ID the track at 42:18 in this set? The vocal repeats 'take me back.' It came back as an unidentified gap, so the full recording is linked below."
For harder IDs, post in a community that matches the sound (house, techno, drum and bass, trance, garage). Link the full set so readers hear the context around the gap. If the tracks just before and after the gap were identified, include their names so readers can find the right spot.
Some DJs won't answer because the track is unreleased, belongs to another producer or is part of their current sets. Silence doesn't always mean the question was ignored.
Why some tracks stay unidentified
Recognition compares the recording against a catalog of fingerprints, so music with no public release can't be matched. That includes private DJ edits, producer demos, dubplates, unreleased remixes, one-off festival versions and bootlegs.
Other gaps come from the mixing itself. A long blend may combine the drums of one record, the vocal of another and an extra loop, so recognition may return both tracks, only the loudest one, the original behind an edit, or nothing reliable. A result naming one part of a mashup isn't necessarily wrong. Heavy pitch or tempo changes, effects, crowd noise, clipping and room echo can also move the audio too far from its stored fingerprint.
Why the track stayed unknown | What you can do next |
|---|---|
It may be unreleased | Check the DJ's or producer's posts later |
It sounds like a private edit | Ask the DJ using the timestamp |
Two records are overlapping | Check whether one part was identified |
The source has poor audio | Try another official upload |
The track is heavily altered | Look for comments naming the edit or remix |
No explanation is clear | Save the link and check again after release |
FAQ
Can Shazam identify songs in a DJ set?
Yes, when one released track is playing clearly and close to its original tempo. It struggles when two tracks overlap, the pitch is changed heavily or crowd noise covers the music, and it names one song per attempt instead of the full tracklist.
How do I find a song at a specific time in a DJ set?
Analyze the full recording so each result comes back with its timestamp, then check the description, YouTube chapters and SoundCloud's timed comments at that point. If it is still unknown, ask the DJ or a genre community and quote the exact timestamp.
Why can't some songs in a DJ set be identified?
Recognition needs a reference recording to compare against, so unreleased tracks, private edits, dubplates and producer demos can't be matched. Long blends, heavy pitch or tempo changes and poor audio can also hide a match.
Can you identify songs in an unlisted or private YouTube DJ set?
Unlisted videos work, because anyone with the URL can open them. Private, deleted, expired or restricted uploads can't be read.
How do I ask for a track ID?
Post under the original upload with the exact timestamp, the DJ and event, the date, any lyric you can hear and what you already tried. That lets the reader jump straight to the music and answer in one reply.
Have a set full of tracks you want? Paste the link into Setlist.ID to get its tracklist with timestamps.