Full guide
KimiCue for Serato DJ
KimiCue automatically detects the drop in every track and places 8 hot cues - you don't mark anything manually. For Serato users, it writes those cues directly into your audio files as Serato Markers2 tags. Open Serato DJ Pro and the cues are already there, across your whole library, without you having set a single one.
Requirements
What you need before you start
Serato DJ Pro
RequiredThe Markers2 tag format is a Pro feature - Serato DJ Lite won't show custom hot cues.
Rekordbox (free)
KimiCue works via a Rekordbox XML file. You need Rekordbox installed even if you only DJ with Serato.
KimiCue Pro licence
RequiredWrite Serato Hot Cues is a Pro feature. The free demo won't enable this option.
Supported audio files
KimiCue supports MP3, FLAC, AIFF, WAV, AAC, M4A, OGG, and WMA. Most DJ libraries are covered.
Step-by-step
How to use KimiCue with Serato
Add your tracks to Rekordbox
KimiCue reads from a Rekordbox XML file, so your tracks need to be in Rekordbox's library first.
Open Rekordbox
Drag your tracks into the library (or a playlist)
Let Rekordbox analyse them - BPM grid and waveform. This improves accuracy.
Export the Rekordbox XML
Export your collection so KimiCue can read your track list and file paths.
Set an export folder you'll remember
Select Export to rekordbox xml
Run KimiCue
Key stepOpen KimiCue and configure it before running. Follow this order carefully.
Browse XML
Click Browse XML and select the file you just exported from Rekordbox.
Select Genre Mode
Pick the mode that matches your music style - this improves drop detection accuracy.
Tick Write Serato Hot Cues ✓
This enables writing the Markers2 tags directly into your audio files.
Tick Backup Serato Tags ✓
Recommended - saves your existing cues before writing anything new.
Run a Dry Run first
Preview the results without writing anything. Check the cue positions look right.
Untick Dry Run → Start
If the preview looks good, untick Dry Run and click Start to write the cues.
Open Serato DJ Pro
Your cues are already there
Open Serato DJ Pro and load one of your processed tracks. Your hot cues will already be set in the cue slots - no import step needed.
Good to know
Important things to know
KimiCue only fills empty cue slots
If you already have cues on a track, KimiCue won't overwrite them. It only writes into slots that are currently empty. Your existing work is always safe.
The Backup Serato Tags option
When ticked, KimiCue saves a copy of your existing Serato tags to a backup folder before writing anything new. If you ever want to undo, the backup is there.
Your audio files are edited directly
Unlike Rekordbox (which stores cues in an XML database), Serato stores hot cues inside the audio file itself as ID3 tags. KimiCue writes to the file directly - the same way Serato does when you set cues manually.
Slots 1–8 only
Serato supports 8 hot cue slots. KimiCue will place cues across available slots starting from slot 1. Any slots already occupied are left untouched.
Troubleshooting
Something not working?
Cues don't appear in Serato
Make sure the file path in Serato matches the actual file location. If you moved files after running KimiCue, re-locate them in Serato's library.
"Write Serato Hot Cues" is greyed out
This is a Pro feature. Upgrade to KimiCue Pro to unlock it.
Buy Pro →I ran it but my existing cues are gone
Check the backup folder - KimiCue saves a .bak file next to your audio file (or in the backup folder you set). You can restore your original tags from there.
Rekordbox says I need it but I only use Serato
KimiCue uses Rekordbox XML as the track list format. You don't need to DJ with Rekordbox - just use it to export the XML, then go back to Serato. Think of Rekordbox as the 'source of truth' for your library that KimiCue reads from.
Ready to prep your Serato set?
Download the free demo to test the workflow, then upgrade to Pro to unlock Serato hot cue writing.