Knowthelist is a feature-packed, cross-platform DJ mixer and music player built for DJs and party hosts who need to react instantly while mixing. Queue up your crowd's requests in real-time, beat-sync two decks, set auto-DJ filters, and deliver flawless transitions — all with a beautiful, responsive interface.
| What | Why It Rocks |
|---|---|
| Dual Decks | Two independent players with separate playlists for seamless mixing |
| Live Collection Search | Find any track instantly while music plays — guests can type requests too |
| Full Mixer | Crossfader, 3-band EQ per deck, and per-channel gain control |
| Beat Sync | Visual sync support with gradual tempo restoration and latency compensation |
| Auto DJ | Smart random play with powerful filters — set it and forget it |
| Track Analysis | Automatic BPM detection, loudness mapping, cue points & beat phase visualization |
| Monitor Player | Pre-listen on a secondary audio device before dropping tracks |
| Pitch-Preserving Time Stretch | DJ-style tempo changes with pitch preservation |
| Auto Gain Control (AGC) | Keep energy levels consistent across your set |
| Modern UI | Fancy tabs, custom VU meters, progress bars, rating widgets — all with Fira Sans typography |
Runs natively on Linux, macOS and Windows.
| Dependency | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Qt 6 (Core + GUI + SVG) | UI framework |
| CMake ≥ 3.16 | Build system |
| taglib | Audio metadata |
| JUCE (auto-fetched by CMake) | Pure JUCE audio backend |
| soundtouch | Pitch-preserving tempo |
# 1. Install system dependencies
sudo apt install build-essential cmake qt6-base-dev qt6-base-dev-tools \
libtag1-dev libasound2-dev ladspa-sdk soundtouch-devel
# 2. Get the source
git clone https://github.com/knowthelist/knowthelist.git
cd knowthelist
# 3. Build with CMake (recommended)
cmake -S . -B build
cmake --build build -j$(nproc)
# 4. Run
./build/knowthelistJUCE cache: JUCE is cached outside
build/(default:~/.cache/knowthelist/fetchcontenton Linux/macOS). Runningrm -rf buildwon't re-download it. Override with-DKNOWTHELIST_FETCHCONTENT_DIR=/path/to/cache.
# 1. Install dependencies via Homebrew
brew install qt taglib soundtouch
# 2. Get the source
git clone https://github.com/knowthelist/knowthelist.git
cd knowthelist
# 3a. qmake build
qmake6 && make -j$(sysctl -n hw.ncpu)
# 3b. Or CMake (recommended)
cmake -S . -B build && cmake --build build -j$(sysctl -n hw.ncpu)
# 4. Run
./build/knowthelistThe app compiles to a .app bundle — drop it into /Applications. An icon will appear in Spotlight.
- Install Qt 6+ (incl. Qt Creator) and CMake.
- Build taglib with CMake, then add its
binpath to your Qt Creator build environment. - Open the project in Qt Creator → Build & Run (Ctrl+R).
A prebuilt Windows package is also available on the Releases page.
sudo apt install knowthelistPre-built Linux packages are also available on the Releases page.
Download the latest installer from the Releases page.
UI headers are generated by Qt Designer — do not edit them manually.
# CMake (recommended):
cmake -S . -B build && cmake --build build --target knowthelist_autogen
# Force full regenerate:
rm -rf build && cmake -S . -B build && cmake --build build -j
# qmake:
qmake6 knowthelist.pro && make clean && make -j| Version | Date | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| 2.4 | 2026 | Qt 6, BPM mode detection, pure JUCE audio backend, beat-phase visualizer |
| 2.3 | 2014-09 | Qt 5 compatibility, GStreamer 1.x |
| 2.2 | 2014-08 | Stored playlists support |
| 2.1 | 2014-05 | First public release; qt3support removal |
| 2.0 | 2011 | Qt-only + GStreamer for multi-platform |
| 1.x | 2005 | KDE/Linux only (Arts sound framework) |
