How To Transition Songs On Spotify: Make Seamless Playlists

As music streaming apps go, Spotify is hard to beat. Discovery, playlists, and recommendations are excellent. Where things get more nuanced is how Spotify handles transitions between songs.

Out of the box, Spotify keeps transitions simple. Tracks typically play back-to-back with minimal processing, which can feel a bit abrupt in longer listening sessions, workouts, or playlists that are meant to flow continuously. To improve this, Spotify offers several built-in tools that smooth things out, including crossfade and newer mix features that apply automatic transitions within playlists.

These tools can noticeably improve continuity by overlapping tracks, trimming silence, and applying preset transition logic. However, control remains limited. You cannot fully edit individual transitions, fine-tune phrasing, or shape mixes the way you would in dedicated DJ software.

If you want complete control over how tracks blend, align, and flow into one another, DJ.Studio takes things much further. Rather than streaming directly from Spotify, DJ.Studio lets you rebuild your playlists using supported music sources or local files and turn them into fully editable, seamless DJ-style mixes.

In this guide, we’ll walk through what Spotify’s mix and transition options can do, how to enable them, and where their limits are, so you can decide whether Spotify’s built-in tools are enough, or if a more advanced mixing workflow makes sense for your listening needs.

How To Enable Crossfade in the Spotify App#

Enabling crossfade in the Spotify app (mobile or desktop) is easy - just follow the steps below.

There are two main options to choose from - crossfade, and automix.

Crossfade - This applies a volume-based overlap between tracks, reducing silence and smoothing transitions, but without deep beatmatching, harmonic control, or per-transition editing. This can help make a Spotify playlist sound more fluid and continuous, especially for long listening sessions.

Automix - This mode is primarily used on Spotify-curated playlists and auto-mixed releases, and may also apply to some user-created playlists depending on availability and platform. It can trim intros and outros and apply limited tempo alignment, but offers little to no manual control over individual transitions.

For example, you can use this to make a soundtrack mix seamless, if the publisher has posted an auto-mixed variation. (This isn't available on Spotify Connect).

Pacemaker used to be a popular app for making seamless transitions in Spotify. Although it's now been deactivated - check out our guide on the Best Pacemaker App Alternative!

Activate Crossfade Transitions in Spotify Mobile & Tablet#

To enable crossfade transitions in the Spotify Mobile or Tablet App:

1. Open the Spotify mobile app on your phone/tablet.

2. Tap your profile icon.

3. Select Settings and Privacy, or touch the gear icon.

4. Scroll down until you see the Playback section.

5. Look for the crossfade settings, and adjust the crossfade duration to the desired overlap length.

If you want to enable the automix option, you will find it in the same settings section.

Enable Crossfade in Spotify Desktop App#

These steps to crossfade songs in the Spotify PC desktop app.

1. Click your profile picture/Spotify username in the top right corner.

2. Click on Settings.

3. Navigate down to the Playback section.

4. Look for Crossfade, and switch the option on

5. Set the crossfade time as desired.

You can also enable the automix option here.

Jan 2025 Update - Notice Regarding YouTube Mixing in DJ.Studio​ #

We received a warning from a major record label that our YouTube video streaming implementation didn’t align with YouTube’s intended use and violated their rights.

Unfortunately we had to remove the YouTube mixing feature immediately to continue operations.

You can still create DJ mixes and mashups with your locally stored music or through integrated platforms like Beatport and Beatsource streaming services.

We’re actively exploring alternative music sources to integrate into DJ.Studio, including partnerships with SoundCloud Go+, Tidal, Amazon Music, Apple Music, and more.

Our goal is to provide you with a vast catalog of music. Thanks for your understanding and support.

Experience Better Transitions With DJ.Studio#

Spotify’s crossfade and mix features are a clear improvement over simple gaps between tracks, but they still offer limited control over musical phrasing, timing, and key relationships. Even when playlists sound smoother, manual control over individual transitions remains far more limited than in dedicated mixing tools.

This is where DJ.Studio comes in!

DJ.Studio is a new piece of 'DJ' software (although it's not explicitly for DJs - it's great for humble music lovers too, and is the Best DJ Software for Beginners). It lets you create seamless, beat-matched mixes just with a few button clicks. DJ.Studio does not stream audio from Spotify, but instead lets you rebuild playlists using supported music sources or local files and turn them into fully editable, DJ-style mixes.

The way it works is really easy, and it's the perfect tool for creating a seamless listening experience.

To make a flawless mix using your Spotify playlists in DJ.Studio:

2. Open DJ.Studio
   Launch DJ.Studio to begin your mixing session.

3. Create a New Mix
   Start by creating a new mix project.

4. Add Tracks from Spotify
   Use your Spotify playlist as a reference for track selection and order, then add the same tracks to DJ.Studio using supported music sources or local audio files. (Note: A Beatport Streaming account is only required if you choose Beatport as your music source.)

5. Automix
   Use the Automix algorithm to instantly beat-match and harmonically mix your tracks. Within seconds, DJ.Studio will create smooth transitions between tracks, giving you a solid starting point for your mix.

6. Edit and Refine
   Fine-tune your mix with the timeline editor. Adjust transitions, reorder tracks, and add effects or samples to make the mix truly your own.

7. Legalize and Export
   Once you’re satisfied with your mix, use the Legalize & Export feature to purchase any missing tracks. After downloading them, you can export your finalized mix.

Done!

From the steps above, you can see how easy it is to make a super seamless mix from your Spotify playlist in DJ.Studio.

This just shows one method of using the app, and in reality, it has a lot more on offer if you want to get deeper in your mix creation practices. Just check out the other info on this website to find out more.

Finally...#

Now you're ready to turn your Spotify playlist into a seamless and perfectly mixed listening experience. No more gaps, no more clunky clashing transitions - just pure flowing music in a matter of minutes!

Test DJ.Studio out yourself for free, with the trial! You’ll quickly see how DJ.Studio complements Spotify when you want deeper control over transitions and mix flow.

It is designed for creating seamless mixes using supported DJ music sources and local audio files.