How to sort a rekordbox playlist by key and BPM

Six tracks in a playlist. This is registration order, which is also the order stored in the playlist:

The same six tracks, under each of the three sorts:

Sort by key and the BPM inside 1A and 2B runs 130 → 124, the opposite direction of a warm-up. Sort by BPM and the key walks 1A → 2A → 2B → 2A → 1A → 2B. Only the third column keeps the keys in order and the BPM rising inside each one.

1. Set the key display to Alphanumeric
   Preferences → View → Key display format → Alphanumeric (1A..12B). If your keys are not in Camelot notation, Sort stops without reordering anything and tells you which preference to change.
2. Export your collection as XML
   File → Export Collection in xml format. Always save to the same path, for example ~/Music/rekordbox/collection.xml.
3. Run Sort
   In the Mac app, pick the XML, check the resulting order on screen before anything is written, then Sort in Place. On the command line, baken rbsort collection.xml sorts every playlist in place.
4. Point Imported Library at that file, once
   Preferences → Advanced → Database → rekordbox xml → Imported Library, and select the same file. This is a one-time setup.
5. Restart rekordbox
   The rekordbox xml tree in the left sidebar becomes a sorted mirror of your Playlists.
6. Export to USB
   Drag a playlist from the rekordbox xml tree into your Playlists, switch to EXPORT mode, right-click → Export Playlist. The CDJ plays it in that order.

Don't see it? The sorted playlists live only in the rekordbox xml tree, not in your main Playlists. Switch sidebar trees.

Sort rules

• Primary: Camelot key ascending, 1A → 1B → 2A → 2B → … → 12A → 12B
• Secondary: BPM ascending within each key group
• Tracks with no Camelot key sort after all known keys; BPM 0 sorts last within a key group
• The exported XML is sorted in place. Only the order of the track references changes; names, folders and every other byte are preserved, so re-running is a no-op
• Your rekordbox library itself is never touched; the sorted playlists appear in the separate rekordbox xml tree

Can rekordbox sort by key and BPM at the same time?

No. rekordbox and the players sort one column at a time. Sort by key and the BPMs inside each key stay in the order the tracks were added to the playlist. Getting both requires rewriting the order stored in the playlist rather than the order on screen.

Why are the BPMs scattered after I sort by key on the CDJ?

Because sorting on the player is a view. It never changes the order stored in the playlist, and the stored order is what the CDJ reads.

Does this modify my rekordbox library?

No. Your library is never touched. Only the track order inside the exported XML changes, and the sorted playlists appear in the separate rekordbox xml tree. Names and folder structure stay as they were.

Do cues and beatgrids survive?

Yes. Sort changes the order of the track references and nothing else. The audio files are not touched at all.

Is it free?

The baken CLI is free and MIT licensed for macOS, Windows and Linux. Bake'n Deck for Mac is a one-time purchase on the Mac App Store, with no subscription.