How Can I Combine Several Songs Into One Track for My Dance Routine Without Complicated Software?

The easiest way is a browser-based mix tool such as MixClap: add your songs, keep the part of each one you dance to, choose the transition between them, listen to the result and download one audio file, with nothing to install and no audio-editing skills needed. If you'd rather use a classic free editor, Audacity, AudioMass or GarageBand can do it too, but you line up the songs and draw the fades yourself.

The short answer, tool by tool

The four options you'll hear about most don't take the same effort. The real question isn't "which one is best" but "who makes the transitions: you or the tool?"

The no-software method: MixClap, step by step

MixClap is built for people preparing event music: dancers, fitness instructors, couples. It does two things: chain several songs into one file, or make one song shorter or longer. Allow about ten minutes for three or four songs.

1. Add your songs with Choose files (MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC, OGG, OPUS or an MP4 video, up to 50 files), with no account.
2. Put them in order to match the choreography by dragging each row: the order of the list is the order of the mix.
3. Keep the danced part of each song with the purple handles. With the “1” of an eight-count magnet, the handles land on the first beat of a phrase, where a cut is least noticeable.
4. Pick the transition at each join: hard cut, crossfade, fade, sound effect or pause. Each song's tempo is detected: the Fit the fade to the rhythm option lands the fade on the beat, and the next song can lock onto the previous song's tempo.
5. Hit the required length: with the Centred on the passage setting, the mix lasts exactly the sum of your selections, and the Run sheet shows the total length.
6. Listen to the whole mix for free, ideally while dancing to it. The volume is levelled automatically: every song is brought to the same level.
7. Download one file, as MP3, WAV or FLAC. Only the download is paid (€4.99), with no subscription, and the mix can be fine-tuned for free afterwards.

The detailed walkthrough, with screenshots, is in our help guide to combine several songs into one file. To hit a competition length, see cutting music to an exact length, and to build the sequence, our complete medley method.

Before you start: plan the routine on paper

Ten minutes of planning saves an hour of editing. For each song, write down:

• Its position in the choreography.
• The part you dance to: start and end, ideally at the start and end of an 8-count phrase, so the cut lands where the body expects it.
• The required length set by the competition, recital or teacher, if there is one. If a song is too long or too short, see how to shorten a song or make it longer without the edit being audible.
• The format the sound desk wants: an MP3 almost always works, a WAV if the organiser asks for it.

The free alternatives: Audacity, AudioMass, GarageBand

If you don't want to pay anything, these three editors can do it too. The difference: you make the cuts and fades by hand, join by join.

• Audacity (Windows, macOS, Linux, free and open source): each song on a track, then the Crossfade Clips effect at every join, two clips at a time, as the Audacity manual explains.
• AudioMass (browser, free and open source): a waveform editor with a multitrack mode, nothing to install.
• GarageBand (Mac, iPhone, iPad, free): a full studio where fades are drawn with volume automation. Apple-only.

Eight tools are compared in detail, prices and limits included, in music editing software for dance teachers.

Which transition suits a dance routine?

• A hard cut on a strong beat, for a clear change of style. That's often what the choreography wants: a clean "hit".
• A short crossfade when two songs have a similar tempo and the dance flows on. Too long and it blurs the counts.
• A sound effect (whoosh, scratch, rewind) to announce a new section. See our transition sound effects guide.

To know where to cut without it being heard, read where to cut a song for a clean transition.

Mistakes the audience will notice

• Volume jumps: one song mastered louder than the next makes the room flinch. Even out the levels (see normalizing song volume).
• Cutting mid-phrase: dancers lose their cues.
• Clashing tempos: a long crossfade between songs at different tempos sounds like a stumble.
• Forgetting the required length, or keeping only one copy of the file. Keep a backup on a USB stick and on your phone.
• Not rehearsing on the final file: dance to the exported file, not just the preview.

So which one should you choose?

You want a routine ready tonight without learning software: a browser-based mix tool. You like tinkering and want everything free: Audacity, or AudioMass if you can't install anything. You're on a Mac and also want to make music: GarageBand. For a full show, our dance show mix guide goes further.