---
title: "DJ Mode: Genre Colour Themes - DMXDesktop"
lang: en
source: /knowledgebase/dj-genre-colours
---

# DJ Mode: Genre Colour Themes

New in v1.0.51

In DJ Mode you can map your colour themes to music genres, so the colours are predictable and on-brand for every style you play. Load a track and DMXDesktop reads its genre, then the show builder only uses the themes you picked for that genre.

## Themes vs. genre colours

Your colour themes are the shared palette library used by effects everywhere. The DJ Mode **Colors** tab is different: it doesn't create colours, it *maps* those themes onto genres — so House might lean blue and purple while Drum & Bass goes green, automatically, as tracks change.

## The Colors tab

Open **DJ Mode** and select the **Colors** tab. You'll see a card for each genre family, each showing the colours it will use. A card marked *Using defaults* hasn't been customised yet. Use **How genres map to colours** to see the genre lookup, or **Reset all to defaults** to start fresh.

## Choosing themes for a genre

Click a genre card to choose which themes it may use. Tick the themes you want and the card updates to show your selection. For multi-colour themes you can pick how they render: **Blend** for a smooth wash that fades between the colours, or **Solid** for distinct stepped colours. Single-colour themes are marked *Single* and always show their one colour. Click **Reset to default** on a genre to undo your changes.

## How genres map to colours

Each track's file genre is matched to one of 13 genre families (Electronic, Rock, Hip Hop, Pop, Funk / Soul, Jazz, Latin, Reggae, Blues, Classical, Folk World & Country, Stage & Screen and Non-Music). The **How genres map to colours** screen shows the keywords and subgenres each family catches. Type any genre tag into the tester — for example *Drum & Bass* or *R&B* — and it tells you which family it lands on and the colours it will play. Tracks whose genre matches nothing fall to the **Unmatched tracks** card, so you can control their colours too.

## Genre badges on your tracks

Your tracks now carry a colour-coded genre badge, so you can see at a glance what each one will play. Badges appear as you browse, and you can right-click a badge to re-scan that track's genre tag if you've just edited it.

## Sharper colour on real fixtures

Colours now sit better on real-world fixtures. Colour-wheel fixtures snap to the nearest matching slot for the chosen colour, single-colour genres stay true instead of drifting on loud beats, and dedicated Amber or UV emitters only fire when the colour genuinely calls for them — no accidental rainbows or white-outs.

## When the colours play

Once it's set up, it's automatic: load a track, its genre is detected, and the show builder builds the lighting from that genre's enabled themes in the blend or solid style you chose. The same colours feed your Magic Cues and automatic shows.