New users often get confused. Here’s the simple breakdown for 5.6.0:
DJ with a controller or CDJs in HID mode. Enables Sampler, Hot Cues (on laptop), effects, and recording. rekordbox 5.6.0
Most pros recommend keeping 5.6.0 installed alongside 6.x (they can coexist in different folders on Windows; on macOS, use separate user accounts or a dual-boot setup). New users often get confused
The release notes cite improved software stability. In the world of live performance, "stability" is the most important feature. Users have reported that 5.6.0 resolves some of the audio dropout issues found in previous iterations when running high-latency effects or managing massive libraries. Most pros recommend keeping 5
If you are running a previous version of rekordbox 5, this is a safe and recommended update. It doesn't break your workflow, but it adds necessary support for the current generation of hardware.
If you prepare a USB drive in rekordbox 5.6.0 (with beat grids, hot cues, loops), a friend using rekordbox 6 can read it fine. But if they modify the drive and hand it back, version 5.6.0 may fail to load their changes due to database schema differences.