Blog — harmonic mixing, key detection and DJ libraries

Guide How to order a DJ set: key first, then tempo, then energy — and why the pool matters more than the algorithm In what order should you build a set? Why key, tempo and energy come in that order, two ways to sort a set automatically, and a measurement on one DJ's house library: with a small pool, even the better method can't make every transition compatible. 4 November 20267 min read

Guide Does key still matter when you mix with stems? The clash doesn't go away, it moves Stem separation lets you mute a vocal or a melody live — so does harmonic mixing still matter? Which layers carry the key, how long two tracks actually play together in a real house set, and why stems make key a layer-by-layer question. 27 October 20266 min read

Guide The Camelot wheel, start to finish — numbers, letters, and the tempo trap What the number and letter on the Camelot wheel encode, why certain transitions work, how a compatibility score is built, and how the pitch fader quietly changes a track's key. A complete guide for DJs. 19 October 20266 min read

Measurement What a key detection confidence score should mean — and how we re-fitted ours A confidence score next to a detected key is only useful if the number means what it says. We re-measured ours on 8,004 tracks, found it was underselling itself in every band, re-fitted it, and chose new warning thresholds. Here is the method and every number. 12 October 20266 min read

Method Why do two key detection tools give you different keys for the same track? Load the same track into two key detection tools and get two different keys — one of the most common questions on DJ forums. Here are the four actual relationships behind most disagreements, why some tracks genuinely carry no single answer, and what to check before you trust either one. 5 October 20264 min read

Measurement Why key detection struggles with tech house — a 6,281-track measurement The same engine agreed with a DJ's Mixed In Key tags 90.9% of the time on organic house and 75.0% on tech house. We measured whether the gap comes from the engine's decision or from the tracks themselves, and wrote up the two ideas we tried, what did not work, and what it means at the decks. 21 September 20266 min read

Method How we measure key detection — the benchmark, the scoring, the numbers Every key detection tool says it is accurate. Almost none of them say accurate on what, or scored how. Here is the reference set we test against, the scoring rule we use, our published figures, and the parts we deliberately do not claim. 11 September 20266 min read

Security The Rekordbox and CDJ network flaw: what it is, who is affected, what to do On 10 August 2026 AlphaTheta disclosed a network file-sharing flaw affecting Rekordbox v6-v7 and a long list of CDJ and XDJ players. Here is what is actually exposed, which gear is on the list, and the steps that reduce your risk tonight. Updated 11 September 20264 min read