· CueID

How to find the BPM and key of every track in a DJ mix

Want the tempo and key of each track in a mix, to see how it was built or to plan your own sets? Here’s how to get them for a whole recording, what Camelot keys mean, and how far to trust the numbers.

A tracklist tells you what a DJ played. Tempo and key tell you how it fits together: why one blend glides and another clashes, how a set builds energy over two hours, which of your own tracks would sit well next to the one you’ve just discovered.

Camelot keys in thirty seconds

DJ software usually shows keys in Camelot notation, a wheel numbered 1 to 12. A is a minor key and B is a major key. For example, 8A is A minor and 8B is C major.

Tracks mix well together when they’re:

  • the same code (8A into 8A),
  • one step either way on the wheel (8A into 7A or 9A), or
  • the same number, other letter (8A into 8B, moving between relative minor and major).

That’s the whole idea behind harmonic mixing. It isn’t a law, and plenty of great transitions break it, but it explains a lot of what sounds smooth.

Getting BPM and key for a whole mix

CueID identifies every track in a recording and works out each one’s tempo and key as it goes. Keys are shown both ways, Camelot and note name, like 8A / Am.

  1. Scan the mix. Drop in an audio file, paste a Dropbox or Google Drive share link, or pick a podcast episode.
  2. Read the tracklist. Each track shows its BPM and key next to its name and start time.
  3. Export it. Switch on Include BPM and key when you export.

Measured from the mix itself

CueID measures each track from the recording, in the middle of that track’s stretch rather than at the transition, where two tempos and two keys overlap. That means you get the tempo as it was played, which isn’t always the tempo it was released at. If the DJ pitched a 124 BPM track up to 128, you’ll see 128. For learning how a set was built, that’s the more useful number: you can watch the tempo climb across the night.

How far to trust it

  • Tempo is usually within half a BPM on music with a clear beat. Like every detector, it can read some half-time music at double or half speed, so a drum & bass track might show as 87 rather than 174.
  • Key is a best guess. It’s reliable on tracks with a clear tonal centre and shakier on blends, atonal tracks and anything mostly percussion.

Use both as a guide and trust your ears when they disagree.

Where to use the numbers

  • CSV has BPM and key columns. Open it in Numbers, Excel or Google Sheets and sort by tempo or key.
  • Rekordbox XML and Traktor NML bring the recording into your DJ software with a cue point at each track, and with BPM and key switched on each cue name carries them, so you can see at a glance what will mix with what. There’s more on that in the export guide.
  • Plain text with BPM and key is handy for notes, or for a forum post about how a set was put together.

Your first scan is free, however long the recording, and every export format is included.