DJ guides

Everything about key and tempo that helps when you prep a set and when you're in the booth. Each guide answers one question and shows how to apply it with the CrateKeys tools.

  1. 01

    Harmonic mixing: linking tracks whose keys fit

    A harmonic mixing guide: how to read the 1A–12B key wheel, which moves are safe, how to raise the energy and how to link tracks whose keys clash.
  2. 02

    Key tags: where the key is stored and how DJ software reads it

    Where a song's key is written in the file, how Rekordbox, Serato and Traktor read it, and how notations (1A, Am, Open Key) convert. Full table.
  3. 03

    How key detection works, and why it sometimes gets it wrong

    How key finder software detects a song's key, its most common mistakes (neighbouring key, relative key, key changes) and how to check the result by ear.
  4. 04

    Pitch, tempo and key lock: how the key shifts when the tempo changes

    How much pitch shifts the key by a semitone, when to turn key lock on, what hurts the sound, and how half and double tempo line up. A guide for DJs.