
Padded Cells
30s preview
- BPM
- 174
- Half-time
- 87
- Open Key
- 3d
- Energy
- 93/100
- Pop
- 0/100
- Length
- 5:15
- Released
- 2009
- Album
- Travel the Galaxy
- Genre
- Drum N Bass
- Loudness
- -3.4 dB
- Dynamics
- 10.4 dB
- ISRC
- GBTKW0990703
Key, BPM and audio features: model-based audio analysis · how we measure · catalogue updated July 2026
A drum n bass cut, Padded Cells sits in D major (10B) at 174 BPM. It reads as dark and driving. It leans atmospheric over strictly danceable. The mix is almost entirely instrumental. Its spectrum is weighted to the sub and kick, with a heavy low end. The master is loud and heavily compressed. A 2009 production that still circulates in sets. More underground than 99% of Optical's catalogue. For programming, treat it as an opener or closing-set piece.
- Groove:
- less groove-driven than 97% of Optical's catalogue
- Low end:
- more bass-heavy than 81% of Optical's catalogue
Sonic profile
Frequency spectrum
amplitude · bass → treble
- 33%
- Low
- 30-130 Hz
- 28%
- Low-mid
- 130-570 Hz
- 21%
- Upper-mid
- 570 Hz-2.5 kHz
- 18%
- High
- 2.5-11 kHz
FAQ
What key is Padded Cells in?
Padded Cells by Optical is in D major, or 10B on the Camelot wheel.
What BPM is Padded Cells?
Padded Cells runs at 174 BPM.
What mixes well with Padded Cells?
From 10B it blends harmonically with 11B, 10A, 9B. Moving to 11B lifts the energy a step.
Is Padded Cells good for peak time?
With energy 93 out of 100 at 174 BPM, it works best as an opener or closing-set piece.
Mixes harmonically
10B → 9B · 11B · 10AFrom 10B, 11B (A major) lifts the energy a step; 10A (B minor) settles into the relative minor; 9B (G major) cools the energy down a step.
How to mix it
In 10B at 174 BPM: 11B (A major) — move to 11B to push the floor harder; 10A (B minor) — switch to 10A for a mood change without losing the groove; 9B (G major) — drop to 9B to bring the room down gently.
Pitch range at ±6%: 164-184 BPM — anything in that window beatmatches without sounding stretched.
Key on the fader: without key lock (Master Tempo on CDJs), above roughly +5% it plays a semitone higher, so treat it as 5B rather than 10B; below -5% it reads as 3B. With key lock on, it stays 10B across the whole range.
Programming: an opener or closing-set piece.
Similar tempo
Within ±3 BPM of 174 — beatmatch without a big tempo pull.
More drum n bass
More from Optical
Full profileOther recommendations
Beyond strict key and genre matches: tracks that still sit in beatmatch range of 174 BPM with a compatible energy and groove — candidates for a key jump or a genre crossover.
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