Padded Cells by Optical cover art

Padded Cells

Optical

30s preview

Key
10B · D major
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

EnergyGrooveMoodOrganicInstr.LiveTempo
Energy93
Mood27Dark
Groove33
Acoustic0
Instrumental85
Live73
Speech10

Frequency spectrum

amplitude · bass → treble

601252505001k2k4k8k
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

10B9B · 11B · 10A

From 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.

#TrackKey·BPM

Every move from 10B

11BSimple Mix Upper
9BSimple Mix Downer
10ATonal Shift·
11ADiagonal Mix Upper
9ADiagonal Mix Downer
1ACompatible Tone·
12BHigh Energy Boost▲▲▲
8BHigh Energy Drain▼▼▼
1BParallel Key Upper▲▲
7BParallel Key Downer▼▼
5BTritone Jump▲▲
2BRelated Keyrisky

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.

#TrackKey·BPM

More drum n bass

#TrackKey·BPM

More from Optical

Full profile
#TrackKey·BPM

Other 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.

#TrackKey·BPM

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