Feel & analysis
Energy
Energy is a 0–100 reading of how hard a track hits, taken from loudness, spectral drive and percussive weight. It is the dimension that decides where in a set a track belongs rather than what it mixes with.
Measured in our catalog
The median track in the catalog reads 56 for energy across 443,242 analysed tracks, and the scale is clipped at the top — 100 is a tie, not a rank.
The full range runs from 5 to 100, so almost everything sits in the middle two thirds. A track page therefore compares against its own genre rather than the catalog: 70 is unremarkable in hard techno and high for deep house.
56
Catalog median
5–100
Full range
443,242
Analysed tracks
66
Peak-time techno mean
Measured on 11 August 2026 across public tracks with an analysed energy value.
Why it matters
Energy is the axis a set is arranged along. Key and tempo tell you whether two tracks can follow each other; energy tells you whether they should, and in which order.
It is also the dimension most often misread from a waveform. A dense, loud record can sit low on energy if the drive is missing, and a sparse one can sit high.
In Mixgraph
Every track page states where the track sits inside its own genre on energy, and the suggestion list can be pushed up or down the energy axis.
Frequently asked
What is a good energy level for a peak-time track?+
Higher than the catalog median of 56, but "peak time" is a slot rather than a number — the genre tag named for it averages 66, and five other genre tags run hotter.
Is energy the same as loudness?+
No. Loudness is one input among several — drive and percussive weight matter as much. A heavily compressed record can be loud and still read as low energy if nothing is pushing underneath it.
Why do two tracks with the same energy feel different?+
Because energy says how hard, not how it hits. Groove, texture and mood are separate dimensions, and two tracks can match on energy while disagreeing on all three.
Related terms
Groove
Groove is a 0–100 reading of swing and rhythmic pull — how much a track moves rather than simply pounds. It is what makes a quiet record danceable and a loud one stiff.
Valence
Valence is a 0–100 reading of musical mood — bright and lifting at the top, dark and tense at the bottom. It is the dimension that decides whether two tracks feel like they belong to the same night.
Peak time
Peak time is the stretch of a night a set is built toward — the busiest hour, and the point of highest energy. It names a position in a night rather than a specific sound.
Loudness
Loudness is a track’s average level in decibels below full scale, so every value is negative and closer to zero is louder. It decides how far you move the gain, not how hard the record hits.
Explore: Plan an energy arc · Mixing guides · All DJ terms