Stoplight colors for key extended to the track browser
Posted: 29 Sep 2013, 08:12It's great that when you load a track, the color of the key in the deck changes to yellow for caution, and red for key clash. It's also great that compatible tracks with the master get colored red in the track browser.
I think that it would be even better if you made the track key match like a stop light. Green for good, yellow for caution, and red for don't ever do it, ever. Make sure you find a very calming green though, and if one isn't available in the color scheme, just leave the good key matches white, and color the rest. Make sure that this happens both in the deck key display, and in the track browser.
Reason why I suggest this, is cause I have found myself following the exact key matches way too precisely, when a few of the songs that are yellow make great mixes because of the rhythms and key offsets, rather than the direct key. Especially when playing "open format" or "popular" music, it helps to have more options, and i think the way the key is currently colored in the track browser, it is more of a visual limiter on only choosing what's exactly matching the next song choice, rather than an assistive device to rule out bad matches only.
I think that it would be even better if you made the track key match like a stop light. Green for good, yellow for caution, and red for don't ever do it, ever. Make sure you find a very calming green though, and if one isn't available in the color scheme, just leave the good key matches white, and color the rest. Make sure that this happens both in the deck key display, and in the track browser.
Reason why I suggest this, is cause I have found myself following the exact key matches way too precisely, when a few of the songs that are yellow make great mixes because of the rhythms and key offsets, rather than the direct key. Especially when playing "open format" or "popular" music, it helps to have more options, and i think the way the key is currently colored in the track browser, it is more of a visual limiter on only choosing what's exactly matching the next song choice, rather than an assistive device to rule out bad matches only.