Masters at Work — Hard Times - Masters At Work - 1st Birthday - 6.8.1994
House · 1h 60m · analysed 19 Aug 2026 · source: soundcloud.com
Public mix analysis — no affiliation or endorsement. This report measures a publicly available recording hosted on soundcloud.com. The scores are produced by SOONOS and do not imply any partnership with, or approval by, Masters at Work.
In short
Hard Times - Masters At Work - 1st Birthday - 6.8.1994 by Masters at Work scores 88/100 in the SOONOS analysis (festival ready). The strongest dimension is IDENTITY (95/100) and the weakest is SURPRISE (84/100).
The engine files this performance as “Promising”.
Key takeaways
What weakened the set
- Long static loops (6×) — Sections sitting on the same loop without layering, EQ moves or tension shifts (12:00, 26:00, 30:00, 36:00, 41:00, 63:00). Long loops kill dancefloor momentum.
Timestamped insights
Each moment below is tagged with how it was produced: “measured” comes from the DSP pass on the audio, “listening” comes from the multi-agent listening pass.
Perfectly executed handover; the transition is almost imperceptible as the new percussion takes over.
Seamlessly brings in the iconic 'Deep Inside' rhythm. The swing of both tracks is perfectly matched.
Smooth transition that keeps the vocal energy high while introducing a new rhythmic drive.
A bit of frequency clutter in the high-mids during the swap, but the energy remains high.
Perfectly timed drop that re-energizes the segment for the final stretch.
A patient transition typical of the MAW style. Slight manual correction audible but groove remains intact.
About this house set
Hard Times - Masters At Work - 1st Birthday - 6.8.1994 is a house DJ set by Masters at Work, running 1h 60m. It was measured by the SOONOS multi-agent engine and scores 88/100 overall — festival ready.
The engine files this performance as “Promising”.
How the score breaks down
SOONOS scores this set across 5 weighted categories. The strongest is IDENTITY at 95/100; the weakest is SURPRISE at 84/100.
Analysis coverage for this file is 100% — the share of the set the engine could measure with full confidence.
Energy and structure
The energy curve was sampled at 48 points, moving between 75 and 95 on the SOONOS energy scale — a moderate dynamic range across the set.
6 transitions were detected and scored individually.
Beat-grid measurement (DSP) reports 225.9 grid breaks per hour, with a median beat offset of 19 ms.
How this score is built
Measured layer (DSP): the audio file is analysed directly — beat grid, tempo stability, loudness and energy. These values are measurements, not opinions.
Listening layer: a multi-agent pass reads musical intent — programming, storytelling, coherence and crowd effect. This layer interprets, it does not measure.
Fusion and ceilings: the two layers are merged, and the measured layer always wins on execution. When the DSP hears an execution problem, it caps the final score even if the listening layer is positive.
Measured coverage for this file is 100% of the set.
Full SOONOS analysis
The 8 dimensions
Not available — the 8-dimension profile was not measured for this set.
Score breakdown
TECHNIQUE
How well did you execute?
25%86
TECHNIQUE
How well did you execute?
STORYTELLING
Did the mix go somewhere?
25%92
STORYTELLING
Did the mix go somewhere?
ENERGY
Did you control the room?
20%88
ENERGY
Did you control the room?
SURPRISE
Did you remain unpredictable?
15%84
SURPRISE
Did you remain unpredictable?
IDENTITY
Did the mix sound like you?
15%95
IDENTITY
Did the mix sound like you?
Energy arc
Transitions analysed (6)
Long EQ blend with low-end swap
Perfectly executed handover; the transition is almost imperceptible as the new percussion takes over.
Percussive layering into 'Hard Drive'
Seamlessly brings in the iconic 'Deep Inside' rhythm. The swing of both tracks is perfectly matched.
Long percussive blend with mid-range EQ swap
Smooth transition that keeps the vocal energy high while introducing a new rhythmic drive.
Fast layering with high-pass filter
A bit of frequency clutter in the high-mids during the swap, but the energy remains high.
Bass swap on the downbeat
Perfectly timed drop that re-energizes the segment for the final stretch.
Long vinyl blend with EQ layering
A patient transition typical of the MAW style. Slight manual correction audible but groove remains intact.
Technical subscores
85
EQ balance
85
Beat alignment
88
Energy control
87
Tempo stability
85
Loudness control
92
Musical coherence
89
Harmonic compatibility
85
Transition cleanliness
Measured (DSP)
19 ms
Beat-grid drift (median)
Typical gap between the two tracks' beats while they play together. Lower is tighter.
107 ms
Drift p95
Worst-case drift: 95% of the set stays tighter than this value.
7,172
Boundaries detected
Points where the audio changes track or section.
10
Hard cuts / h
Abrupt track changes per hour, with no blend between the two records.
233
Clipping events
Moments where the recording hits the ceiling and distorts.
219
Level jumps
Sudden volume steps between tracks.
Measurement confidence 100% · analysed on the full audio.
Recurring patterns
Long static loops (6×)
Sections sitting on the same loop without layering, EQ moves or tension shifts (12:00, 26:00, 30:00, 36:00, 41:00, 63:00). Long loops kill dancefloor momentum.
Timeline
- 0:00The Foundation
- 7:15Groove Lock
- 11:05Anthem Tease
- 15:20Groove Lock
- 19:15High-End Clutter
- 18:45Risky pressure or vibe dip
Curious how your own set scores?
Methodology and limitations
This report is produced automatically from the published recording. It measures what is present in the audio file: a bad source encoding, a partial upload or a heavily processed broadcast version can change the measured values. Nothing here reflects the room, the crowd or the night itself.
Read the full SOONOS methodology →Questions about this analysis
- What score does Masters at Work's Hard Times - Masters At Work - 1st Birthday - 6.8.1994 get?
- Hard Times - Masters At Work - 1st Birthday - 6.8.1994 scores 88/100 in the SOONOS Mix Database (festival ready), based on audio measurement plus multi-agent listening.
- How long is Hard Times - Masters At Work - 1st Birthday - 6.8.1994?
- The analysed recording runs 1h 60m.
- Which part of the mix scores best?
- IDENTITY is the strongest category at 95/100, while SURPRISE is the lowest at 84/100.
- How is this score calculated?
- SOONOS measures the audio with a DSP pass (beat grid, loudness, tempo, energy) and runs a multi-agent listening pass on top. Measured axes always override the listening layer, so an execution issue heard in the file caps the final score.
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