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hamonic mixing/mixing in key

im starting to learn about the concept, and im curious on some of your opinions. i can definitely see a lot of DJ's putting together a compilation cd with harmonic mixing as a key element of what they are doing due to having all the time to pre-plan what tracks to include. but what about live sets? do they do it as much or does that limit the spontaneity of spinning live? what about yourself, do you find yourself strictly mixing harmonically live or winging it or even a bit of both? lots of questions I know, but this makes up for me hardly ever making threads

i just mix whatever sounds good

harmonic mixes just sound so much better. the thing about having a bunch of keyed tunes is that you can break the "rules" whenever you want, but you know how and when youre breaking those rules.

i pretty much always mix in key and i enjoy the act of keying records. i felt it gave me a much better understanding on how this whole "mixing" stuff worked too.

if youre talented though and can just mix in key on the fly, all the better. but i gotta work them out and write it down

quote:

Originally posted by echosystm i just mix whatever sounds good

+1

its nice mixing in key and all, but if i want to play a tune and i hear that it is out of key, it doesn't stop me from playing it

play what you want, when you want

quote:

Originally posted by echosystm i just mix whatever sounds good

+1, if I had a circle of fifths chart in my DJ bag, I'd never want to DJ. To many years of piano training have killed any desire to go through that again, haha.

That said, I oftentimes will take out a track if the key doesn't match up by ear.

I've never bothered to even learn how to key my tracks, let alone mix harmonically. I just go by ear when I'm queuing and if the two tracks obviously don't work I'll switch to something else.

i just mix tunes i like. doesn't bother me if they're in key or not

I've never tried it but I understand the principle. And it may be something I'd try for a promo mix or putting out a mix cd. A lot of people swear by it, and it makes sense. Knowing your tracks that well (or having notes in itunes/traktor etc. as a guide) seems nothing but beneficial. Bassline in G for track 1 maps to synth for Track 2 in key of D, makes for some interesting layering possibilities. Or simply knowing that the tracks you're mixing sound musically "good" together as opposed to keys that clash, can be quite the confident boost in a club.

Like people have said as well, experienced DJs probably do this naturally. It seems like something to just step up your game, being a better DJ.

90% of the time I mix in key. I can't stand anymore those clashing melodies. each and every record in my bag has key/bpm written on it.

but of course you can find tracks that goes well with each other even if they are off key.

This little program over here is very useful.

I agree with pkc. I prefer rapid evolution to mixed in key and its free too.

It really helps your mixes sound cleaner, it lets you save time practicing, and it lets you choose music for a live crowd with a lot more confidence and speed. For example you aren't going to be standing there trying to mix two songs in that don't sound right before you do find one that sounds great because you'll know that just by glancing at your music etc...

I pretty much mix harmonically all the time. You can mix more quickly, play more tracks, play live mashups, switch genres, etc. It also helps you establish a groove and keep the crowds attention. I used to use Rapid Evolution but don't anymore. It's much easier to bring up a keyboard on ur laptop and just find the bass note. Some tracks are harder and u might mistaken it for the 5th instead, but with some practice, u can find it within 30 seconds.

to the people that mix in key pretty consistently:

did you guys all have previous experience playing an instrument? do you guys key the tunes yourselves, or use software? i myself have zero instrument experience and haven't really touched on harmonic mixing because the whole theory is pretty foreign to me still. i wouldn't mind trying, but i really just don't know where to begin finding the keys of my songs.

quote:

Originally posted by JD8180 to the people that mix in key pretty consistently: did you guys all have previous experience playing an instrument? do you guys key the tunes yourselves, or use software? i myself have zero instrument experience and haven't really touched on harmonic mixing because the whole theory is pretty foreign to me still. i wouldn't mind trying, but i really just don't know where to begin finding the keys of my songs.

i play a bunch of instruments so the concept of mixing in key was pretty easy to pick up. i key everything with FL studio's 3xOSC plugin.

if you don't have any musical experience and you wanna start keying shit out immediately i would do as what the others have said and get a program like mixed in key or whatever, but i can't attest to its accuracy since i've never used it.

after a while you can ballpark a track's key by ear, and in the end you'll memorize what tracks go well with each other.

i used to do the whole mixed in Key bit but i don't like the feeeling of being told whta tracks i coudl mix into or can't mix into, i like having the freedom of playing whatever i damn well please... and even if two tracks are HORRIBLY out of key, if you EQ them just right, you can make it sound decent

most edm is composed in minor keys.
you have 12 options of keys to select from and 8 options (same key, shifting to major/minor of the same key, 3,5,7 semitones up or down) to select from once you have a track picked out.

the only limiting factor is depending on how you want the energy to go (up/down/steady) in that case you only have 4 choices of keys for up/down and two for steady. still, you should have enough tracks in your case that shouldn't be a problem. also, if you're key mixing you should train yourself to think a few steps ahead of how you're going to program your set to get to a track you want to play that isn't harmonic with the one you're playing now.

always exceptions though if you just HAVE to play THAT track next :P

quote:

Originally posted by TRNG i used to do the whole mixed in Key bit but i don't like the feeeling of being told whta tracks i coudl mix into or can't mix into, i like having the freedom of playing whatever i damn well please... and even if two tracks are HORRIBLY out of key, if you EQ them just right, you can make it sound decent

Sometimes you need your mix to sound divine instead of just decent. Actually change that sometimes to all the time.

agreed. i think sometimes, dj's don't want to mix in key b/c of limited track choices. at least that was the case for me starting out. but that shouldn't be an excuse. if u feel limited mixing harmonically, then u don't have enough tracks

I used to mix in key often, but now I just mix what ever works.

I can do it by using my ears, without planning things out before hand, but I prefer not limiting myself to matching keys of the tracks. It's more fun that way.

Do whatever works for you.
Some people use their ears to detect tracks w/ identical keys.
Some chosoe to write it down.
Writing down is esp. is a good idea, if you're bad w/ track names and such, you can also write down additional information such as BPM.

I understand all this is new to you it was to me at one time also. now days the only time i am mixing harmonicaly is when i am mixing in tracks that have Hi notes on top of each other. you can mix almost anything low and get away with it and it just sounds like your changing songs. but say you have a piano track coming in on another piano track. (this is just for instance) and there not in key with each other or not in a relitive key with each other. it can sound like 2 donkeys mating.

best thing to do is record your sets if your new to this so you can go back and hear the difference that it actually makes.

also when you are mixing in key for 4 hours you better have a hell of a music collection going on.

I still BPM and KEY all of my tracks but i dont always mix in key jsut when needed.

Cheers guys, your help is really appreciated and if you all lived close by I'd buy a round. either way I downloaded rapid evo and im gonna tackle that beast, however how accurate is it when i ask it to key it through the file? I'm just iffy on writing it down if theres a chance it might not be right, seeming as I dont quite know how to key by ear.

quote:

Originally posted by Zild Sometimes you need your mix to sound divine instead of just decent. Actually change that sometimes to all the time.

who's saying my mixes don't sound divine... don't put words in my mouth, i'm just saying i don't waste my time with mixed in key, my ears do this by themselves

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