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Harmonic Mixing

Do you use harmonic mixing techniques? If so, do you feel like it makes a big difference? If not, why not?

Depending on the music you play yes it makes a very big difference. If you think someone singing out of key sounds trash then you're going to want to look into harmonic mixing. Unless you play music like I've been playing lately then it really doesn't matter because it's already dissonant to begin with.

Yes I usually always mix harmonically with recorded mixes that I will submit or share with others, but a lot of the times with a live set on PA, u can skimp on it. Its much harder to tell key clashes. Unless the club/venue has a real nice system, then u don't have to worry as much about a sour mix.

I mix harmonically as much as I can. If I played out I probably would care a little less.

deep house = yes
techno = no

quote:

Originally posted by Omega_Blue deep house = yes techno = no

I wanted to be a dickhead and try to come up with some kind of counterexample, but yeah - that's pretty much a spot on description for me as well.

Sometimes pay attention if I have no clue what to play next. Stopped keying my tracks though so eventually I wont.

quote:

Originally posted by RJT I wanted to be a dickhead and try to come up with some kind of counterexample, but yeah - that's pretty much a spot on description for me as well.

meh, there's always exceptions to the rule and i suppose you could broaden the idea by saying "tracks with a strong melody or distinct key = yes, tracks with a subtler melody/mainly percussive sounds = no"

quote:

Originally posted by Omega_Blue meh, there's always exceptions to the rule and i suppose you could broaden the idea by saying "tracks with a strong melody or distinct key = yes, tracks with a subtler melody/mainly percussive sounds = no"

it really depends on harmonic complexity.


if you have a track with a two note bassline you'll be able to fit it with more tracks

quote:

Originally posted by nefardec it really depends on harmonic complexity. if you have a track with a two note bassline you'll be able to fit it with more tracks

mm, replace "strong" with "complex" and you have what i meant

I have a question. If your mixing from a song that is in the key of D#m to a song in Cm, how do you know how many "steps" to turn the effect nob to get it to the key of D#m? Because I don't understand which key on the keyboard is D#m. Is that just D?

it depends on how your mixer works

you'd have to pitch it down two semitones to A#m. I don't know how your effect knob is, but you'd have to go down the equivalent of two semi tones (half steps), or up 3. If you must do this, do the one that transforms it least.

I personally wouldn't bother with that. It will sound like ass. Just find music that works well together.




This is not a good application of harmony and musical theory IMO. It's bad planning.

Alright, ya that makes sense. I don't think I'll ever do this though...I will have to know the key of each song that I'm mixing. I just wanted to know how this works in case I might have to do it for a specific mix.

believe it or not most techno actually sounds better out of key.

it might just be me, but i like the drama it adds to a set.

I can understand how this will improve the sound of a mix, but it seems like it would seriously limit the amount of tracks you can play. For someone like me with only 50 records, thats a pretty big deal.

quote:

Originally posted by sgillespie I can understand how this will improve the sound of a mix, but it seems like it would seriously limit the amount of tracks you can play. For someone like me with only 50 records, thats a pretty big deal.

I could see that being a bit of a problem.

Let's just for arguements sake say that you have an equal amount of tracks on each key and that they are all minor (As most trance is).

You are playing a track in G minor (6a on easymix). If you use the most common methods (Mentioned in the HM thread) you should be able to mix half of your record box in with what you have playing.

If on the other hand your box also has different styles in it then that becomes a much bigger challenge.

I don't DJ out as much as I used to but I will pretty much always play harmonically whatever genre I am playing.

I hear what a lot of the guys are saying with regards to techno and not bothering, but when I play techno I like layering tracks and it just sounds much better if it's in key (admittedly sometimes not possible with techno as the tracks themselves can have some very strange and interesting progression) but that's just the way I work.

I like to think of a set as one piece of music rather than tracks mixed together which makes key important to me on a personal level. And for me, if you don't pay attention to key then the tracks become to easy to separate, I don't always like people to be able to hear what I am doing. If someone at the end of a night comes and asks me what mix of X where you playing, it's always nice to say the version, but then add that you played Y along the top of it.

Not saying the other ways are wrong, just personal preference.

Cheers
Nem

quote:

Originally posted by sgillespie I can understand how this will improve the sound of a mix, but it seems like it would seriously limit the amount of tracks you can play. For someone like me with only 50 records, thats a pretty big deal.

well you're not going to be surprising anyone with only 50 records anyways

buy more music or don't play out. if you're not playing for anyone does it matter if you mix in key?

yea, waste money on more vinyl. When I 1st went digital, I used to key my tracks on my CDJ800MK1, when I went laptop and no longer had to burn tracks, I seemed to increase the rate of media intake and am too lazy. Plus since my media encompasses so many different types, I figured I would probably end up organizing my tracks before I keyed them.. I don't plan on doing either anytime soon

I would say 75% of the time i mix in key now, it helps me mix techno, tech house, minimal, prog, and tribal all together in my sets.. plus i just love the different variations and moods it brings.

Here's an example of my latest 70 minute cdj di.fm set:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=8JOUJ0H7

01. audiojack - enter the drum (original mix)
02. solaris heights - no trace (popof mix)
03. charles gudagafva - david (david west remix)
04. edson pride - do u feel what i feel (jj romero the best in drums mix)
05. kismet - audiophile (original mix)
06. james harcourt - call & response (original mix)
07. sweno n - solid (original mix)
08. tocadisco - morumbi (popof remix)
09. mark night, adam k, soha - from the speaker (original dub mix)
10. muzzaik - noise (original mix)
11. booka shade - charlotte (dubfire remix)
12. david amo, julio navas, paco maroto - electronic electro (original mix)
13. peter brown - savvage (original mix)
14. fergie - break-out (original mix)
15. koen groeneveld - wake turbulence (original mix)

/promo slut

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