I'm typically a big fan of harmonic mixing... it enables you to do super early que points and keep the energy level that was built up in the previous song at a constant during the transition to the next song. Unfortunately, it limits your song selection to a handful of songs, which even though harmonically compatible, may not be the best fit for your current track.

With the other keys, to get the best possible mix without clash, you have to mix during the relatively soft part of the songs... which I think kills the energy.

Is this something that just has to be lived with or have you found ways to compensate for this?

do what i do- limit yourself to one genre then song selection really doesnt matter

seriously though, with +1,-1,+4,-3,+7 harmonic mixes, that should be plenty of room to maneuvre. otherwise, quick changes of basslines can help an out of key mix

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lol, well typically I have a tendency to go from proggy/130 bpm to driving/hard/140 bpm pretty quickly, so even if i have to go out of harmony, the change in subgenre to a generally faster-paced type takes care of maintaining energy level. Where I have the most trouble is with limiting myself to just progressive for example. I want to maintain or increase energy but with proggy, letting those drums playout can get rather boring.

I guess I'll just have to keep practicing the song selection.. your right, those options (when you include the tone increases) should be enough but sometimes they aren't for me... maybe I don't have enough songs

Yup, throwing in the odd non-harmonic mix also helps to vary the mix a bit, if nothing else if it just makes you mix it in more sharply (when you might usually keep every mix pretty slow and smooth), which makes things more interesting and throws a bit of energy in.

I personally pick a track and then check the key... a lot of the time, if it's not in key I'll still play it if I think the track would work well, but I'll bear in mind that it won't fit harmonically so I'll mix it appropriately. Obviously when adding samples, loops etc the key is a more important consideration as nearly all of the time it simply won't work if they're not in matching keys, quite often still being a problem unless they're in the same key... and even then it's not guaranteed to work!

I think it's also important to keep your options open about the keys you'll consider for a harmonic mix - the way I think of it, from any key you've got a choice of 5 keys (including itself) you can move to smoothly, which is nearly half of your records (I tend to treat major and minor keys as the same thing for harmonic mixing, thus giving 12 different keys, but if you're going to use this 'trick' you need to know the problems it can cause and what to do about them); granted it sounds even better if you just stick to the same key, but as you say you're then really limited in what you can play and a set can become quite boring if the key never changes.

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Stu Cox |

Key changes are necessary and there is nothing wrong with making the dance floor think "where the f*ck did that come from" especially if its an uplifting mix.

It's just a question of getting a feel for it and getting to know your tunes.

Cheers
Nem

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Originally posted by Nemesis44 Key changes are necessary and there is nothing wrong with making the dance floor think "where the f*ck did that come from" especially if its an uplifting mix. It's just a question of getting a feel for it and getting to know your tunes. Cheers Nem

Plus there are enough spots in each tune for smooth transition without making it sound horrible and odd basic tricks can make even what seems very clashy keys sound acceptable.

Harmonic mixing is overrated anyways

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Originally posted by chinamon not true. i say "ugh" but i am a tranny.

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Originally posted by kotsy lol colour me retarded

thanks for the replies... im starting to incorporate a balance of harmonic and nonharmonic mixing into my sets...

If I understand what you are saying... you can raise or lower energy levels in your sets even by staying with that specific genre. You don't need to go from Prog to Techno to get things moving faster. Just know your tracks, because a lot of slower tracks can still get a dance floor moving because the elements in the track make it seem like its moving faster then it really is.

Hope I read your question correctly and answered it alright.

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Originally posted by JMorris If I understand what you are saying... you can raise or lower energy levels in your sets even by staying with that specific genre. You don't need to go from Prog to Techno to get things moving faster. Just know your tracks, because a lot of slower tracks can still get a dance floor moving because the elements in the track make it seem like its moving faster then it really is. Hope I read your question correctly and answered it alright.

I think I just get too eager to speed things up... I can do maybe 5 progressive songs before I feel the urge to start working my way through the 132-136 range.

What about slowing things down? What are some ways to give the audience a bit of a break before racheting things up again? One suggestion I got from someone was after 3 or more in-tune energetic tunes... switch to a different key-region, which forces you to wait until the percussion part of the track and calms the crowd down a bit.

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Originally posted by ClearVision What about slowing things down? What are some ways to give the audience a bit of a break before racheting things up again? One suggestion I got from someone was after 3 or more in-tune energetic tunes... switch to a different key-region, which forces you to wait until the percussion part of the track and calms the crowd down a bit.

i use mostly track selection to slow things down...something not too melodic, thats why i keep tracks that even though i dont like are something like 'filler tracks"...gives the dance floor a break...when the floor's on a break thats when everyone goes to the bar and your venue owner is happy because your sending everyone over there and making them money. the thing is if you mix into tracks heavy on the breakdowns you tend to keep people on the floor as they're expecting a big buildup.
anyways, justk now that choons > key.

How often do you play at raves? Theres a big difference in what you can do at a rave and what you can do at a club. Theres so many elements to a good mix that staying in harmony should be the least of your worries. I hate dj'ing at clubs because of the loss of creative freedoms and the general narrow mindedness of the audience. At the same token spining at rave is exhusting because it can be more about how you stand out and tear it up in contrast to the 5-10 other dj's usually with the same records and simular style. I feel restrained at clubs,...it's almost a crime to start getting into the mix and dancing or being charasmatic,..or throwing a few stratches or beat juggles in there. At the same token clubs pay and raves usually don't unless your doubling as a street pharmacist for the night too. Harmonic mixing is a good tool,....but it won't make you stand out and sound original unless you poor your soul into it and make the energy with not only the tracks but the way you spin them too. I've found that no dj can sound like me,...even if I were to give him the same records and stick to the same track list it wouldn't make a difference. That's whats gonna make or break you,...it's your ability to move, inspire, and control the crowd your playing for. Harmonic mixing aint gonna save you if you can't give the people what they want 9 out of 10 tracks at a time.