mixed in key has been a tool i use to label the tracks keys, and then organize my cd binders that way. I don't live and die by those keys when mixing, but always find it handy to know that 2 or 3 pages of my cd's are somewhat compatible and am able to get to them quickly when in a pinch. It is really limiting if you only attempt to use the system in terms of track selection, but i think we all know not every track has to be "in key" to sound good...there are quite a few exceptions to do this rule if you pop them in properly. When you are playing a "freestyle set..ie no set plan", it can come in handy when you really have a stutter and not sure what to play. Doesn't happen ofen, but sometimes that beer is mighty tasty and you forget the track playing needs to be attended to and quick. (ya i do jesus poses too)

overall it isnt a nescesity, but has some useful fuctions...
DO NOT TAKE THE BPM'S IT GIVES AS FACT BECAUSE YOU WILL BE SURPRISED...im not bad now hearing the keys by ear, but can be slightly off at times due to a slight loss of hearing in one of my ears....oh well frankie wilde and hummus biznitches.

mixed in key program is terrible, the end.

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Eyad Allayla - drums cubana - di.fm - tribal house channel - twisted_techy_hooks

Yeah, don't waste your money. Get Rapid Evolution 2 from mixshare.com and learn how to use it properly. It analyzes the key for you (but you'll probably want to get your BPM information elsehwere)... however, it is smartly designed--it includes a piano, as well as an "accuracy" reading of how well it feels the key has been analyzed. This means you can work from the bottom up and refine your results while still enjoying the time-saving benefits of automation. It's the best solution, and trust me, I've looked into this.

All the people screaming "ears" are right on one level, but unless your name is Muad'dib you're not certain to be picking out a properly keyed track from your bin, wallet, or directory. Why waste the time sorting it out on the fly when you can do your research and know in advance?

quote:

Originally posted by basilisk Yeah, don't waste your money. Get Rapid Evolution 2 from mixshare.com and learn how to use it properly. It analyzes the key for you (but you'll probably want to get your BPM information elsehwere)... however, it is smartly designed--it includes a piano, as well as an "accuracy" reading of how well it feels the key has been analyzed. This means you can work from the bottom up and refine your results while still enjoying the time-saving benefits of automation. It's the best solution, and trust me, I've looked into this. All the people screaming "ears" are right on one level, but unless your name is Muad'dib you're not certain to be picking out a properly keyed track from your bin, wallet, or directory. Why waste the time sorting it out on the fly when you can do your research and know in advance?

very well said and 100% acurate on both both points.

if you want 100% acuracy for bpm's use mixmeister

i also agree with what your saying about people who "use their ears"

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Eyad Allayla - drums cubana - di.fm - tribal house channel - twisted_techy_hooks

Well I think what people are saying by "using your ears" is figuring out the key yourself using a keyboard, not really knowing every key by just hearing a track. Most musicians can't do that.

I think it's important to learn a little bit of music theory if you are going to go this route.

quote:

Originally posted by starboy very well said and 100% acurate on both both points. if you want 100% acuracy for bpm's use mixmeister i also agree with what your saying about people who "use their ears"

why? If you actually become able to pick out the key by ear, it will go a long way if you decide to produce quality music. You don't need to know hoe to read sheet musci either to produce or dj, but if you have some music theory down it puts you ahead of the rest. Everyone has their own software,techniques,ways they have learned, and thats the thin...when you dj you use what works best for you so long as it works.Not everyone uses the .8 technique to mix, but yet they can still do it effectively. Use NONE of these programs as a selector of tracks to mix with, but as just an extra "cheat" to help you learn better. After awhile of using these you actually start to hear the keys on your own.I have a little more trouble due to hearing loss sometimes but it can still happen quite a bit.
Starboy this isn't a quip on you, i just didnt know you mixed...can i have a link to one of your sets?


Use any technique or program you feel comfortable in so long as it works for you and gets the results you want.

and i trust me head more than mixmeister for bpm's they aren't always accurate...and im not saying that because i dislike that program.

Last edited by all-nite-freak on Jul-17-2007 at 17:57

god if only mixmeister could type for me

the best track-track mixes i've ever done have always been those where i am just getting into the track that's currently playing and suddenly in my mind's ear i 'hear' another sound and then when i catch that sound in my head i think "where did that come from" and then i realize it's part of another track and then the more I think of it the better it will sound.

even before 'key matching', i would stress 'sound matching' or 'tone matching', where you're mixing tracks with similar tonal, sonic, and rhythmic concepts. the key is just sort of a basic metric that doesn't tell you much about anything. just because two songs are in related keys doesn't mean anything


Problem is this sort of creative flash doesn't come ALL the time, and sometimes the intuition is just wrong, so when you have your tracks keyed it gives you an affirmation of what you already knew

thats what i was almost trying to say, but yeah..you said it better. Once in awhile when on the fly i get a "stutter"(just) a wtf should i play feeling...it really is paractical to have a few pages of cd to help chose on those occasions.This happens mostly when playing a spanking new track with me.

let me just put it into perspective on how i feel about the whole thing. a lot of the big producers and dj's pay close attention to key clashes and key tagging etc simply because they want to sound good just like the most of us here do. also by figuring out what keys your music is in will save so much time why would you not want to do it? by knowing the musical aspects of your tracks and productions, you eliminate the guesswork (ejecting cd's etc) and even can organize your library this way.

and that whole "monotonous" argument is bs.. there are so many ways you can pull off harmonic mixes +1-1+4-3+7+2 and even other combo's you can get away with if you know your music, just have to watch out for overlaping melodies and high's and low's clashing.

im sick of people saying that they mix harmonicly with their ears, im sorry sorry but that is very rare. songs with compatable keys will accept each other rather than fight against each other. in other words as we all know the bass kick and high hats will sound great together rather than clash if they are compatable, so i suppose you could do it this way, or overlap the meat of the tracks to see if you get a sour response.. but why would you want to go throught the trouble?

i don't believe anybody here that says they can ID the key of a track just by listening to it, sorry. why not use a GOOD program like RE (or even better a keyboard) and tag your music and get creative.

mixed in key is garbage btw & mixmeister is indeed pretty much 100% correct with bpm's its never been wrong for me.

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Eyad Allayla - drums cubana - di.fm - tribal house channel - twisted_techy_hooks

quote:

Originally posted by basilisk All the people screaming "ears" are right on one level, but unless your name is Muad'dib you're not certain to be picking out a properly keyed track from your bin, wallet, or directory. Why waste the time sorting it out on the fly when you can do your research and know in advance?

um, which is why we write the key on our tracks perhaps?? "doing your research" does not equate with using ripoff software like mixed in key. my ears are cheaper and far more accurate.

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