Harmonic Mixing

How many of you do this? How do you key your tunes and then organize them (Anyone using Rapid Evolution 3)? I'm interested to start but don't exactly know where...

 

use the camelot harmonic mixing wheel method... its the easiest to understand... see below

http://harmonic-mixing.com/HowTo.aspx

http://www.mixedinkey.com/HowTo.aspx

 

Do you use Mixed in Key? I've considered that or Rapid Evolution 3...

There was someone on here that developed a free tool, I looked into it but could not get it to work on my macbook because I'm running a 32bit version of Leopard and it is for 64bit systems only.

 

Its funny that with a hyped tagline from MiK and paid endorsements from a bunch of succesful DJ (who were successful without "harmonic mixing" software) this stuff (ie the software) is now all the rage..

yet its funny that DJs have successfully used their ears for decades to produce a pleasing playlist from one track to another... and the ability to pick and sort a playlist is as equally important a skill for a DJ as the technical mechanical aspects of running the decks...

What i worry about is that folks will use this type of software and follow the *rules* blindly like a lemming and lose all contact and understanding of the music they are playing..

So, before you proceed down this path... Answer me this..Exactly how BAD a DJ are you and how BAD are your playlists and song selections that you need this help?..

...and FYI, am not trying to be a dick.. just trying to make you think... cos if you can put a playlist together that you and others appreciate you simply dont need this stuff

 

+1

 

Hi,

I'm the founder of Mixed In Key. We have never paid for any DJ testimonials, and we never will.

People love using our software, so we get emails all the time with cool quotes about it. It all started with Dubfire, who was the first to say something about it... from there, it went to Pete Tong, Paul van Dyk, David Guetta, and then others. As my friends at Native Instruments know, we love writing software for DJs. It makes us happy to create something special.

Since I'm a Traktor user myself, I always make sure that Mixed In Key works perfectly with it.

If you want to see my latest work, check this out:

http://www.MixedInKey.com/New.aspx

If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer.

-Yakov

 

^^^ meh, this reads like advertising/spam.

djefx,

I would stay away from MIK. Go for RE3 instead if you think key-detection software might be something that's helpful for you.

Why pay $58 for a software that doesn't even work unless it can call home all the time? (The software won't work without an internet connection. An no, it doesn't merely want to check for updates. Instead, it sends back data about the songs on your hard drive all the time.)

Why pay $58 for a product that contradicts itself from version to version? A good friend of mine had his library analyzed with MIK3. I can tell you how surprised he was when he ran MIK4 over his library: hundreds of tracks suddenly "changed" in key!

 

I always found RE2 buggy as hell. Some tracks it didn't want to analyse, some it didn't want to tag and there was never any obvious reason for either.

 

can't comment on RE2 but RE3 is rock-solid for me. I have yet to encounter an issue. It works with more file formats than MIK, too.

 

Mystic38 is right in saying you don't to mix harmonically to be a good successful DJ but give it a try and you'll notice the difference in the smooth transistions of your mixes but its a lot of messing about for something that most dance floors will never know your doing...!... musically its is a good step but most DJ's or punters are'nt musicians and don't care about what key they might be about to throw into their mix..!.... interesting subject tho... and mixed in key is great by the way..!

 

Personally I think even people who have no musical background and would not know a key unless they could not get into their car will know instinctively when two tracks sound right, or sound bad, when mixed one after another.. if they bother to listen to their music ....

Basically, if it sounds good to your ears, you are very likely "harmonic mixing" ..just as good DJs have done for years without knowing there was a catchy phrase name for it.

to me the most important art for a DJ is music selection and so I just think this is too critical an item for a new DJ to offload... You MUST get to know and feel your music... and therefore my concern is that products like MiK (and worse, platinum notes) will simply produce new DJs who view these as short cuts or essential items, then follow blind rules and procedures in the belief that they will become better DJ, subsequently then lose all feel and connection with their music and ultimately give up in despair..

Now, notwithstanding all the above, established, experienced DJ with lots of music and a tight schedule may very well have use for this type of tool... but these DJ know that when given a hammer, not everything is a nail


ok..$0.02c done.. thanks for listening...lol

 

I use mixed in key... I love it. I don't depend on it to make my sets, I merely use it as a guide. I have been a mobile DJ since 1992.... When I am DJ'ing at an event such as a wedding, I do not mix harmonically at all. I just mix and throw in what ever song is appropriate. I only use it if I am at a club or lounge and I want to control the crowd by taking them up or down. I used to always do it by ear. But as Mystic38 said... I have a 20,000 song library. I do not know every song in my library, nor do I have time to learn every song. Can I work with out it? Absolutely. Does it help to have extra information in front of you? Sure. But you cannot rely on it as your only way to base your sets. Knowing what songs go good together is not just them being in the same key... Songs that go good together are the hits you are playing and once you start mixing in your second song your crowd recognizes it and you get a reaction from the crowd. At that point it doesn't matter what key they are in.

 

Hi Yakov,

Can you tell me when the update of the Mac vers. of MiK that makes flac compatible is coming. I've been waiting quite a while. And now that Traktor 2.1.2 is out I really need it.

Thanks,

 

I was so fustrated to notice the lack of flac support when a friend of mine purchased this and tried to analyse his collection of music 80 % was in flac.
So it was a waste of money for him.
Sorry but the discription "more file formats supported" doesnt cut it for me.

 

It's a bit of a maze since the Windows and Mac versions are developed independently:

Windows
.m4a (AAC)
.mp3
.mp4 (key field not supported by Serato)
.flac
.wav
.wma

Mac
.aiff (tagging not supported yet)
.m4a (AAC)
.m4a (ALAC)
.mp3
.mp4 (key field not supported by Serato)
.wav (can be tagged for Serato software)

 

Wow! I wasn't trying to start a bash fest here. Just asking a few questions. I have been a dj since the late 90s, some of that time professionally doing club gigs, some of that time doing weddings and parties and yet some more time just for fun because I enjoy the music. I pick my sets based on what I'm trying to achieve and mix tunes that sound good to me. I was just interested in giving the camelot scale a look to see if it would either affirm what I'm already doing or help tighten up my future sets.

As a long time music lover of 80s europop, electro and breaks I generally know the tunes that I rely on but think that I could benefit from harmonic mixing when trying to throw in that new hot track that I just found yesterday. I feel like knowing the key and any compliments can give me the advantage of keeping a strong set of "go to" transitions in my arsenal.

Seems like for a dj that is "in tune" with his tunes, the idea of harmonic mixing can do nothing but help. I'm just trying to take advantage of that.