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WillyD
05-31-2013, 11:26 AM
Hey Guys

Well I'm new to this, that being Forums and being a Dj. I'm 18, Aus, House lover and play what whoever pays me needs.

now, my question this day is mixing in key. I understand notes (A-E sharps and minors, etc.) but I feel I'm losing out because I don't know which key to go from and to etc..

I've only had my gear two weeks, I knew all my fundamentals before I bought it, I.E Beat matching, Tempo matching, Gains etc.. I just don't want to be another half-commited punk. I love music and I love people. This is perfect for me but I'm nothing yet and any knowledge to lend would be awesome!! :)

- Will!

Dj DRPX
05-31-2013, 12:01 PM
Look up the camelot wheel of harmonic mixing. It'll be perfect for this. Sorry I can't give more info right now, but I'm in school.

WillyD
05-31-2013, 12:18 PM
That's awesome! Thanks man.

I'm wondering though, just looking at the chart, can I jump from 3-6 o'clock on the chart or is it going to sound trashy?

http://www.mixedinkey.com/HowTo

thehadgi
05-31-2013, 12:50 PM
This may be of assistance

http://www.djforums.com/forums/search.php?searchid=3092888

WillyD
06-01-2013, 03:39 AM
This may be of assistance

http://www.djforums.com/forums/search.php?searchid=3092888

Link's not working. Argh!:cry:

alexreedDJ
06-01-2013, 04:15 AM
Just wanted to say welcome to the forums, you seem to be serious about DJing and doing it for all the right reasons :)

Panotaker
06-01-2013, 06:43 AM
That's awesome! Thanks man.

I'm wondering though, just looking at the chart, can I jump from 3-6 o'clock on the chart or is it going to sound trashy?

http://www.mixedinkey.com/HowTo
Read the how to again. Theoretically, the best sounding mix will be using the same key, like from 3A into 3A. The next best will be from 3A into either 4A, 2A or 3B. Going from 3A to 6A is probably not a good idea, especially if there are vocals involved. It still might be a good mix, it just depends on the songs. I try to mix harmonically when ever possible, especially when making a mix to post on the internet. When mixing live, you mix for the crowd, so I don't worry too much about harmonic mixing. Harmonic mixing is a sour subject around here, some like it, some don't. Keep in mind that software that tells you the key is only around 60% accurate, so just because the software says two songs should mix, doesn't mean they will, and just because the software says they won't, doesn't mean they won't. When making mixes at home, you have the option to try them out first. At gigs, play for the crowd, after a while, you will train your mind to mix harmonically by ear without even thinking about it.

thehadgi
06-01-2013, 10:05 AM
Link's not working. Argh!:cry:

Ah. If you search 'key', you'll find quite a bit of threads on the subject :tup:

WillyD
06-01-2013, 11:49 PM
Just wanted to say welcome to the forums, you seem to be serious about DJing and doing it for all the right reasons :)

Thanks man, I'm pretty into it, it's just I'm so isolated I need someone to teach me, any advice will help. :)

Azaex
06-04-2013, 02:16 AM
Grats on getting started!

Mixing in Key, the software Mixed in Key specifically, has been a godsend for me. I just started around December of last year and it makes unplanned mixes so much easier to keep up. Keep in the same key for good transitions, mixing into a key up or down a number is fine but won't sound *as* good but when you need to progress through a mix, you gotta progress through the mix hehe.
From what I've heard, jumping up seven numbers will work (you may want to control the basslines doing this though) and elevates the energy of the mix a bit, jumping up two numbers will have a greater effect. Works sometimes when I try it, could just be due to the 60% accuracy of the software though.

EDIT: Found the article that it came from, check this out:http://www.mixedinkey.com/Book/Use-Advanced-Harmonic-Mixing-Techniques. Don't get too crazy about it though, heh, I agree with Panotaker on your mind developing its own sense of what works and what doesn't work. Interesting stuff though, I'm looking forward to taking some music theory courses in college and maybe extending my knowledge on the topic further too. Putting those 8 years of piano dexterity to use! :P

Panotaker
06-04-2013, 08:14 AM
I don't use Mixed In Key that much any more. I now subscribe to his online data base http://www.camelotsound.com/Homepage.aspx With the online data base, he has a professional musician find the key of the songs, so the accuracy is around 99% instead of 60%. If the song is not in the data base, I use Mixed In Key.

de.j.l
06-06-2013, 07:49 AM
if you want to know if you are doing it right.

record what you play and re listen to it.

If it sounds good. You're doing it right.

If it sounds bad. Figure out why & fix it.

thehadgi
06-06-2013, 08:50 AM
Figure out why & fix it.

... kind of the whole point of this thread... :confused:

Finnish_Fox
06-06-2013, 09:54 AM
... kind of the whole point of this thread... :confused:

Right - but the way I read that is figuring it out without MIK.

Azaex
06-06-2013, 10:29 PM
I'd agree with trying things out yourself as the best way to get good harmonic mixes, MIK is not really a necessity. I use it because it helps me get a basic kind of benchmark of where tracks are harmonically, a reference point kind of, but I don't want to let something rip without checking how it sounds in headphones first. I've actually started to try and get in the habit of checking out my MIK analyzed own tracks with a keyboard, cross-reference it with the software and other analyzed tracks, and adjusting the notation as needed. Going to be taking some music theory courses in the future so I'm hoping that I might be able to just start labeling my own tracks by ear haha. MIK will remain my go-to tool for batch analysis though, as it's nice to have a sense of "this might harmonize well" instead of having to trial-error everything.

jz416
06-09-2013, 08:14 PM
Better than the camelot wheel by far: http://www.9inchremix.com/modules/HelpFAQ/#moreinfo (scroll down to section on harmonic mixing)

its technically not better, its actually the same, just less proprietary and more standard (You will sound more knowleagable talking to a pianist), with this info then with knowledge of the camelot wheel, and most software will detect key by key and not show you the camelot designation.

Manu
06-09-2013, 11:51 PM
^^^ even simpler:


"Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle" and "Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles' Father"




Learn music theory, use your ears and forget about software you don't need. If it's out of key, it will sound out of key, no rocket science there.

TooHypE
07-11-2013, 10:55 AM
^^^ even simpler:






Learn music theory, use your ears and forget about software you don't need. If it's out of key, it will sound out of key, no rocket science there.

Be quite honest lately been tone deaf in certain frequency's =/ might be signs of old age =( either way I did purchase MIK as of last year and my mixes are setup in Keys and has helped improved my mixing. Infact when I tried the same process while Live couple of times I notice how my transitions sounded sicker!! def had feedback from among DJ friends and crowd feedback as well. Personally think the whole (Camelot Easymix Wheel) is helpful make adjusting your transitioning too different level instead of BPM/Genre/etc

Adzm00
07-16-2013, 06:58 AM
AAAARRRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!! :argh:

If you want to sound bland and boring, only mix in key and stay in one tempo the whole set like 95% of bedroom DJs do, otherwise develop advanced techniques and your own way of doing things and realise there are WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY more options than just mixing in key.

WillyD
07-16-2013, 07:42 AM
Advanced techniques? Could you elaborate?
I'm only by myself and have no teacher. I live in a town of 8,000 in outback Australia. Haha.

Adzm00
07-16-2013, 08:36 AM
I had no teacher either, and now I have been doing this over 10 years and played in the biggest clubs in England.

If you have a passion for it (and it sounds like you do) then nothing beats standing in your room experimenting with music, just don't feel too rushed to become amazing, but there is nothing wrong with getting tips and pointers or checking youtube videos. Just be aware it takes years of practice, not months regardless of what some people here might tell you. If you truely appreciate DJing as more than something that you think might make the girls wet at the sight of you DJing then you won't mind putting in the effort.

You are 18, and that is the age I started, and I did at least 2 hours per day, every day for 4 years before I was happy with my level of skill.

All music is different and mixed differently, some people will tell you that you should only mix in key, but that is total rubbish because it entirely depends. Of course some stuff sounds horrible when you mix out of key, but there are ways of doing some crazy things with EQ's and effects that change this and tracks that shouldn't go together can go together. But finding this is about experimentation and to get to that level takes a while.

I am not saying don't mix in key, but don't rely on it or any other software 100%, music is a way of expression, and putting your tracklist down to what a computer tells you to play loses that.

Just remember different types of DJ have different things and techniques that apply to them, but ultimately the most important aspects for you to learn now are solid beatmatching and how to properly EQ in a mix.

DennisBdrmDJ 2.0
07-18-2013, 12:39 AM
All music is different and mixed differently, some people will tell you that you should only mix in key, but that is total rubbish because it entirely depends. Of course some stuff sounds horrible when you mix out of key, but there are ways of doing some crazy things with EQ's and effects that change this and tracks that shouldn't go together can go together. But finding this is about experimentation and to get to that level takes a while.

I am not saying don't mix in key, but don't rely on it or any other software 100%, music is a way of expression, and putting your tracklist down to what a computer tells you to play loses that.

Just remember different types of DJ have different things and techniques that apply to them, but ultimately the most important aspects for you to learn now are solid beatmatching and how to properly EQ in a mix.Well said! +1.:tup:

MarcusB
07-19-2013, 06:31 PM
I would agree with Adzm has said, but I would go a step further and suggest learning (if you don't already) music theory so that you can know when to break the rules and when to apply them more vigorously. Some things sound great not mixed in key, but that seems to come down to the type of effect you're trying to create and whether the elements in the songs work together. Just my $.02.

TooHypE
07-25-2013, 02:15 PM
I had no teacher either, and now I have been doing this over 10 years and played in the biggest clubs in England.

If you have a passion for it (and it sounds like you do) then nothing beats standing in your room experimenting with music, just don't feel too rushed to become amazing, but there is nothing wrong with getting tips and pointers or checking youtube videos. Just be aware it takes years of practice, not months regardless of what some people here might tell you. If you truely appreciate DJing as more than something that you think might make the girls wet at the sight of you DJing then you won't mind putting in the effort.

You are 18, and that is the age I started, and I did at least 2 hours per day, every day for 4 years before I was happy with my level of skill.

All music is different and mixed differently, some people will tell you that you should only mix in key, but that is total rubbish because it entirely depends. Of course some stuff sounds horrible when you mix out of key, but there are ways of doing some crazy things with EQ's and effects that change this and tracks that shouldn't go together can go together. But finding this is about experimentation and to get to that level takes a while.

I am not saying don't mix in key, but don't rely on it or any other software 100%, music is a way of expression, and putting your tracklist down to what a computer tells you to play loses that.

Just remember different types of DJ have different things and techniques that apply to them, but ultimately the most important aspects for you to learn now are solid beatmatching and how to properly EQ in a mix.

:tup: no doubt def agree. Just saying MIK has improved my own personal experience.

Jamie D Music
07-25-2013, 02:33 PM
Don't let the keys of your tracks dictate what track can be mixed with what. That will make you sound bland no matter what powerhouse tracks you drop. DJing is about self expression and experimenting so you shouldn't feel like you have to work to a set of rules. If something sounds good to you it will probably sound good to everyone else and that's all you need to get by. Be honest in your music and do stuff that will surprise the listenener and take control of them. Remember you are the DJ and you can pretty do much whatever you want. The more off the wall it sounds the more it will stand out.

vicco
08-02-2013, 10:45 PM
Pretty good info from this forum

thehadgi
08-04-2013, 07:57 PM
Pretty good info from this forum

:tup:

TooHypE
08-08-2013, 09:15 AM
Don't let the keys of your tracks dictate what track can be mixed with what. That will make you sound bland no matter what powerhouse tracks you drop. DJing is about self expression and experimenting so you shouldn't feel like you have to work to a set of rules. If something sounds good to you it will probably sound good to everyone else and that's all you need to get by. Be honest in your music and do stuff that will surprise the listenener and take control of them. Remember you are the DJ and you can pretty do much whatever you want. The more off the wall it sounds the more it will stand out.

Exactly be yourself I said earlier it has help for my own personal preference but indeed it is YOU!! whom takes the crowd too a Journey a different universe/world and allow our body move too the music because it's our Way of LIFE!! my last mixx (http://mixes.beatport.com/mix/toohype-chicagos-influence-mixx-beatport-edition-1/86215) is partial MIK =? some spots maybe were off =/

Jimanee
09-06-2013, 04:49 AM
^^^ even simpler:

"Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle" and "Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles' Father"

.


Manu, please explain to me, from the view of a dyslexic (because actually, I am), how the above is simpler? Compared to the Camalot wheel.

Their system is based on the handy recognisable clock, yours is a duel abortion of the alphabet :P. I know which one I would prefer at 2am in a sweaty club...

Mephs
09-06-2013, 10:15 AM
I fucking love Mixed In Key.

Adzm00
09-06-2013, 10:43 AM
I fucking love Mixed In Key.

Shush you B-Grade version of Barney the dinosaur.

thehadgi
09-06-2013, 11:38 AM
http://momdot.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/T-Rex-Clap-Your-Hands.jpeg

Mephs
09-06-2013, 01:52 PM
http://momdot.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/T-Rex-Clap-Your-Hands.jpeg

:uhoh: :(