Mixed In Key V.7 w/ Traktor?

[sebastiannz]

I find myself always looking for keys as opposed to tracks I think will work or I want to hear.
How did you get over this?

That's something I struggle with all the time. I know the rule is to follow your ear, not the key, but in practice it's hard, especially when you know from past experience how good harmonic mixing sounds. So to answer your question, I haven't really worked out a solution to this.

What I do at the moment is:
- key all my tunes with Mixed In Key. After doing this I don't feel the need to second guess the key, which is what happens if I key the tunes myself. I.e. "Maybe these tunes don't go together because I keyed them wrong"
- mix based on genre first, then the mood I want to create, and then finally the key.

So, for example, if I'm mixing progressive house, I'll filter my collection by progressive house, then decide based on the current tune "where do I want to go from here?". I might want to raise the energy, or go dark, or go uplifting etc. Most of the time I want to play new tunes :-) Only then do I go to key.

I came to this process because often I'd choose tracks in the right key, but totally in the wrong mood. And also when I've played out, key is almost totally irrelevant. You're just trying to keep people dancing – no point in throwing on a track that will kill the floor just because it's in the right key. And I apply that logic at home, because at the end of the day I want to create mixes that make me want to dance!

[Chael]

i bought MIK when version 6 rolled out and to be honest i rarely use it, i did the update out of curiosity to see how the cue points worked and it did a good job but it seems to me to be another thing that detaches you from the music, id much prefer to sit and prep (key/beatgrid/warp/cue points etc) my tracks manually as i then know its been done right and i then get to know my tracks better through listening to them during the process

[bisco]

I feel like I'm the only one how doesn't key/beatgrid/wrap/cue points?
I always just load the track from my hard drive and go from there.
I've only been using traktor for a little over a year and looking for ways to improve and get the most from the software.

[ZxZDeViLZxZ]

yeah anything to help with time saving is huge for me... what I find I do is I will key everything and then I use iTunes for playlists and go from there.... it is a huge time saver because it can help me at least narrow down a track selection for next track quicker.. as always though if energy is high right key doesn't matter.

its important to prelisten to your tunes before you just decide to start mixing them. I try to scan an entire track in under 30seconds to see if its going to do what I want it to before mixing... this works well most of the time but does have it downsides.. you can miss important things that if you would of just listened to it would know... I cant count how many times I have missed either vocals or a bassline that totally throws a curve ball....

MIK has a energy tagging which is somewhat helpful you can set your tracks to comment key and energy this is kind of handy if you are running short on time to pick your next track for whatever reason.. while not perfect it is helpful...

I never use to put any cues besides at the first beat and then a yearish or two ago I thought geez this is dumb since I already am listening I might as well put a cue where I know I would like one.

example of time restraints I like doing 2 sets a week however I also like working with my volcas and ableton/flp so when kids get to bed and such its normally around 10 before have time.. so 10-12 that's two hours then wake up at 6 so yes I can do this for 5 days in a row but by time weekend shows up im normally tired enough that its a write off.

this is providing I don't have any work to do normally theres a few things that I have to take care of also for things I do on side besides my normal job. so in reality I may only have two days I could possibly mix during the week

my time management has improved because of this though as has finding any tools to help make it easier... if you use the tools properly and use your head its worth it. it also depends entirely on genre you are mixing. I find I really benefit from MIK with my trance sets and the nudisco/disco/funk sets I do.. when it comes to most forms of house I think its somewhat debatable if its really a big issue....

as for playing out well there is two ways to play out one to play what keeps people moving other is when they know what you play and are there to hear you play what you play.... in that scenario key matters... especially if they've come to expect your mixes to be harmonically pleasing and emotionally driven.. something that can only be achieved by key.... my monthly show is this way the listener expects it because that's what I do and they want that.
I normally with go through 1a-12b in a 2 hour set I often will skip b's as there is not much done in those keys.

[Matthew]

It seems to do a decent job of cue point selection, in terms of sections of the song where energy/mood clearly change.

The issue with Traktor integration is that you'll probably want to use the Traktor-analyzed beat grids, and the MIK-analyzed cue points won't match up.

I've kept it as part of my workflow, just because I rarely use more than a few looped cue points, and it's interested to at least have additional markers in the song as for mood changes.

[Sambo]

I only use it for it's accurate key detection, not a cat in hell's chance I'm letting it touch my cue points.