So how many of you folks mix harmonically?

[grazz16]

I think every DJ that's half decent does it they just may not use software or fancy colored pinwheels to tell them how to do it.

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But seriously, you have to. Unless you are doing end zone mixes all night you better be mixing harmonically or at least something close to it. I think Photojojo is right tho in that if you are mixing songs that sound like they go together, chances are they are either in the same key, or work with the cirlce of 5ths regardless if you realize it or not.

I myself start out with rapid evolution open, my wheel of 5ths, and start building my sets from there because it saves me time. I can go to the appropriate keys and see which of my songs i can mix harmonically in to. If the songs fit and are in the right key, this is obviously the best scenario. Often they don't tho in which case I switch gears and continue to mix harmonically from the new key. I'm not sure why you WOULDN'T mix harmonically. Music theory telling you which keys sound good together exists for a reason. To not use that information is kind of foolish imo.

[itskindahot]

But seriously, you have to.

No, you don't have to. There are definitely styles (e.g., some experimental techno and electro) where I'm not even sure musical key is a meaningful concept. Some (usually experimental) producers refuse to create music using elements which are "harmonic."

But I hear you. Let's say, at least when playing for the average disco dancefloor, you mostly wanna mix harmonically. I guess my point is rules are there to be broken. If the venue and the crowd tolerate more experimental mixes, there are opportunities to depart from harmonic mixing.

[djproben]

I mix harmonically as much as possible. I don't know music theory much at all - like most DJs my strength (if I have one) is rhythm rather than harmony - so in the days before mp3s and mixed-in-key software, I mixed by ear and had no idea what key was what. I still don't know; all I know is the Camelot codes that MIK adds to the songs. It turns out when I looked at some of my older all-vinyl mixes that worked particularly well that I was mixing in key (or in compatible keys) before I even knew anything about mixing harmonically. Software like mixed in key gives you additional information that helps make smoother mixes (and, perhaps more importantly, helps you avoid obvious harmonic clashes). Mixing in key is helpful even if you are not truly "mixing" -- drop the next song in key or in a compatible key and the results will nearly always be better than if you drop a clashing song. And try the "energy boost" mixing strategies just with drops. I actually look at key information even when I am just putting together an unmixed playlist for friends; even with a break between the songs you can notice the difference.

That said, there are times to ignore harmony as well. And recognize that songs aren't necessarily in one key the entire song -- trust your ears, not the numbers. Sometimes you can mix clashing keys if there is less going on in the tracks -- if it's just a drumbeat and a bassline, for instance, the key may be less relevant to making the mix work.

[grazz16]

No, you don't have to. There are definitely styles (e.g., some experimental techno and electro) where I'm not even sure musical key is a meaningful concept. Some (usually experimental) producers refuse to create music using elements which are "harmonic."

But I hear you. Let's say, at least when playing for the average disco dancefloor, you mostly wanna mix harmonically. I guess my point is rules are there to be broken. If the venue and the crowd tolerate more experimental mixes, there are opportunities to depart from harmonic mixing.

fair enough, you're right, there are certain styles which lend themselves more to harmonic mxing than others. Electro, for example, is so hard to mix harmonically its almost not worth it. House in general tho lends itself well to mixing harmonically I'd say, anything with a stable melody should probably mixed in key i think.

[Jo3]

I like the idea of miked in key but when i released i had to have key lock on, i thought traktor pro ran a little bit sketchy.

[Djtom420]

Wow 5 pages and this was just posted last night. LOL a lot fo opinions here.

I use to mostly mix by ear, sitting there int he garage with my 1200s trying track after track figuring out which tracks work with what and gusse what I was doing. I was mixing in key basically without knowing it or even realizing it.

I have the 15+ years of music theory, I play gutiar and bass, mostly bass now and can play keys as well. However I have over 900 tracks and I aint gonna sit there with a keyboard and key all my tracks by hand, Screw that.

With that said. I got MIK about 2 months back and I fricken love it. since im using abelton and am mixing 8 audio source sometimes, I find that having my tracks keys makes seection much easier on the fly. Im also doing somthing a bit differnt, Im kinda doing a jam band version of DJing(think Grateful dead livwe or Phish live), trying not to jst play songs but to do live mash ups and remixes on the fly(stuff u only get to hear once, becuase none of my mixes are ever the same) and with MIk this makes it so much easier to get things done on the fly.

Also if you are not playing live, i.e. doing a podcast or live radio gig, it makes more sense to mix in key then to focus on a nonexistent crowed. I know pete tong use MIK for his radio show, dont know about live, but his sets are usally pretty solid.

Oh and to the guy that asked about hip hop. I use MIK on my hip hop tracks. I dont spin hip hop(im not Dj craze), but it helps so i can grab samples from tracks and use those in my sets to create somthing new on the fly. MIK allows me to narrow down the field of tracks I can use.

Just my 2 cents.

[Ando]

MIK allows you to be more creative with less time of detailed preparation on the playlist. i am mixing in key. it makes my time as a hobby dj way easier, i don't have (read don't want to take) the time to memorize my songs as a pro would. so MIK saves the day for me and makes having fun easier.

[jimbob5000]

I usually mix harmonically. I did it without software help before, just by trial and error and finding out what works and what doesn't. But let's be honest, when i'm in the mix and don't know the best next track from my 4-digit size track collection right away, having those keys written down somewhere in my file tags, even if not always accurate, shortens the time I need to find it. While by no means perfect, these little programs like rapid evolution or mixed in key are useful productivity tools. They won't replace your ears, and to trust them more than your own sense of hearing is just foolish, but they can be quite useful.

I am actually surprised how many DJs out there playing regular paid gigs just don't care about harmonic mixing at all and seem to throw in track after track in horrible harmonic trainwrecks. Hurts my ears, can really kill the mood on the dancefloor.

[willrjmarshall]

If by "mix harmonically" you mean "play with the key knob in Traktor Pro or the transpose knob in Live to see if it sounds better before it sounds worse and then pick a different track if you can't keep it from clashing," then yes.

I know far too much about music theory to trust software that doesn't appear to know anything about modes, scales, or even chord progressions and pretends to tell you that a bastardized version of the circle of fifts makes you a "harmonic DJ."

I'm sorry, C, I like you…but you wasted your money just like so many others on what is either a huge scam or a ridiculous troll.

I'd agree with you, except pretty much all dance music is written in a standard melodic or harmonic minor key, often doesn't feature chord progressions (esp when playing breaks, psy or techno), and usually has a kick and bassline tuned to the root note of the key.

MiK is far from perfect, but it does a good job of picking up the root note of the majority of dance music. It's not going to give you accurate or subtle results: but unless you've got years of ear-training or perfect pitch, neither will you. Realistically, software that tried to give in-depth key/mode results A: wouldn't work, B: would be overthinking the cleverness of most production, and C: wouldn't be simple enough to be worthwhile.

I just wish MiK would give me the root note so I could make my own calls on intervals and adjust pitch to taste.

[sebastiannz]

sets that are too "by the books" with key tend to sound kind of flat imo, what's gained in consistency you can lose in the jazzy element of surprise if there's not enough variation. when done tastefully, introducing unexpected keys or chords act as a way to rinse and refresh the palette, it's nice to have a few "reset" moments in a mix because it opens up more opportunities for new flavours.... it's a balancing act i haven't mastered myself, but it's one i strive for and definitely appreciate hearing in dj's sets.

fully agree. some of the best mixes i've heard aren't in key, but they are perfect in terms of other factors, like rhythm for example.

having said that when i hear a mix on a live set that i think 'damn that sounds good', when i check the key of each tune, 80% of the time they are either in key, or going up a key - testament to the power of key mixing.