Mixing Harmonically ... I never really see it discussed here.
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  1. #1
    Tech Mentor jshawpro's Avatar
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    Default Mixing Harmonically ... I never really see it discussed here.

    That's odd because ...

    Personally, I'd rather master mixing / transitions and advanced harmonic mixing concepts ...

    Than ANY OTHER combination of skills a DJ could have.

    It is THAT critical to me.
    Harmony .. the blending and manipulation of is where the magic and the chillbumps lay.

    It's where epic comes from.

    And there's a lot more to it than moving around the wheel an hour at a time.
    My debut EP is FINISHED!! Now back to being a DJ!!

    http://soundcloud.com/iambreed <-- NEW EP! "Hello. My Name is Breed"

    #RESPECT

  2. #2
    Tech Guru keeb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jshawpro View Post
    And there's a lot more to it than moving around the wheel an hour at a time.
    Oh yeah?

    The circle of fifths is a guide. Once you've tuned your ears to what a harmonic mix sounds like, you can branch out. I'll do about every third mix or so "out of harmony" based on the wheel while still making sure the tracks sound good together as I'm cueing the next track; whether that means finding a part of the song where the melody still works, or finding a part that's just percussion. The groove is more important than harmonic "correctness" in my experience, though not much will beat mix that's sound in both areas.

    Another thing is to make sure you have options in each key for whatever genre you're spinning. If you only have one track that's 11A/11B and you "need" to mix through 11, it gets a lot harder after you've already used that track. You'll also find yourself gravitating toward worse tracks if you focus too much on the harmony with a small selection and forget about the rest of your mixing fundamentals. Oh, and epic comes from dedication, years of practice, good taste, and passion. Harmonic mixing is a solid component too, but don't let it trap you into formulaic mixes.

  3. #3
    Tech Guru SirReal's Avatar
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    I mix atonally, myself.
    "Walking the fine line between Stupidity and Genious" My Soundcloud ---- My Mixcloud
    MBP Retina 2015--TSP 2.10--2xDNSC5000--2xDNSC2900--2xDNSC2000--NI F1--Denon DN-X1700--HDJ2000--Stanton STR8-80--QSC K12's--Crown Amplifier--Urei Monitors

  4. #4
    Tech Mentor jshawpro's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by keeb View Post
    Oh yeah?
    Oh, and epic comes from dedication, years of practice, good taste, and passion. Harmonic mixing is a solid component too, but don't let it trap you into formulaic mixes.
    Just the type of feedback I was hoping to invoke ... Thank you for sharing your insight! You have nicely articulated some of the issues I'm continuing to iron out as I grow. I avoid those traps you mentioned by keeping a big variety of drum loops (that I produce in Ableton) that are mostly key neutral ... like you mentioned. That addition alone has opened up many doors and allows me to go pretty much anywhere I want / need to when necessary.

    The epic and magic I'm speaking of are those moments when you activate the PERFECT blend ... perfect in that you introduced it at the most optimal moment ... and that it's a perfect harmonic match ... it gives me the chills thinking about it ... It will sound like one new song ... it's even hard for me to tell what frequencies belong to which because it's ... PERFECT. My strive is to further and ultimately fully harness the potential for these moments.

    Harmony and melody has long been my favorite aspect of music production. As opposed to favoring rhythm section / drum work ... or being a bass head.
    My debut EP is FINISHED!! Now back to being a DJ!!

    http://soundcloud.com/iambreed <-- NEW EP! "Hello. My Name is Breed"

    #RESPECT

  5. #5
    Tech Mentor jshawpro's Avatar
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    Nice roll of the eyes ... but I hear too many tonal train wrecks when I go out to at least have the right to bring this up once in a while. I discovered the necessity to UNDERSTAND harmonic mixing on my own within my first couple of months of gigging ... And thank God I decided to see if there were any analyzers that would "help" b4 I started manually. And there were. I find myself correcting the decision of the software often ... But it gets em right plenty of times, too.

    Just something to talk about, bro ... thanks for that useless reply!

    Quote Originally Posted by SirReal View Post
    I mix atonally, myself.
    My debut EP is FINISHED!! Now back to being a DJ!!

    http://soundcloud.com/iambreed <-- NEW EP! "Hello. My Name is Breed"

    #RESPECT

  6. #6
    Tech Guru keeb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jshawpro View Post
    Nice roll of the eyes ... but I hear too many tonal train wrecks when I go out to at least have the right to bring this up once in a while. I discovered the necessity to UNDERSTAND harmonic mixing on my own within my first couple of months of gigging ... And thank God I decided to see if there were any analyzers that would "help" b4 I started manually. And there were. I find myself correcting the decision of the software often ... But it gets em right plenty of times, too.

    Just something to talk about, bro ... thanks for that useless reply!
    SirReal's a bit of a sarcastic fellow at times. I wouldn't take that to heart

  7. #7
    Tech Mentor SpeshulEd's Avatar
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    Search the forum for talk about mixed in key, or MIK, or Rapid Evolution 3, or any of the other key finding programs. Every time someone asks a question about keying their music collection, this topic is discussed.

    Usually the outcome of all of those conversations is...mixing with the camelot wheel is great for beginners, but after awhile, you just know what sounds good together and don't really need a chart to accomplish a good mix.
    nope.

  8. #8
    Tech Guru squidot's Avatar
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    there's been a lot of discussion on this recently...it's just that it usually ends up being a tangent within another thread. this is complete keithace bait right here.

    as for me, i agree with everything you said. mixing harmonically is VERY important and critical. whether or not you use software to assist with that is personal preference. i run everything through mik and have found it to be very helpful when djing.
    tsp 2.5 | vci-400 ege | mfspectra | kontrol x1s | rokit 8s (ferrari grey) | krk 10 sub | audio 8
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  9. #9
    Tech Mentor hola amigos's Avatar
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    There are threads about harmonic mixing, programs such as mixed in key and others have been discussed. Try the search forum you'll be surprised on the huge discussion probably like 12 pages of peoples opinions. I have the program but find it inaccurate at times so I train my ears to do it naturally. What sounds good to me is what gives me my own style.

  10. #10
    Tech Mentor jshawpro's Avatar
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    Thanks for the info, guys.

    I just don't understand why people choose to waste their time responding (negatively) to a topic they have no interest in. I don't like digging up old posts when I'm looking for a conversation. When seeking specific information ... I'll surely find it. I'd prefer non interested parties overlook the post ... especially when my new (thought provoking) post is next to a post titled "what do you wear when you dj?" ... seriously?

    CLOTHES!

    Now back to the relevant stuff!!
    My debut EP is FINISHED!! Now back to being a DJ!!

    http://soundcloud.com/iambreed <-- NEW EP! "Hello. My Name is Breed"

    #RESPECT

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