Mixed in key.
hi all. A couple of questions about mixed in key software.
Im looking at getting a MIDI Fighter 3d for mashup’s etc and being in key with mashup’s is obviously a requirement! (as well making mixes smoother)
Has anyone used/got mixed in key and can they recommend it? Does it integrate well with Itunes/Traktor etc as claimed?
Obviously the site is gushing forth reviews from top DJ’s but thats to be expected.
Any and all help appreciated Chaps! 
Meh, I think the software is abit useless. I tried it, and sometimes it’s just not accurate. It can help you sure, but not worth the 50 bucks. Your ears work alot better 
I use MIK, its definitely worth it if you plan to integrate harmonic mixing into your sets.
Can’t say it does link up with Traktor but it overwrites previous comments with KEY and BPM.
Can you expand on that?
Yeh sure, MIK overwrites the MP3’s previously stored comment on the ID3 tag.
Ah okay. Does it make it any harder to navigate around your library?
I think thats down to however you burn CDs, software you mix from etc - I find it no bother at all.
It gives you options; you can overwrite comments or just store the key in the “Key” tag in ID3. Or you can add to comments, so if you don’t want your comments deleted, it will add the key like “4A - startlingly funky krautrock” or whatever. It can add key info in Camelot code or just write the actual key name. Well worth the $50 in my opinion, but I’m not terribly tied to harmonic mixing either. As far as it getting things “wrong,” you have to understand these things are pretty subjective ultimately; the best that can be said for key recognition software is that it is internally consistent, so that if you mix 4A with 4A they will work together even if they aren’t really 4A.
all of this.
especially the bit about it being internally correct.
Ive come to know my music a lot better now, but i have used MIK a lot to just search for tracks in key to keep a smooth progression going in the mix. Im sorry - but i just don’t care if a track is a major of this or a minor of that. Ive used MIK to very quickly pull up tracks that i know will work without having to think at all and enjoyed the result. So on those grounds alone id recommend it.
not that the above approach was right, over time i have come to identify tracks that will work much more naturally, but just like DJ software, its a great accelerator to start enjoying the benefits right away.
well it was for me anyway.
Bottom line. MIK won’t make you a worse DJ.
I used Keyfinder on my library, two versions of the same track would get different keys if one had vocals and the other was instrumental.
I’d definitely recommend it, it’s really helpful if you think that mixing in key is something you want to do, and it definitely is if you want your mixes to sound better.
In terms of accuracy, as djproben said, it’s internally consistent. I have enough of a musical background to do it myself, but MIK is good enough for me- it rarely suggests something that sounds bad because of key combinations, even it might suggest something that’s “wrong” occasionally. Also, I’m just not willing to look at my entire library, whereas MIK is.
Because it might not be apparent if you don’t have a musical background, lots of other mixes can sound good,for example mixing along 3rds or 5ths- the table below listens some possible alternative combinations in the camelot wheel that sound good.
I have MIK set to place the key in front of comments.
That chart is very interesting. Having zero musical background, I’m a little confused with the terms “Semitone Energy Boost”, “Major Third”, and “Minor Third”. Could you explain in laymen terms what they mean?
That is a useful chart - but it doesn’t state A or B for the key?
Sure, they’re just intervals between notes commonly used in western music because they sound good. They work on both individual notes and on transitioning between pieces, because songs are usually written in a certain key.
A Major third, for example, is a step of 4 semitones: from a C to and E for example, or if you’re using the Camelot wheel positions, adding 4 to the value.
A minor third is just a slightly smaller interval than a major third, only stepping up 3 semitones, and either +9 or -2 on the Camelot wheel.
While the thirds aren’t technically as consonant(good sounding to most people’s ears) as say a major 5th (one step on the Camelot wheel), they still can sound very good, and provide a different feel from transitioning along 5ths your whole set.
The semitone jumps sound much more dissonant, and as such you probably would want to use them for a quicker mix, instead of letting the songs sit together, as they will clash somewhat. Such a transition generally raises the energy level of your set because of that clash, as the transition is dissonant, but not painfully so unless they sit together too long.
To get a good idea of what these sound like for individual notes, something like this website will show you how the intervals sound, and give you examples of (older) popular songs that have them as the first two notes. For djing with them, it’s best to just do it yourself, or maybe look at a pro dj that uses the system (consciously or unconsciously), and see how various intervals effect the energy of the mix. musicalintervalstutor.info
Been using it for years. I always add the key to the beginning of the comments field so that I can easily view it in Traktor. I have also incorporated Smart playlists within iTunes that will show me all of my possible harmonic mixes.
Here are some great articles what will get you started.
Harmonic Mixing by DJ Endo Pt 1 :: What Is Harmonic Mixing?
Video Tutorial: How to Create Smart Playlists + Organize Your Music in iTunes
Smart playlists are awesome (I’ve just found out…) Looks like I’ve got some learning to do…
And iTunes integration in Traktor is making more sense now - I really must get hold of Traktor.
Haha what version did they add reasonable iTunes integration? I haven’t bothered with 2.5 yet but it’s certainly not there in 2.1 or whatever it is I use. Oh, sure, you can browse iTunes folders and smart playlists but then you screw things up because you’re not in the Collection (which is Traktor’s actual database of the songs). I’d be tickled pink if they fixed this in 2.5 so you could actually access a Smart Playlist through the Collection rather than through the iTunes tree.
That is some great information! I really appreciate you your response.
