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Question: Is Mixing In Key Important?
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Gamos replied on Mon Sep 28, 2009 @ 9:33pm |
 Coolness: 94215 | My questions are directed to the many djs out there on [ rave.ca ]
First, Do you mix in key? If not, do you know how? If you don't mix in key, but you know how to, why don't you? Second, do you think mixing in key is more professional/better sounding relative to not mixing in key? Or do you think its just a matter of personal preference? Third, do you think some genres should be mixed in key, while others do not? For example, is it perhaps important for electro-house and trance to be mixed in key, but less so for happy hardcore? |
| I'm feeling a message in a bottl right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Screwhead replied on Mon Sep 28, 2009 @ 9:48pm |
 Coolness: 686310 | I can see/understand the argument/reasoning for mixing in key.. If you mix out of key, it might not necessarily sound great, just the same as playing two guitars tuned differently won't necessarily sound good.
On the other hand, I think your track selection is much more important, and some tracks that aren't even remotley close to being in key will still sound really good together anyways.. Mixes in key sound really good, yeah, because they're operating on a formula that you can't/won't/don't deviate from, and IMO while it sounds good, it's not you mixing what you FEEL and what the party feels, but what a little graph/chart tells you mixes well together.. An MC in the Scratch documentary compared that rapping over a DAT/drum machine was like rhyming to an unchanging flat line, and him rapping with a DJ cutting up beats and juggling live was like rapping to a heartbeat.. That's pretty much how I feel about mixing in-key; you don't experiment, you don't take things to the next level, you don't do anything original, you just take a formula and that's it.. Sure, as long as you don't trainwreck it'll sound great, but anyone with the exact same tracks can mix them in a totally different order, and it'll still pretty much sound exactly like the mix you did, despite putting the tracks in a different order.. |
| I'm feeling like a drama magnet right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» greatjob replied on Mon Sep 28, 2009 @ 10:05pm |
 Coolness: 283175 | Mixing in key is great, I do it..but sometimes it doesn't matter. Like when you drop a huge tune in, it doesn't matter if its in key, the focus will be on hearing the drop on said tune. |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» nodeletesucks replied on Mon Sep 28, 2009 @ 10:13pm |
 Coolness: 56740 | Well, I do
1. I do but not all the time because of what I'm mixing(Techno, about 135 bpm stuff). There's some songs that are not melodic at all and are simply just a bunch of drums with some bleeps and bloops. I call these one my "wild card" songs since that if I'm stuck with nothing to mix my song in key or there's one but doesn't fit the mood at all, I use these non-melodic songs. 2. In a way, yes and no... actually it depends of what you mix. I heard DJs playing trance and it sounds like a whole big song of 2 hours because the tracks are just redundant and the mixing is so flawless that you cna't even hear the mixes. Personnally I find it boring since it just doesn't change at all but well... But yeah, it sounds more professionnal and actually gives the illusion to the crowd that you have a musical ear to mix these tracks in key perectly (which is not always the case since you use the software...) 3. Everything that is really melodic should be mixed in key so Trance, Ambient, Neo-Prog(Neo-Trance), IDM.(Never heard somebody mixing Happy Hardcore in key though) |
| I'm feeling horny right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Deadfunk replied on Tue Sep 29, 2009 @ 6:29am |
 Coolness: 153725 | well, mixing in key depends of your style of mixing, i mix happyhardcore, and i mix in key, but not allways.
if you do mixes at the end of tracks, you shouldn't really care, but if you intend to do mash-ups or mix breakdowns, then it can save your ass. and its good to mix in key when you mix on a software, because you see the information easily, but when you mix cd's, if your cd's arent tagged, good luck mixing in key!. |
| I'm feeling hardcore right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» rawali replied on Tue Sep 29, 2009 @ 7:36am |
 Coolness: 141405 | what he said...
depends on what you're mixing... and especially how you're mixing it... dubstep rarely sounds good when layered because it's bass based and two basslines together usually sounds like ass... specially anything with a lot of sub-bass... you can work you'r eqs to cut the bass out but then you're left with not much point being, if you're track sligning (fast mixes) then it doesn't really matter... long mixes and layering, matters if it's melodic |
| I'm feeling lovely right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» databoy replied on Tue Sep 29, 2009 @ 11:17am |
 Coolness: 106835 | Originally Posted By RAWALI
point being, if you're track sligning (fast mixes) then it doesn't really matter... long mixes and layering, matters if it's melodic qft |
| I'm feeling no sleep till tuesda right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Bad_Chemistry replied on Tue Sep 29, 2009 @ 10:42pm |
 Coolness: 73805 | First you gotta understand music theory and realize just because it's in the same "key" doesn't mean it'll sound good together. Knowing whether you're track is in C or D doesn't cut it. If one track is C Natural Minor, and one is C Harmonic Minor if any notes after the 5th (G)land on the same space it's going to sound very bad.
Then good luck figuring out exactly what key your track is in, unless you have perfect pitch. Then you gotta realize that it's really hard to "change the key" of a track without making it sound like shit. Most songs are composed of layered sounds (pitched and un-pitched) so altering the key of a track to mix it in will usually make it sound totally off. (try it open up any audio editor and pitch shift an entire track just one semitone up and see what happens) So your basically left with... track selection You wanna know how I do it? I listen to to the track playing and then I imagine what it would sound like with the melody of the track I'm bringing in over top. Sometimes I'm dead on and get two melodies over each other which work really well and then I can extend the mix, other times they don't always sound as good so I cut it faster. Anyways if you don't really have a good musical ear I wouldn't worry, nobody at the party aside from maybe a few other djs and maybe a promoter or two really have any idea what's going on. You really think two e-tards are looking at each-other going "Wow I really like how the augmented 7th of that last track led right into the tonic of the other track". |
| I'm feeling wtf charles? right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Samwise replied on Tue Sep 29, 2009 @ 11:15pm |
 Coolness: 133745 | Mixing in key is like asking the girl your mingling with at raves/clubs if shes legal:
its a plus, not always necessary, tho depending of styles & tracks you play... but in most instences, you're gonna be glad that you did later after... |
| I'm feeling poutinecore!! right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» El_Presidente replied on Tue Sep 29, 2009 @ 11:20pm |
 Coolness: 300045 | ok... |
| I'm feeling tipsy for prez 2009 right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Samwise replied on Tue Sep 29, 2009 @ 11:21pm |
| Coolness: 133745 | LOL! now look whos talking... :P |
| I'm feeling poutinecore!! right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» El_Presidente replied on Tue Sep 29, 2009 @ 11:21pm |
| Coolness: 300045 | I don't dj |
| I'm feeling tipsy for prez 2009 right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» JasonBeastly replied on Wed Sep 30, 2009 @ 2:46pm |
 Coolness: 77430 | Depends what you consider in key.
You could have two tracks differ by a certain interval and one of them might end up sounding modal for a period of time, is that still in key? Another case to consider. If you're cutting you might actually change the overall key by doing so at the right time. Then there are wonderful coincidences that happen occasionally, like when my roommate at the time Pleckobwoy mixed Modeselektor with Johnny Cash one day and had this awesome techy version of "I Walk the Line" going on. Most hardcore tracks, a lot of breakcore, and the grand majority of tracks that sound hard or dark or whatever are in Aeolian modes, harmonic minor keys, or just minor keys. With a little application of your ear you can get most of these styles to work in key, breakcore being super difficult to beatmatch and tune, hardcore a bit less because of tempo consistency, and likewise for dubstep, trance, anything that stays within a very specific tempo, you'll find that you know after a while what goes together because the speed adjustments are really light. I've also found that you can get really far with crazy phasing techniques in a mix. You have about a quarter tone to play with before it stops sounding like a phaser or flanger, beyond that it goes into atonality. But atonal and dissonant is fun, and often gives you an added touch. I've actually gone through the trouble of tuning tracks and then timestretching them in Live, and it didn't sound so interesting. It makes it sound very monotonous. The change-ups are totally necessary I think, to keep the mix alive. |
| I'm feeling dorksided! right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Nathan replied on Wed Sep 30, 2009 @ 2:57pm |
 Coolness: 167265 | keys? what the fuck!?
fuck melodies, rhythm is the key :p |
| I'm feeling you up right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» databoy replied on Wed Sep 30, 2009 @ 9:19pm |
| Coolness: 106835 | If everyone where tone deaf, mixing in key wouldn't be important.
If your mix is modal, it isnt out of key. out of key means playing an interval like c and c sharp, or e and f together. Those half tone intervals are killer. Aren't most edm tracks in the key of a or c? |
| I'm feeling no sleep till tuesda right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Bad_Chemistry replied on Thu Oct 1, 2009 @ 12:24am |
| Coolness: 73805 | ^ha I'd honestly say 40% are in c |
| I'm feeling wtf charles? right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Deadfunk replied on Thu Oct 1, 2009 @ 7:19am |
| Coolness: 153725 | well happy hardcore use both minor or major keys, and the tracks arent made from all the same root notes, so mixing in key can become really interesting |
| I'm feeling hardcore right now.. | |
Question: Is Mixing In Key Important?
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