DJ Tutorial: Learn Harmonic Mixing w/ DJ Endo
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
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Harmonic mixing is becoming an industry standard for professional DJs all over the world. It is an innovative way to mix tracks together that are in the same or related keys, resulting in better sounding DJ sets. Mixing harmonically compatible tracks makes it easier and more pleasing to perform long blends and mash-ups. The goal is to eliminate key clashes.
In this harmonic mixing video, Dubspot DJ Instructor Endo shares his knowledge about an innovative way to mix tracks that are harmonically compatible with each other using Native Instruments Traktor, FM8 synth, and Mixed In Key.
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All you guys complaining that this is not needed are buggin. I've been mixing since the 90s and the best DJs back then cataloged their vinyl by key and BPM. It was a must in any large collection. It took forever (unless you were diligent and did it when you purchased your records). Having the power of software to do this is freakin awesome. Half you guys claiming you are "Old School" because you do it by ear are full of it. I'm old school because I'm OLD. Lol. I have a great ear for pitch to (I produce as well). I can do it by ear but with a huge collection sorting is more efficient. I prefer to let the software do keying. It's a task NOT A SKILL. And just because your key is on point does not mean you will rock the crowd. The art of DJing is about reading the crowd and having great selection, programing and edits (Now called mash-ups)!! PROGRAMING AND EDITS ARE THE LOST ART. Even beat matching is a task. It was a skill but it's no longer needed. I still do it though because it just makes me feel good. Lol. Stop bitchin and start wowing people with your selection and timing. Take them on a trip already!
i agree, but the problem is: much of the analyzed files have a wrong key
look at this: www.djtechtools.com/2014/01/14/key-detection-software-comparison-2014-edition/
Ilja Boor
I hear you llja Boor but so what? So it's not perfect. 99% it's on point enough for me. I use my ears at the end of the day anyway. That's just natural to me. It's not rocket science. This just saves time. If a track is not working then I don't play that track. Simple. The software allows you to override the key and store it also. I'm lazy so i don't but you can. I just think people are over thinking this shit. The software works. I back it up. I've been mixing since 1987. DJs, performers, lighten up! Not only does it work pretty damn well. It's cheap! AND The developer has never charged me for an update. Come on you cynical bastards! LMAO. You know what? I changed my mind. Don't use it. I'll just stand out. NOTE: This is not directed at anyone in particular.
WORD!
This video actually pushes me to do more research and go even deeper with my music. Thanks great video and dont even mind the haters!
Glad we could help. Thanks for tuning in!
Who are you calling a noob? I've been DJing for 12 years, started only on vinyl. Going back to my mixes I made 10 years ago, they were actually in key before I even knew about harmonic mixing. A good DJ will know what goes well together "by ear" but this is a system that will help you find tracks that go well together harmonically QUICKLY. In the digital world this is an amazing tool. I guarantee if you try the software out it will change your life.
@TheEverettRyan Great to hear! Mixing Harmonically will definitely help you stand out in the DJ world. Glad you enjoyed the video!
I am a Berklee graduate and classically trained. I know music theory trust me ;-) However when your dealing with thousands of tracks in your library, this is a great tool for narrowing down your collection and getting to the tracks that will mix harmonically faster.
Great tutorial. So simple. You can also mix in key with a diagonal key from the wheel ex: 1B -> 2A, 5B -> 6A, 10B -> 11A etc. So it works when minor key is one camelot step lower than major key and major key is one camelot step higher than minor key. Like 2A -> 1B, 6A -> 5B, 11A -> 10B.
I have also experienced that all minor keys can sound harmonic together as you mentioned with the higher energy boosts from 12A to 2A, 9A and 7A. They can all work, but not every time. Same with major keys.
damn, I'm still learning more and more in Traktor thanks to videos like these. incredible
Amen brother. Preach! Thanks for writing and for your comment.
Harmonic Mixing is great for ANY genre of music, even genres like techno which are mostly percussion. It actually finds the general key of tracks with all drums. For hip hop its amazing.
Great Tip where you Fill out the Musical Key in the Comments section to show yourself that you have checked whether that is the actual key after working it out yourself. Thank you.
Still using this system to this day!
Good stuff Endo & Dubspot, NY Stufent here, keep up the good work. 5 years on this vid still pertains
All you do is nagging all the time. Fuck your ego guys. Just because you're DJing, it does not make you a superstar. Let us learn something important here. It's a vital task for organizing stuff. Great Video Endo, Thank you.
Agree.
Mum say's I am her superstar.
Endo, this is a great tutorial, really opening my mind to a better way or mixing. And forget these people stuck in the past. Let them continue to cry about the good old days when dj's we're breaking their backs lugging around crates of vynil, this is the future and my Traktor Kontrol s4 and laptop is all I need :)
The final mix is ... stuning !
❤️
@khoafilm I would suggest analyzing your music before even importing / playing it in Traktor or iTunes. The way to update the tags in Traktor is to select the tracks in the track collection (you can batch select), right click on the list or track and choose "Edit" - LEAVE EVERYTHING BLANK - DO NOT CHECK ANYTHING - then hit "OK". It will refresh the tags and the keys will show up like magic :)
@thefishdog this is true. If 2 tracks that are in the same key are raised or lowered by 6% then they are a half step apart from each other. If you play tracks that are similar BPM's then the system works. I am posting a new article soon on the Dubspot Blog on my system of mixing Harmonically without using Key Lock. Stay tuned!
To show the keys in Traktor you need to go to the Mixed in Key Preferences, click on the "Key" tab, then check the option for "Update custom "Initial Key" mp3 tag (viewable in Traktor). Then in Traktor, right click in a grey area in Traktor's browser (above all the categories) and select "Key". This will show the key column in Traktor's Browser. Just a tip: I would run all your music through mixed in key BEFORE bringing it into Traktor.
really good tutorial for showing my dj friends. used to play classical so i know about music theory outside of djing but explaining it to people who never played music is tricky
This type of information makes or breaks a DJ. Without your lost.
Nope. This information isn't 100% necessary for DJs. I would know. Over 1000 shows with no harmonic mixing. Got by on being good at reading a crowd, selecting good music and MC skills for my weddings and nightclub performances. If you can't use a mic, you're a broken DJ. If you can't get people dancing because your song selection sucks, you are a broken DJ. If you can't read a crowd, you might get lucky a couple times. If you can't mix harmonically, oh well. If they dance, they dance.
Christopher Rees Apples and oranges.
It depends.
I disagree. If you have the other skills in your repertoire, you don't need harmonic mixing to add to the list. Its just an excellent 1up.
Christopher Rees By typing apples and oranges I do not mean that I'm polar opposite in this argument that I don't feel is one to begin with nor do I feel I am neutral. Harmonic mixing is another avenue for creating crowd energy thru technical methods and without experience and practice sure it can not work. In essence both avenues are interesting but not studying music and how it is broken down doesn't make one a better DJ because it is popular. Understanding why a transition is dissonant and why it is smooth is an afterthought. DJ's come in prepared with tunes they know work together and for many it is really well thought out and so the mixes are already harmonically mixed by just being natural. I spent 5 years in Boston niteclubs as a barback, a buser and a lighting operator. And all I did was listen. I tried my hand at spinning and was terrible at it. It is a talent and harmonic mixing can dramatically improve a DJ looking to improve their skills but it is simply bad advice to not explore it. It is liken to telling a musician not to learn ear training.
Oh, I was just saying that it doesn't depend because djs used to get by without all this information and technology.
Been using harmonic mixing for awhile, but I didn't realize you skip keys to build energy. Pretty awesome stuff, thank you! Wow this mashup with the shpongle and everything is awesome!
I'm actually writing my album so the tracks match harmonicly with each other. This is a really awesome mixing technique. Not that I'm a DJ, but I tend to work the same way.
@TheNolimits29 What I was referring to is going up one half step, which is one note on the piano. So you can go from a B to a C because there is no black key in between those two notes. Also you can go from an E to an F (No black note inbetween those notes either). If there is a black note in between the notes, or if the next note is a white note, you can use that key (ex F to F# or C# to D). Each time you go up a half step, this adds 7 to the number on the camelot wheel.
Traktor has a built in Key Lock feature, and key adjustment feature. If you turn key lock on, you can turn the key adjustment knob to adjust the key. I would only adjust the key a half step up or down though because it can start to sound funny if you change the key too drastically.
Mixed in Key is about 82% accurate for dance music (especially dance music with harmonic content). I did a study on this which will be posted soon!
I'm using Traktor's key detection since it exists.
To verify if key is right, first I try to find song on Beatport and read the key in song's info, otherwise I do it by ear.
very informative great video!!! this video makes me more motivated
easily one of the best youtube channels out there!
The setting is in Mixed in Key. Go to the Mixed in Key Preferences - Update Tags - Check "Update Common Tags", Make sure "Update Custom Initial Key Tag" is checked. Then go to preferences - Key Notation and choose "Camelot"
@VVooDz To get the tags to update, Right click on the Track Collection and choose "Check Consistancy". Or you can select a group of tracks and right click and choose "Edit", then hit the "OK" button WITHOUT TYPING ANYTHING IN, and all the tags will update. The other way is to double click on the track title and the tags will update just for that song. Also keep in mind there is a dedicated "Key" field in Traktor that Mixed in Key can write into. Choose this option in the mixed in key preferences
this cleared up all my confusion with harmonic mixing. so excited to be going to dubspot next year!!!
@ theblackfluid , I buy 90% of my music from beatport and used to just use the keys from the site but now I use MIK and from my old notes look spot on !
Great video, an eyeopener. Youve explained music theory better than my teacher could ever. Thank you. I could not find a crack of Mixed in Key that worked with Win 7 Ultimate, however I found a FREEWARE program called Keyfinder, which does the same thing. This trick improved my mixes by factor 2. thanx again !
it's 3:00 am. So glad I found your video. learned a lot in just a few minutes. awesome job. thank you so much.
I hope this kept you up the rest of the night listening to awesome key combinations with your tracks!
@yann27 You can change that in the mixed in key preferences. Go to View - Key System - and change it to Camelot Keys
@BraylenTV Yes it will work in Serato Itch because you can write into the Comments, Artist Name, or Track Title which will show up in Serato
@TheSoundCenter Who said we're not listening to our music? To be honest with the amount of music I buy on a regular basis, we don't have time anymore to test out each track with all of our other records because now we have thousands of tracks compared to hundreds (vinyl). This will help us find tracks FASTER that go well with whats playing. Doesn't mean we have to stick to the rules, but its a nice tool for programming your sets and sounds great on the dance floor.
Great information I will definitely be using
Mixed in key and Traktor use two different systems. One is the system mention in this vid and the other is called Open Key Notation. They work the same way just using different letters, personally i have used Traktors one and it works great for me but i have no experience with Mixed in key. Hope this helps!
@TheDenzalos Endo's key change suggestions will work the same for A and B keys - they are very closely related musically. Endo probably uses minor keys in his examples as he said most of his tracks are in minor keys. Major keys tend to sound uplifting, and minor keys usually have a more mellow or sophisticated sound. To answer your Q's 1) yes 3 steps anti clockwise + move from B to A ring. 2) sounds OK, sounds a bit dissonant or mysterious tho. 3) yes both semi-tone or tone up sound OK in major.
Thanks a cameLOT ;-) really helped my mixing sounds soooo much better!! And today you don't need mixed in key, Traktor has it now also build in.....
@ElectrikBear You can choose to write the key before the file name, and you can view this in Ableton. Just be careful about renaming files because you can possibly break file paths.
thanks for the lesson on harmonic mixing!! great video!
Thank you BPM Supreme! Much respect!
@TheGhettostylus Not only will it find the key of any song, but it will also key short music loops... and very accurately might I add.
I love mixing out of key because it builds tension. I'll do a mix out of key (either using modulating keys, or keys that are totally out of key), and follow it with a few mixes that are in key. If you are mixing in key the whole time it gets boring. Building and releasing tension with your key mixes is where its at.
Thanks for watching man! Algoriddim is a GREAT program. I love it for fun. Its not a pro DJ application but definitely a ton of fun. Check out my Harmonic Mixing study I did on the Dubspot Blog to see how accurate DJay is compared to other key detection programs. Search for "Endo's Key Detection Study" to see all the results in full detail. In Traktor you just turn key lock on and then turn the "Key" knob to change the pitch chromatically.
@PhatCat009 I'm talking about both! Analyzing your tracks to find out what key their in, and then playing tracks that are in the same or complimenting keys.
Great video.
Also, props for using a track by a little-known 90s dance group from Melbourne. I wasnt sure if anyone outside of Australia had ever heard of the original Pendulum :)
@iroh181 Yup there is. They are called Load Markers. I put on on every track I play.
Hey Fabio, you're not trolling at all by mentioning the Camelot's wheels incorrect reference to the keys. My Berklee professors faces were turning blue when I was explaining this to them lol. You're right, these keys are represented wrong on the camelot wheel. You should e-mail them and tell them to change it ;-)
I batch analyze quite a few different file types and see this as intelligent catalog type software. you can create libraries based on anything, including the new ‘camelot system’ or by traditional keys. that’s an option in the settings.
I use it’s built in player to LISTEN to the track with the added benefit of seeing key changes all along the wave form. I understand your disdain, things are much easier, but that’s very aspect of being a musician from the engineer through producer to the stage.
I just did a study on the accuracy of Mixed in Key vs. Rapid Evolution, Traktor's Key Detection, Keyfinder, Rekord Box, Beatport and a couple of other key detections program. Mixed in Key is the most accurate, except for Rekord Box which beat them by 1%, but your best bet for Key Detection is to use Mixed in Key. Search for "Endo's Key Detection Study" to see all the results in full detail!
@MigoiMusic - There is actually an option to show "Key" and "Track Key" in the decks. in Preferences - Deck Details. I show both so I know what the original key is, then it will tell you what key your currently in based on how fast you are playing the track (ex. +1 means your a half step up). Traktor 2 used to actually tell you the key you're in based on pitch. I have been fighting to get this feature back.
your videos are mad helpful, you do a good job explaining things using examples.
@TRANceBoy1995 Yes because even if you have absolute pitch, you can't sort your playlists by key, unless you write the keys into your tracks manually
You are a generous man, sharing all these tricks. For someone who has studied music, this particular tip might sound super basic (this is like the ABC of composition), but what a useful tip it is, nevertheless! Thanks!
Go have a look at several of the vids on beat grids. Endo and Ean Golden have posted good ones on preparing your tracks in order to use sync effectively.
I sort my playlists by "Comments" so they are in order by key (since I use mixed in key to write the key before my comments - configurable in the mixed in key preferences). I also pick tracks based on their vibe / feel and what the crowd is reacting to, but try to keep my mixes mostly harmonic. I always run my tracks through mixed in key before importing them into itunes or Traktor. I also check them on a piano but this isn't necessary, its just my personal system.
Mixed in Key also writes into Serato as well, yes.
If the keys don't show up, you can get them to show up by right clicking on the "Track Collection" icon and choosing "Check Consistancy". This will update all of your tracks ID3 information and the keys will show up after the consistancy check is done.
@DeeJayEndo and @TheEverettRyan I agree with you about being a good DJ, you need more than sync …..But I like to keep time, listening the tracks, find out witch works great together. Preparing a setlist from 0 to 10. That is the beautiful thing of djing. (and mixing in clubs of course ;-) )
And my meaning about harmonic mixing is that you have help for this part. Only that!
and all this digital work it was made before on the fly with bare ears, jajaja.
Very good video Endo.
Best,
The good DJs might find they were harmonic mixing their whole career and didn't even realize it.
Thank you so much for the tutorial on camelot harmonics....
A good DJ will be able to know what tracks go well together, and this is usually because the Tracks are in key but there is a lot of trial and error involved even if your a veteran DJ. Sorting your tracks by key helps you find tracks that are harmonically compatible quicker.
Love this helps so much, and using this technique with Push makes it even easier, find my self just jammin to songs more lol
good stuff man. easy to understand.... def looking forward to taking my mixing up a notch.
Yes! Check out my in depth lab report on key detection with Beatport vs Traktor on the Dubspot Blog. Search for "Endo's Key Detection Study" to see all the results in full detail!
thank u s great to know with so much of detail god bless
Sure I'll share, and by the way great vid man.
The 100% free software I dug up is called Rapid Evolution 3 or RE3
-it does a decent job at finding (the correct)keys and tagging ect. but I'm sure the U.I. is not as user friendly as the mixed in key software. Also I take back the statement about 'mixed in key fools'(clearly they are smart peeps) + that's not my style to downgrade others to make a point, and I agree with you man that their software is top of the line and saves a ton of time/work.
@djapeiron Just because your mixing harmonically or in sync doesn't mean your a good DJ. However sorting your playlists by key will help you find tracks that go together well a lot quicker and is a great tool to help with programming a set.
@jenulicius Check out the mixed in key preferences and make sure the "Key" is turned on.
Very helpful and easy to follow tutorial. Thanks.
very nice.
KEEP
CALM
AND
WATCH
DUBSPOT
If your looking for some good deep house, check out my soundcloud mixes. Once you find a track you like, research that artist on beatport and follow them if you like their tracks, that way you will stay up to date on their releases. Thanks for watching!
Yes Harmonic Mixing works with Ableton except you'll need to turn on file renaming to get the keys to show up in the clips. This could cause major problems since renaming files will cause samples to be missing in Ableton , Traktor , iTunes etc. so be careful!
DJing is not a dying art, in fact Music is evolving right now faster than any other artform I know! It's true, anyone can be a DJ now. There is nothing we can do about it. However I feel that it is good to teach the new generation the RIGHT way to DJ. Its about music programming, not how many buttons you can push. DJs should do their homework and research the music they play and be a leader, not a follower. If they love a type of music then they should play it!
@TheDubsteck If you have a keyboard you can use that to manually find keys of your tracks and it is much more accurate than Mixed In Key... If you want a free program, try Rapid Evolution 3. In my opinion its not as good as MiK5, but pretty damn good for being free. good luck.
Traktor uses a key detection system called Open Key (google it). It is the same theory of the Camelot system, but just with different notation. Check out my in depth lab report on key detection with Beatport vs Traktor on the Dubspot Blog. Search for "Endo's Key Detection Study" to see all the results in full detail. You'll see Traktor is disappointingly very inaccurate compared to mixed in key, so I still use Mixed in Key to get the keys of my tracks.
I tried running Mixed In Key and it peed all over my catalogue. I'd say it got about 30% accurate. I went back, checked each song against a piano, which got 100% of the tracks correct. Proceed w/ caution on software like this.
Good video mate, I already got this stuff, but it's good to reinforce the knowledge
The best way to use Harmonic Mixing is to use "Tension and release". If every mix is in key, then it will get boring and monotonous. If you use MODULATIONS then you build tension. For example, going up a half step (up 7) or up 2 on the camelot wheel is a modulation. Do this to build tension, then drop a few tracks that are in key, then modulate again. Thanks for watching!
That's because I beatgrid every track in Traktor that I play. Check out my other video on the dubspot youtube page on Beatgridding in Traktor Pro. Also be sure to check out my online Digital DJing with Traktor class on Dubspot.com!
excellent explanation!!!
Definitely a good idea if you play mainly melody-based tracks.
Yes, harmonic mixing is a great skill to have, as is grammar and proper punctuation. You know, periods, commas, apostrophe's. ;-)
@DeeJayEndo your totally right man!
Key Finder is a free alternative and hats off to them for their hard work, however it is not as accurate as Mixed in Key. Check out my in depth lab report on key detection with Traktor vs Mixed in Key, Keyfinder and other key detection programs on the Dubspot Blog. Search for "Endo's Key Detection Study" to see all the results in full detail. Thanks for watching!
Nice I learned something.
This is a very well done tutorial, nice job.
Really cool. Learned a lot about the Camelot System.
ok, so if i play all my tracks in 128 bpm if a track was originaly made in 133 or 123 bpm it can change the key ? that's a problem indeed !
keys are locked by defaut on virtual dj 8 so it wasn't the problem.
virtualdj provides differents key results than mixed in keys and harnomies seems matching in a much more efficient way using virtual dj results to me :/
That's why you would use Key Lock.
@Splurgeyourheadoff also.. u might not always want to sound polished... being ghetto on the twin decks can actually bring a lot of heat to a mix...
but yeah most djs do it without having a name for it... the cool thing about the vid is that it explains a method..
You might need to refresh the ID3 tags in Traktor. Be sure to show the key field by right clicking above the browser and choosing "Key". Also you can select all tracks in your collection, right click, choose "EDIT" and DO NOT CHECK ANYTHING**, then hit "OK". This will refresh the tags. I repeat, DO NOT CHECK ANYTHING when you do this because it will erase the data on your tracks. Go to the Mixed in Key website for more details on how to get the keys to show up in Traktor and iTunes
@Landotaimingraleat Of course, the more you know about music the better of a DJ you will be.
Yes, it does.
Sweet... Thank the DJ
You must've been using an older version of Mixed in Key. Please check my Harmonic Mixing lab report on mixed in key and my "Beatport vs. Mixed in Key" lab report on how accurate mixed in key is compared to tracks i keyed manually on the Piano. Mixed in Key is about 95% accurate now for tracks that have melodies / harmony, and even minimal stuff! Old versions of mixed in key are less accurate.
clear concise tutorial. Very helpful!
Yeah, obviously chord changes come into play, but knowing the basic key of a track and what tracks are compatible harmonically is enough for me when I'm rocking the party and am surrounded by hot girls going wild ;-)
@marceloneri Well, not everyone understands music theory and the circle of fifths, and also not every DJ wants to think about chord progressions when they are surrounded by madness in the DJ booth. The camelot system provides an easy way to mix harmonically with not much thought involved.
Thanks for the video, this helps a ton