There is such a thing in DJing that beginners do not always reach with their minds. This is harmonic mixing.

What is it for?

This is to make the mix better. I think it's better to hear once than read a hundred times. To begin with an example:

Example 1

Like? I doubt it :) Another example:

Example 2

Now is it clear? :)

How to achieve this?

To achieve the effect and create a truly beautiful and harmonious transition between the tracks, you need to know the key of this track (that is, its key), and how these keys should be alternated.

Generally speaking, everything has already been invented and done for us, you just need to go and get it.

Mixed In Key and Co.

On the Mixed In Key website you can buy (and find it somewhere in Google for free - a matter of religion) a program of the same name that scans a music collection and gives a list of songs that can be summarized beautifully.

By the way, MixMeister Studio and MixMeister Fusion ( mixmeister.com ) provide the same function , storing the obtained value directly in the library (which is much more convenient, I think).

Starting from the second branch, Traktor DJ Studio is also able to remember (but not define!) Key in its Track Collection. Can this Ableton Live! - I don’t remember exactly, I hope for your help :)

Harmonic Circle and Camelot Notation

A certain Mark Davis (to whom we all have to say a big thank you) came up with and wrote down the Camelot notation, grouping the most common tones in European culture into a kind of “watch”:



For a start, it would be nice to just mix the tracks, the tones of which completely coincide.

Then you can try to make transitions of the "hour" forward or backward. That is, if the original track is D-flat Minor (12A), then the next one can be A-Flat Minor (1A) or F-Sharp Minor (11A).

Another experiment is the transitions from the inner circle to the outer within the same “hour”, that is, from minor to major and vice versa. Here you need to be careful with the mood of the track: in the midst of a cheerful club house, it is not always possible to slap some dark electro :)

You can explain in words for a long time, but the shortest way is practice itself. If the bear did not step on the ear, then it will immediately become clear what is good and what is bad.

Things to remember

At one foreign forum, I came across a post where it was said that MixMeister products recognize tone with an accuracy of 70%, in particular, very rarely make a distinction between major and minor. Then blame yourself - no one canceled his ears, if "does not sound", we must take matters into our own hands. On the site of the same Mixed In Key, many DJs and producers admitted that they had used a piano keyboard or synthesizer (which, by the way, is much more accurate, although it requires hearing and time).

Another subtlety is the “tempo-key" relationship. You need to know that if we accelerate or slow down the track, then every 6% of the speed, the tonality will change according to the direction. If the track was originally 140BPM and in the key 12A, then braking it by 6% we get already 11A.

There is a simple rule:if the difference in speeds is less than three percent, then the tonality of the second track can be taken the same. If more than three - one more / less.

And remember, harmonic mixing is not a panacea for creating a high-quality mix, this is just one of the components. The creative component, as well as good taste when choosing music for the set, should not be forgotten in any case.