Harmonic Mixing Guide (2024)

Introduction.

We instigated the Harmonic Mixing revolution and have shown millions of DJs how to use this powerful technique.In this guide, we’ll show you how world-famous DJs like David Guetta use Mixed in Key software for harmonic mixing.

Whether blending whole tracks, samples, vocals, melodies or basslines, Harmonic Mixing will help you sound amazing.This simple technique unlocks a treasure chest of creative possibilities. You’ll have the key to flawless mixes, impeccable mash-ups and learn how to control the energy of your set in a myriad of new ways.

The best Key Detection software. Period.

To use Harmonic Mixing techniques, you need to know the key of the music you want to play. Our market-leading software scans your collection and matches the results to our groundbreaking Camelot EasyMix system .It tells you what key your song or sample is in, and what will mix best with it. You don’t even need an understanding of keys or music theory… it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3

We’ve been developing this software for over a decade, and independent tests consistently show Mixed In Key to be the most accurate key detection system on the planet.These days, most DJ software comes with an in-built, inferior system of its own, yet Mixed In Key remains the ultimate choice for the world’s top DJs. We’re the original and best key detection software available.

Doesn’t my DJ software come with Mixed In Key?

In a word, no.Some DJ software uses our Camelot system, but you will only find the accuracy and peace of mind that comes from our Mixed In Key algorithm by downloading our software direct. Mixed In Key will instantly feed your results to your DJ software, giving you the most accurate key information possible and ensuring your mixes are spot on.

Spin the wheel

It’s so simple. Mixed In Key tells you at-a-glance which tracks and sounds will work together. You can stick to the exact same key, ie 5A to 5A, or move through the gears in a harmonically pleasing fashion. 5A can go to 4A, 6A or 5B smooth as a knife through butter. Here’s how that works:

Harmonic Mixing Guide (2)

This is the Camelot Wheel. Each musical key is represented by a number and letter combination.The outer ring has Major Chords, while the inner ring shows Minor Chords. Our Camelot Easymix system makes navigating through keys as easy as counting up and down.

Up, Down, Around.

Key matching matters because it makes the music sounds like it belongs together. You could, therefore, stick to the same key for your whole set and everything would sound ‘correct’. But after a while it would get pretty boring. Liven things up by moving around the Camelot Wheel – go up or down one increment in a straight line on the wheel and you’ll sound great.Check it out: 8A goes to 9A or 7A, because they’re one number up/down on the wheel, in a straight line from 8A.

Harmonic Mixing Guide (3)

Mixing from inner circle to outer circle

For a pleasant harmonic mix, you can keep the same number, but change the letter. For example, 8A goes with 8B because the number 8 is the same. You can mix between them.

That gives you four great options. If you’re looking at your Mixed In Key results and trying to decide what song to play next, look for something that’s adjacent to your current Key Code. All of those songs will be harmonically compatible.

Get creative

So you’ve nailed the basics – you can mix up and down on the Camelot Wheel and are loving the results.But don’t be fooled, there’s more to it than meets the eye.Try plotting your way clockwise or anti-clockwise around the wheel… nice, right? Moving in this kind of sequence keeps your set sounding harmonically pleasant, fresh and dynamic.You can even go wild and drop in occasional curveballs. Some top DJs will grab their audience’s attention with a crazy move like slamming a mix from a 3A track to a 9A track. It sounds pretty brazen, and should be used with extreme caution, but goes to show how creative you can get when you master Harmonic Mixing!

Harmonic Mixing in Action

OK, this is extreme, but a great example of what can be done when you unlock the power of Harmonic Mixing.32 tracks, 6 minutes, zero key clashes!

Download Mixed In Key today and start your Harmonic Mixing journey.

Everything in this mini-DJ set is harmonic, which means there are no key clashes. You can do the same thing with your favorite DJ software – just analyze your tracks with Mixed In Key and create a playlist that sounds amazing to you.

Our unique Energy Level Rating System

Not only do famous DJs use Harmonic Mixing to ensure tonal perfection, they are also adept at manipulating their audience with track selections that have the ideal Energy Level.Mixed In Key makes it super easy for you to understand your collection’s potential by rating every track with an Energy Level from 1-10. It’s an awesome way of ensuring you pick the perfect track for that hands-in-the-air moment, set finale or super smooth warm-up vibe.Harmonic Mixing combined with Energy Level ranked selection is the secret trick of the professionals. Only Mixed In Key can give you that professional know-how at the touch of a button.

Advanced Harmonic Mixing

Mixed In Key unlocks the power of Harmonic Mixing. We’ve outlined the basics and given a glimpse into some more advanced techniques.For the complete lowdown on these Advanced Techniques, check out these dedicated guides:

  • Sorting playlists by Energy Level
  • Beat Jumping with Cue Points
  • Energy Boost Mixing
  • Power Block Mixing

Inspiration from Armin van Buuren

Watch out for Jaws! We analyzed Armin Van Buuren’s DJ set with Mixed In Key software and shared our thoughts on what makes him an incredible DJ and an inspiration.

Inspiration from Diplo

We analyzed Diplo’s DJ set with Mixed In Key software. These are our thoughts on what makes him an incredible DJ and an inspiration.


Next: Sorting playlists by Energy Level

Harmonic Mixing Guide (2024)

FAQs

Do professional DJs mix in key? ›

The World's Top DJs Use Mixed In Key.

They know that pro results come from using pro gear. They don't want to be second-guessing their key detection results or testing each track with a piano.

What is an alternative notation for key often used by DJs to help with harmonic mixing? ›

The Camelot Wheel

It gives each key a number and letter tag, such as 9A, rather than using the traditional naming scheme of Em or Eminor, and gives it a colour.

Is it better to mix in key or BPM? ›

Ultimately whether it's better to mix in key or by BPM depends on the material/songs you're mixing with.

Should you mix in key or not? ›

The basic premise when it comes to mixing in key is that: IT IS NOT STRICTLY NECESSARY TO MIX ALL THE TRACKS IN KEY. Although a DJ set in key is often synonymous with a high-quality mixed sequence, it is not an essential condition for the success of a DJ set.

Does Platinum Notes really work? ›

“The official answer is yes, because an MP3 is safely decoded to a WAV file in memory, and Platinum Notes can process that WAV file without any quality loss. If the DJ chooses to encode the output to an AIFF or WAV file, it'll maintain the highest quality that's possible after processing.

What are the harmonic patterns for beginners? ›

Harmonic Patterns are a type of complex patterns that occur naturally in financial charts based on geometric price action and Fibonacci levels. The patterns were introduced to the trading world by Harold McKinley Gartley in 1932.

How to know what songs will mix well together? ›

You can choose tracks based on a genre, theme, or mood, to tell a story, or just choose songs that you enjoy. Determine keys and tempos - Once you've chosen your tracks, determine the tempo and key of each song. This will help you mix them together seamlessly.

What is the best key for house music? ›

Most House music songs, regardless of sub genre, are written in a minor key. This choice ovoids the potential for the music to sound cheesy, thus guaranteeing a more serious feeling.

What is the symbol for harmonics in music? ›

Musicians sometimes need to play harmonics on their instruments. In musical notation this is shown by placing a small circle above the note. A violinist can place their finger very lightly on a string so that it divides the string into half.

What makes a song harmonic? ›

Harmonic rhythm determines how many beats a chord will last before you change to the next chord. When you write a song using a borrowed chord progression from another song as a starting point, you inherit the harmonic rhythm.

What is the circle of fifths for DJ? ›

The circle of fifths is one of the most useful tools to mix harmonically. For the most seamless transitions, you can pick from either adjacent keys or the relative major/minor key. So if you're mixing in Am, your next track should either also be in Am, or in Dm, Em, or C. This system was developed by Mixed In Key.

Who uses Mixed In Key? ›

Mixed In Key works with Traktor, Serato, Pioneer CDJs, Ableton Live and all other DJ apps. The software is used by the likes of David Guetta and Kaskade.

Is Mixed In Key better than Serato? ›

Mixed In Key 10 replaces Serato's existing key detection with results that are scientifically proven to be significantly more accurate. Greater accuracy means you'll know exactly how well any tracks in your collection will mix together.

Is Mixed In Key better than Rekordbox? ›

So you can see that according to this research, the best key detection here is with Mixed In Key (76.5%), but that of the big DJ software platforms, Traktor (73.8%) and Rekordbox (69.2%) are not so far behind.

Do DJs use key lock? ›

What is key lock? Key lock is such a simple but useful feature for DJs to take advantage of. It's built into all digital DJ software's and all CDJ set ups. Watch the video below for an in depth look at what key lock is and how to activate it on your DJ equipment.

References

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