How to Harmonic Mix With Mixed In Key
Harmonic mixing is a technique used by DJs to create smooth transitions between tracks. The tracks are harmonically compatible and sound great together. An example of being harmonically compatible is a mashup of two songs. Creating harmony is the name of the game when it comes to harmonic mixing. In this blog post it will be about how to harmonic mix with Mixed In Key.
Jordan Wu
5 min·Posted
Table of Contents
What is Harmonic Mixing?
Harmonic mixing is a technique that is used to mix together tracks that are harmonically compatible. This technique involves The Circle of Fifth from music theory. Frequency plays a big part especially in the low frequency spectrum. All sounds can be represented in waveforms and the waveform contains the frequency of the sound. The Circle of Fifth is based on intervals of a perfect fifth. In terms of frequency, a perfect fifth has a frequency ratio of 3:2.
For example, each track is created in a key and scale. You can use this information along with Circle of Fifth from music theory to know which tracks are compatible. The Circle of Fifth is based on the root key and it's perfect fifth. I'll explain this using the Amin chord.
The Amin chord is made up of three keys, A, C, and E. The fundamental frequency of that chord is the lowest frequency which is A also known as the root key. If you look at a frequencies chart for piano keys you can see all the frequencies for each key. Let's use the A above middle C key because it has an easy to remember frequency of 440 Hz.
Perfect intervals are the following intervals: fourths, fifths, and octaves. It is based on their frequency's ratio compared to the fundamental frequency. For example, a perfect octave has a ratio of 2:1. A perfect octave for our fundamental frequency 440 Hz is 880 Hz. That's the next A key on the piano keyboard! The perfect fourth has a ratio of 4:3 and a perfect fifth has a ratio of 3:2.
If you look at the Amaj chord or Amin chord you will notice that the perfect fifth is E and the root is A. Based on the frequency ratio you know when you play A and E together it sounds good because the frequency is very similar! Now you know harmonic mixing is based off of the perfect interval and focuses on the perfect fifth.
What is Mixed In Key?
Mixed In Key is a software for DJs to use for harmonic mixing. It has one of the best key detection software to help find the key and scale of all your tracks. This is required to use harmonic mixing techniques. It uses a Camelot Wheel that is based on The Circle of Fifth to label your tracks.
The wheel is used for harmonic mixing by making it easier to know which tracks are harmonically compatible. By placing songs that are compatible closer together and labeling them (1-12) with a suffix of A for minor scale and B for major scale. By mixing tracks that are in the same key and scale or picking tracks that are a perfect fifth of each other will make sure the tracks mix well together.
Energy level is a factor to consider when mixing songs together. Mixed In Key will detect the energy level of all your tracks automatically using a scale of (1:10):
Energy Level 1: Music that does not have a beat. Think music that you can sleep to.
Energy Level 2-4: Music that is hard to dance to. Think about the music you listen to in restaurants.
Energy Level 5: Music where people start dancing. Think music you know how to dance to.
Energy Level 6: Music that is easily danceable. Think music you start dancing to.
Energy Level 7: Music that is played at a party. Think music you dance to at a party.
Energy Level 8: Music that you play at a music festival. Think music you dance to while listening to an anthem at a festival.
Energy Level 9: Music that makes you climax. Think music you dance to while listening to fireworks going off at a festival.
Energy Level 10: Music that is loud. You don't play them.
Summary
Harmonic Mixing is a technique to find tracks that mix well together. You can use Mixed In Key to help with key detection, energy level, labeling, and finding cue points in all your tracks. It's compatible with many DJ softwares like Serato, Traktor, and Rekordbox. To learn more check out Harmonic Mixing Guide.
