Mixed In Key - Worth The Money?

[Teddy]

I think sometimes it's fun to pick out a tune you wouldn't usually mix with another. Used the right way MIK boosts creativity.

u wouldn't normally mix said tune but because MIK says its ok to do so u do.
thats exactly my point.

i wouldn't say it boost creativity at all. it can be a handy tool but it can really limit your selection.
ive always said ... selection > how good a mix sounds.

im not saying its bad at what it does but it shouldn't be relied on.
just because something is in key doesn't always mean it will mix together very well.

 

[hyperd4eva]

I saw a laptop dj the other day who did basically nothing, chatting to his mates while his laptop double drops tunes for him. The skills are slowly evapourating

yep, makes u wonder why u bother doesnt it!

 

[Fallen.GeMiNi]

ive always said ... selection > how good a mix sounds.

Have to disagree there, exactly the other way round IMO. I don't rate DJs relying solely on selection to get away with poorly executed mixes.

 

[Teddy]

mate there is a happy medium. dont get me wrong i love great blends.
but if i played dj catsbee's inner city life with mr happy and dilly fast car and all 3 tunes sounded fucking awesome in the mix ... its still shit.

im not saying u can get away with poor mixing if ur selection is good.
im saying id rather hear sublte clean mixes that aren't really brilliant, they might not be double drops or have loads of cool switches and eq changes but the tunes are great.

 

[Agent Smith]

what ever happened to going through stacks of records, trying out different mix after different mix yourself without the help of generic computer programming?

I said it in another thread recently. Use your fackin' ears to work out what sounds right.

This whole mixed in key thing just seems incredibly lazy.....

 

[Fallen.GeMiNi]

mate there is a happy medium. dont get me wrong i love great blends.
but if i played dj catsbee's inner city life with mr happy and dilly fast car and all 3 tunes sounded fucking awesome in the mix ... its still shit.

im not saying u can get away with poor mixing if ur selection is good.
im saying id rather hear sublte clean mixes that aren't really brilliant, they might not be double drops or have loads of cool switches and eq changes but the tunes are great.

What I'm talking about are thrilling double drops and throwing as many "big" tunes as possible just to make the crowd going instead paying attention to details like complementing harmonies and such. I've found myself getting tired of those 2fast2furious 3 deck mixes just for the sake of showcasing the skill. Hand to hand with sets filled with classics or great tunes kicking each other's butts. I'm all about finding tunes which work together nicely, even tho they might not be appealing to everyone. I mean every DJ and his dog can tell which tunes are sick and throw them in the mix, but I have a lots of respect for those guys who pull some tune I don't really like or haven't even noticed in a first place and making it shine in the mix.

what ever happened to going through stacks of records, trying out different mix after different mix yourself without the help of generic computer programming?

I said it in another thread recently. Use your fackin' ears to work out what sounds right.

This whole mixed in key thing just seems incredibly lazy.....

I will repeat myself once again. You have to use your ears anyways, just because some tune is mixed in G minor and the other one as well won't make them sound great together, so it's hours and hours of trying as well if you really want to find something good, not to speak about outstanding. If I had 100 tunes, I would probably never felt the need to use anything like MIK. The thing is it's not really easy to keep thousands of tunes in your head to be able to throw them in anytime you want to. Again, I'm not saying you should rely on MIK all the time, that's bullshit. But it can be a useful tool if you know how and when to use it.

 

[Agent Smith]

fair point FG. I agree its not easy to remember 100's of tunes but thats what a being a DJ is all about. Knowing your tunes.

Repped for a logical decent reply.

 

[Fallen.GeMiNi]

I agree its not easy to remember 100's of tunes but thats what a being a DJ is all about. Knowing your tunes.

Yeah, I agree, then again as I like a wide variety of tunes, I sometimes come across a tune in my library, which I've never played before and can only tell how does it sound on its own. Normally I would try it out with a bunch of tunes based on what I can remember about it, but when playing out that's not an option. I know this could be avoided entirely by just not playing it at all, but it's somehow a lot of fun to try it and pull it off. And MIK can help you do this, so I don't think it's a bad thing to use it from time to time. The program itself isn't perfect and accurate all the time as we all know and as AJ pointed out, it can limit your thinking and selection a lot if you rely on it too much, but I still wouldn't call it shit

 

[t345e]

u wouldn't normally mix said tune but because MIK says its ok to do so u do.
thats exactly my point.

i wouldn't say it boost creativity at all. it can be a handy tool but it can really limit your selection.
ive always said ... selection > how good a mix sounds.

im not saying its bad at what it does but it shouldn't be relied on.
just because something is in key doesn't always mean it will mix together very well.

I agree, relying on it solely is just plain silly man, with ya on that.

Think of it this way though Teddy, I've got around 3000+ tunes all of which I feel to some degree, as I'm sure you do. MIK just points out the the ones which have matching keys, it does not select the said tune for me, I still choose it, it just narrows down the options. Say i get a list of like 100 tunes that match, I look down the list and look at each tune think about how it will sound and whether it will work and then give it a go.

Also at this point I may come across a track that I haven't span for ages, a track which would have been completely overlooked without this process. It could have been a track I've forgotten about or an oldy. Without this program this mix would not have happened. It certainly would not have happened if I would have sifted through 3000 vinyl. In that way I think it boosts creativity, there's no two ways about it.

When I used to mix on vinyl I probably had a max of 40 tunes in box and would mix between them. This program enables you to take full advantage of your entire music collection by pointing you in the right direction.

Ultimately you decide what you track to mix, it's not a finite solution, it's a tool.

 

[Fallen.GeMiNi]

I agree, relying on it solely is just plain silly man, with ya on that.

Think of it this way though Teddy, I've got around 3000+ tunes all of which I feel to some degree, as I'm sure you do. MIK just points out the the ones which have matching keys, it does not select the said tune for me, I still choose it, it just narrows down the options. Say i get a list of like 100 tunes that match, I look down the list and look at each tune think about how it will sound and whether it will work and then give it a go.

Also at this point I may come across a track that I haven't span for ages, a track which would have been completely overlooked without this process. It could have been a track I've forgotten about or an oldy. Without this program this mix would not have happened. It certainly would not have happened if I would have sifted through 3000 vinyl. In that way I think it boosts creativity, there's no two ways about it.

When I used to mix on vinyl I probably had a max of 40 tunes in box and would mix between them. This program enables you to take full advantage of your entire music collection by pointing you in the right direction.

Ultimately you decide what you track to mix, it's not a finite solution, it's a tool.

Yeah, pretty much this