Opinions on Mixing - Tempo or Key

AfroSonic

Howdy.. I've recently started dabbling with traktor and mixing some sets together and was hoping to get some opinions on mixing tracks that are different bpms.

Is there a best practice approach to mixing tracks of different speeds or should that be avoided. Up till now I've been using tracks which have a bpm variance of 4 marks (2 either side of a average bpm), but its fairly hard to find a lot of decent tunes in a particular genre which are of the same speed.

I haven't been paying any attention to key when mixing at all but a buddy says he mixing by key all the time, which seem very restrictive to me but maybe thats another approach worth trying..

Anyway, any one got on thoughts or methods they use to selecting tracks to mix etc.

Cheers,

Executive Steve

If one track is too slow to mix it in, speed it up, but if it's too fast you should slow it down.

If they're not in compatible keys it will sound horrid.

Best way to select tracks to mix is buy loads of tracks you like and play them a lot, and figure out which ones really work together. Eventually you'll build up an instinct for what will work well.

Practice, practice, practice, practice some more.

BaZmO*

AfroSonic wrote: »

I haven't been paying any attention to key when mixing at all but a buddy says he mixing by key all the time, which seem very restrictive to me but maybe thats another approach worth trying..

At a guess I'd say your buddy is talking sh1te. There's too much emphasis put on this mixing in key lark. Actually, when did it all start? Was it with the advent of the digital age of DJing?

The best tool you can use when mixing is your ears. Whether it sounds terrible because it's sped up too much, or slowed down too much, or the melodies are clashing, if you can't tell from listening to it you'd probably be best to pick a different hobby.

brianc27

forget about mixing in key (your mate is talking through his hole btw) or trying to mix tracks with similar bpm's, theres no point trying to complicate something thats not really that complicated, your ears will be able to tell what sounds good and what doesn't.

lardossan

had you been at Theo Parrish last saturday you would have realised that key and tempo are hardly of any consequence when it comes to delivering top quality music and send everyone off their rocker in the process...

electrogrimey

Beatmatch the new track coming in, and then listen to the two together in the headphones. Some tracks sound good together, and some don't work at all. If it doesn't work, just try a new track. Don't worry about key mixing.

You can go within a range of 10 at a push, like mix a track at 125 with one at 135, by slowly bringing the playing track down to 130 and then mixing in, but if you're playing house/techno/minimal etc most tracks should be between 126 and 132, which if perfect.