Mixed In Key Review - Part 1. Pete Tong endorses Mixed in Key; as a DJ tool it is definitely worth at least considering it for improving your sets. Mixing in key is something that lots of DJs vaguely know they ought to have a go at. Top DJs mention mixing in key, and many commercial mix CDs use key mixing. In some scenes, like trance, where the melodic content of music is really important, mixing in key is quite widely accepted; and for all DJs, it can make your mixes smoother and more professional- sounding. Nonetheless, for most mixing in key with software like Mixed in Key remains somewhere between a mystery and an ideal. While some DJs come from a musical background, many don't, and for those, any tool that can help them do it must be worth investigating. This is more than just a review of Mixed in Key (US$5. Mixed in Key 5. 5); it explains the topic first, introduces the software and finally, in the Mixed in Key Review - Part 2, shows what happened when I tried to DJ a whole night at a real gig, only mixing in key. Should DJs bother about mixing in key at all? I have mixed thoughts about this technique, which I first wrote about in Should Digital DJs Be Bothered About Mixing in Key? In that article I also stated that I hadn't actually tried it other than by trial and error, and that I would one day try key mixing software and report back. New Kings Road Vintage Guitar Emporium are very proud to offer a selection of guitars and amplifiers for sale from the collection of Ireland’s legendary guitarist. Johnson is the sixteenth studio album recorded by the British rock musician Eric Clapton and was released on March 23, 2004 on Reprise Records. Your #1 source for chords, guitar tabs, bass tabs, ukulele chords, guitar pro and power tabs. Comprehensive tabs archive with over 800,000 tabs! That's not good a start': Ed Sheeran reveals how he became one the music industry's biggest names. Another fine example of your style of teaching Griff. I wonder how many people would interpret such a lick in different positions and claim this guitar giant or that. The Triton is Korg's latest flagship workstation synthesizer for professional music production! It looks and sounds beautiful, and hiding under the hood is an. Torrent anonymously with torrshield encrypted vpn pay with bitcoin. Traktor Pro 2.5 is the latest version of NI's DJ software, and it features tight Remix Deck integration thanks to the new F1 controller. Well, thanks to a productive chat with the Mixed in Key people, I now have a review copy of that company's software (you can pay for a Mixed in Key download via their website); software that aims to bring this technique from an ideal to something practical that DJs can actually use in their sets. So, with the software loaded onto my Macbook Pro, I am ready to put it through its paces. As I write, I am also preparing for a gig this evening, where I intend to actually use the software to only mix in key. So in Part 2 of this review, I'll bring you my thoughts and experiences after a real gig using it, and answer my previous question from the first article as to whether DJs should be bothering with this stuff at all. Still not sure what mixing in key is all about? Let's review some basics: What is a musical key? All music is in a key. If you hum a tune, you choose which note to start on. It's the same tune whether you hum/sing it high or low. By starting on a different note, you're singing the song in a different key. Really, it's nothing complicated. Previously, to do so you had to have some kind of musical theory training to understand how keys and scales fit together. It is hard for the majority of non- musically trained DJs to get their heads around all of this, and that's where Mixed in Key enters the game. Mixed in Key is a piece of software that processes your music, adding a tag for you to access information about the key that music is recorded in. It then offers you a relatively easy way of using that information to mix tunes together in your DJ sets either of the same or related keys, which will make your mixes sound better. In shot, it tells you what will mix into what, key- wise. Mixed in Key is a simple enough program to use, with only a few screens and options. Why is mixing in key important? If you just throw any tunes together, the keys will more than likely clash. The reason is that not just any old notes go well together. But if one song is in the same key as the next, or if it is in a related key, the tunes will mix just fine. That means that as a DJ, you can do more adventurous mixing: You no longer have to wait until one song is just the drum part before bringing in a musical part of another song. You can drop acapellas over instrumental background tracks. You can switch between songs of different keys knowing things will sound OK, as you'll be able to know when the keys are related. You know when you can't mix two songs together musically so you can adjust the type of miix you are going to do accordingly. You can use advanced techniques, like moving . Let's look: Installing the software. The software is paid for and downloaded online from the Mixed in Key website. Installation is straightforward, and once you open and add your registration key, you're shown a simple window that you can add songs to for analysis. Once your songs are processed, the software tells you - but as long as you set the preferences correctly, it has also added the information to your ID3 tags for viewing in your DJ software. Preparing to analyse your files. You're going to have to think about where you ask Mixed in Key to save the key information it finds; if you're really old school and you still sort and review your songs by filename information, it can write it to the filenames, but if not, you can choose to have it written into the custom . The basic premise here is to get the software to display the key information in your DJ software; otherwise, there's not much point having it. You're also probably going to do some housekeeping with your ID3 tags, checking they're modern ID3 2. MP3s might have ID3 tags in an earlier format. I have a current set list, so for this experiment I've told i. Tunes to convert my ID3 tags to 2. The software then takes a few seconds to process each tune, working out the key information in a special system (more later). This means that it will take a long time for a large collection, of course. It's also worth taking note that the software apparently . Whether this is strictly true or whether they use this to stop piracy I'm not sure - anyway, that's the way it is. No biggie unless you want to analyse tunes on the fly while you're at a gig and have no wireless - I guess this may irk a few people, but I'm happy enough with it. Look at the screenshot of the Mixed in Key software above. Notice the column with lots of ? That's your key information. That's for another piece of music processing software called Platinum Notes, from the Mixed in Key people. I'll cover that at a later date.)So, now we have the key information accessible to our DJing program. How do we make use of it? The Camelot System. Here's the theory: these numbers and letters are part of the Camelot notation, most famously represented with the Camelot wheel. See the key names (D major, F minor etc.) below? They're the traditional names for musical keys. The adjacent numbers and letter represent the Camelot wheel's version of them. You don't actually need to have a copy of this wheel, though, because the premise is really easy: when mixing two tunes, you can go up or down a number while keeping the letter the same, or go from A to B (or back) while keeping the number the same. The Camelot wheel matches traditional key notation with its own special version for DJs. What the letters and numbers mean. Bear with this theory for a second, as once you get to grips with it you'll understand what you're actualy doing when you're mixing in key with this notation a little better. Do you know the difference between a major and a minor key? If not, suffice to say one sounds . Hence the 1. 2 numbers. The reason you can go from 1. A to 1. 2A or 5. B to 4. B (for instance), is that for every key, there are two related keys you can mix well into, and the Camelot wheel is set up so that those keys are one number more or one number less than the current key. That's why when DJing, if you want your mixes to sound great, you simply do as suggested - go from A to B or back again, or up or down a number - or, of course, stay on exactly the same number/letter combination. See now how this could be a great way of making your DJ sets sound better without really knowing too much about the science behind it all? Dubfire uses this software, and like many DJ/producers, he says the reason is that he doesn't have to use a keyboard to determine the key of a track any more. Remember the tempo! One crucial thing to remember is that the tracks are in the keys that Mixed in Key says they're in only when at 0 pitch. So if you speed up or slow down tracks (for instance to beatmatch - fairly normal, no?) the key will change. There are two ways to deal with this: Firstly, engage key lock on your software (often works fine if you're only pitching up or down a little, but otherwise can sound ropey), or mix in key but make your mixes quick cuts from one track to the next and don't beatmatch, relying on the similar key to make your transition sound smooth. Trial and error will help you here, but I think the bottom line is that this is a tool, not a way of mixing, and you'll use it where it makes sense with either of these methods. Of course if songs are very close in BPM anyway, you may choose to put up with a slight deviation in key. I'm sure you'll quickly learn at what point it starts to sound bad. I'm going to find out tonight! How does it actually all work out at a gig? So - that's the theory. I've marked up my tracks, imported everything into my DJ software (I'm using Serato ITCH this evening), and I'm ready to head off to the gig. My thoughts at this stage? I'm going to play a lot of old music as well as new tonight, so I've got enough stuff in similar keys to really test this out. I'm worried that keylocking will make my music sound rubbish sometimes. I've not actually practised at all - I'm going to experiment live. That's just me, though - I like to add a bit of risk sometimes! A short history. Seventies Big Headed Strats! Are they good or do they suck? Big heads are better than small heads. Do you like Big beers or small beers, Big cars or small cars, and so on and on. But many of them are true gems, comparable with or even better than many (often overrated) 6. Jimi Hendrix and Ritchie Blackmore knew their stuff, didn’t they? Seek and thou will find! Big Heads ruled the world from 1. Fender created the stratocaster in 1. The Fender heritage is. Prices for especially pre- CBS guitars grew sky high due to (perceived) high quality and scarcity. The CBS “invasion” in 1. The actual marker of a new guitar era is of course the enlarged headstock! The large headstock first appeared in December 1. So actually the birth of the real stratocaster wasn’t 1. Stratocaster with large headstock. Why they changed to a large headstock? The new design allowed a bigger decal. A bigger headstock had! The success of the company created such an enormous growth in demand that the owners Don Randall and Leo Fender, who suffered from health problems, could no longer managerial handle the consequences of the fast growth of the company. It is often said that the CBS management did not adequately look after the quality of the guitars. It might as well actually be the other way round. Leo Fender and Don Randall and their operational teams were no longer equipped to produce the large number of guitars they did. Leo Fenders decision to sell the company was a managerial top decision that showed self- reflection. CBS can be considered as the true saviour of the most legendary guitar ever made! Of course the company suffered from growing pains, but didn’t we all! Grow big or stay small! It is also true that CBS, enlarging production enormously, did not look after quality control as much as the previous owners did. This resulted in a larger quantity, both relatively as absolutely, guitars that were (and still are) not so good as they could be. Large headstock with bullet truss rod and two string- trees. With CBS as an owner a new FENDER era erased, which would (probably) not have been possible without (CBS). It was the starting point of the New Stratocaster, the strats with the big heads! A year after the CBS take- over in 1. Big Head addict Jimi Hendrix almost solely saved the brand! Big Head Strat Eras can be distinghuised. Transition period: CBS Early Years December 1. CBS with a Tilt neck and one String tree; The Rebirth of the Stratocaster. A second string tree. Flush Pole Pick ups . Transition period . Anniversary Model 4- Bolt. Transition period: CBS Early Years December 6. Duchossoir characterised the Dec 1. This was a good observation. Cosmetically 3 slightly different types of back covers were used over the period: 1. Kluson Deluxe” were stamped in a single line across the cover. The tuning keys used between 1. Klusons. These were made by Schaller. This 2- piece neck with a maple neck board was produced until 1. Strats with a maple- cap from that period are very valuable. In 1. 97. 0 the 1- piece maple neck (with skunk stripe on the back and known from the 1. Another rarely seen option was the bound rosewood neck that was used on the stratocaster during 1. This was really a CBS thing. The “Transition” Logo followed the thinner Fender Spaghetti logo in October 1. The “transition” logo was already developed and used by the pre- CBS management. During June 1. 96. This was the first CBS- Logo. After 1. 96. 0, various patent numbers were added. These numbers are a safe criterion to assess the originality of the headstock. FENDER- PAT. PEND” were attached. Finish. A major change during this period was the switch from nitro cellulose lacquer finish to polyester finish in 1. The true strat aficionado hates polyester and adores nitro cellulose. Fender experimented in the late 6. Interesting is the fact that the fronts of the necks were finished with polyester but the headstocks were not. Nitro cellulose was used for the headstocks because the decals reacted badly on the polyester. This explains the difference in aging between the necks and headstocks. Rock bands preferred Gibsons. It was not until late 6. Jimi Hendrix boosted the popularity of the strat. Would this ever have happened without the enlargement of the head? Would Jimi ever have picked up a Stratocaster if the head was not enlarged? Although these mysterious questions shall probably never be answered, one might suspect that big men need big headstocks. CBS with a Tilt neck and one String tree; The Rebirth of the Stratocaster. After the 6. 5- 7. CBS transition period the rebirth of the Stratocaster took place midst . Although the new ’7. The era of the 3 bolt stratocaster with the bullet in the head started! Some loved it, some hated it! He, however, was a great inventor. There is no product available on this planet earth that is produced over 6. In 1. 97. 1 the 3- bolt neck mounting with built- in Tilt Neck adjustment technique replaced the 4- bolt neck mounting. This was an example of the genius of Leo Fender. The truss rod could from now on be adjusted at the . It was no longer necessary to remove/damage the guard or remove the neck to adjust the neck. Correct neck pitch could be achieved by . Sounds a lot easier, doesn. The 3- bolt 7. 1- 7. Besides the new 3- bolt neck mounting and the bullet truss rod adjustment system a third change was the new tremelo bridge assembly. The original assembly was replaced by a one- pice die cast tail block made of chromed Maza with 6 solid saddles also made of of die- cast chromed Mazac. The 3- bolt mounting system was in the basis a good idea. As such, however, not every guitar player accepted it as an improvement. This was due to the fact that the neck pockets in the guitar bodies did not always fully fit the necks due to a lack of quality control and due to the fact that extra space was needed for the multi- layered. In 1. 95. 6 Fender switched to alder and ash was only used for guitars with a blond finish and sometimes custom colors. The introduction of the ”natural finish” in early 1. For a period of time both ash and alder were used. However, later on during the seventies most of the guitars were made of ash. After 1. 98. 0 the emphasis changed to alder again, partly due to the excessive weight of the ash bodies in the late seventies. A second string tree. A second string- tree was added at the end of 1. Duchossoir stated, as there are ’7. Although this was only a minor change, one string- tree 3- bolt strats are more sought after (= valuable) than the two string- tree guitars. The 3- bolt stratocasters with one string- tree have only been made for approximately 1 year (mid 1. The “Mocha Brown” color is introduced on the Fender Stratocaster (perhaps Fender’s most aesthetically challenged custom color!) A factory black pick guard (with white knobs and pick up covers) was used for the first time on a Strat in 1. Flush Pole Pick ups . In 1. 97. 5 also a 3- ply all black pick guard was made available, while the guitars still retained white knobs and pick up covers (in 1. The 1. 97. 5 tuners differed from the early 7. With the early (Schaller) tuners the screws were visible. In 1. 97. 5 these tuners were replaced by tuners with closed- cover units. It is a good help to see whether the tuners of early 7. Transition period . The 1. 97. 6 transition model had the new neck adjustment, a black guard / white knobs configuration and had still the serial number on the neck plate. Black plastics and 1. In 1. 97. 7 the 5- way pick up switch became the standard. Until then the guitars were fitted with a 3- way switch. After- market 5- way switches were available to replace the 3- way switched and to add sound flexibility. It is very strange that Fender waited to change from a 3- to 5- switch until the late seventies, while already in the 6. Eric Clapton) experimented with tooth- picks and matches to put and hold the pick- ups in the in- between positions. Antigua strat. As mentioned, during the 3- bolt period not everyone appreciated the 3- bolt construction. The problem was not the 3- bolt construction itself but the fact that the neck pocket in the rout in the body was often cut too large to accommodate the neck. Since the finish in the late seventies was so thick it needed a lot more room to settle and to avoid. So, adding extra room to the neck pocket was Fenders biggest downfall because the neck had room to move, knocking all strings out of tune. The . The guitar bodies were merely made of ash. Ash is a inconstant timber in terms of density and its weight can vary to a large extent. The demand for Stratocasters was so high that also these heavy ones were used for production. Although there are light- weighted strats available in a large extent, there are also back- breaking evil ones on the market that will damage your spine forever. May people believe that heavy strats offer more tone and sustain. This is untrue and only a bad excuses for owning a bad heavy- weighted seventies Stratocaster. Modified (By Rebel. Relic) 1. 97. 8 Stratocaster. During 1. 97. 6 Fender came up with its . From now on it became practically impossible to damage your Stratocaster. Besides that it was very hard to see what material your guitar was made of. The guitars were sprayed with 1. This finish became forbidden at the end of the seventies because of its environmental damaging effects. In 1. 97. 9 Fender experimented with water- based paint. These experiments were not very successful due to the fact that the paint literally cracked and fell of. After that Fender started in 1. These colours were not really appreciated (were damn ugly) by the market and were dropped in 1. International Colors strat seriously sprayed with polyester. The International Colors strats offered white pick guard and black knobs and pick up covers. It is said that Fender used . This sticker made it easier to see whether guard and neck were originally matching. The absence of the sticker does not mean the guard is not original. The stickers were easy to remove and got lost during to reparation, moist, etc.
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