key matches

[simonb]

What the hell is 'Key 7A'?

[edit] Never mind, I just saw that wheel thing at the bottom

All this 7A etc stuff is well confusing, I guess it's aimed at people who don't know music theory/circle of 5ths.

It's true that key mixing can make for better transitions, but a lot of the time you can tell just by listening to the tracks together, whether it sounds right or not. Just another tool in the arsenal.

[steevio]

when DJs send me demo mixes for the festival i organise, as soon as i hear a mix that isnt key compatible, i reject the demo immedeately. its just basic stuff.

[djd_oz]

The "chart" (7A etc.) allows you to organise your records/tracks in a manner that you know damn well it is going to mix well even before listening to them.

[steevio]

The "chart" (7A etc.) allows you to organise your records/tracks in a manner that you know damn well it is going to mix well even before listening to them.

not necessarily rhythmically though.

[djd_oz]

^ agreed! But you will be surprised with the mix you can pull even if it is not rhythmically compatable. For example, you could just layer some ambient-ish track over a techno beat etc and mix flawlessly or change genres while keeping a smooth transition etc ...

Anyway, it's not for everyone, the majority of people don't really care or are able to tell the difference especially if they are drunk or off their face in a club/festival.

[steevio]

of course anything is possible, but when 2 rhythms dont go together you're screwed, the hardest thing is when two shuffles are too far apart, if they are close it gives a nice flam effect, the further apart they go the worse it gets.

[loopdon]

BPM is pretty simple to identify.
Keys less so. What if the tune in question is just atonal or
not following classical (western) rules/ scales. Hmm,
i don't mind the info, though. You don't need to use it.
And not trust it blindly, either. I remember i once hear a commercial
mix from DJ Hell which led me to the impression this guy must be tone-def.
It literally ruined an otherwise nice mix for me. If you want to include melodic elements
you surely should consider getting things to gel, musically speaking.
By ear or however.

As it probably can't go on like this forever i see something like vinyl
re-emerging if it isn't allready.

I reckon total auto-mix ist just around the corner and i welcome it whole-heartedly!

[jacksonick]

Explain to me this 'automix'...