Mixed In Key
Note: I have never used the software in question, nor do I plan to.
Mixed In Key is a software for mac or PC that will listen to your mp3s and tell you what key they are in as well as tempo. Now as musicians look down upon djs because all they do is "play records" it looks as if the musician team has more fuel for their fire.
Download Squad has a review of the software and is the basis of my criticisms of the software…
First off let’s be very clear about what a dj does. They play records. From there you have certain skills you can apply like matching a beat and making 2 songs play at the same time. Now if you really have no ear, then you will not notice that the 2 songs sound off key, but you will know something is wrong. But part of being a dj is knowledge of you tracks. Over time you will know which tracks sound good together, and over time you will be able to tell which ones will sound good together without having to play them at the same time, you will be able to tell "by ear".
Essentially, taking any semblance of skill that djs need to have. I am all for final scratch and serrato, cdj and all that stuff as long as you have platters spinning in real time. But when you have machines that can match your beat and tell you what key the song you are playing is in and suggest other songs for you to play by key, you might as well just create a program to make every track selection for you.
Essentially, my take on the entire state of dj music is pretty lenient, in some sectors it’s vinyl, live pa or play somewhere else. With all these different set ups it’s making things alot worse for promoters who used to only have to set up power amps and speakers and turntables and let it roll all night, but with more and more ways to dj there is a rising factor of musical downtime in an environment where constant music is important for the vibe.
Do I think you have to stay only vinyl or not use pitch correcting/key finding/beatmatching software? No, but know there are people out there that can match a beat with a program and can tell with there very own ears whether 2 songs keys match or clash and that everyone can tell when you are using it.
