Key matching songs

softserv · Post by **softserv** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 1:06 am

Hello all - This topic may have been covered in a post somewhere in the ether of posts, but I haven't found it. I am new to Ableton and remixing.

I am trying to mix two songs of different original keys by trial and error with the transpose knob in the clip view of each song. Obviously, it hasn't worked that well. I've only been able to get the two songs sounding slightly less bad together, and even then, one song ends up absurdly high-pitched.

Is there a better way to key match songs? I know part of DJing is mixing songs with similar or the same keys to begin with. But is that my only option? It seems somewhat limiting.

(I am going by ear, I don't have key info for most of the songs I'm working with.)

Many thanks!
softserv

Affiliation · Post by **Affiliation** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 2:19 am

I have tried this before too,.
It is possible that one song uses different intervals and in such case you will never match them. ie: one song's main theme has most of its notes 5 semitones apart while the other has them 4 semitones apart; so no-matter what you do you are stuck with that.

On the other hand, if you can get them matched, try and lower one and rise the other to avoid shifting as much as possible. You can always re-pitch the mix after.

hambone1 · Post by **hambone1** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 7:21 am

http://www.mixedinkey.com/HowTo.aspx

http://www.platinumnotes.com/

Affiliation · Post by **Affiliation** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 2:44 pm

now are these not just automated versions of what softserv is trying to do by hand?

hambone1 · Post by **hambone1** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 2:47 pm

Nope. They're just utilities to ensure that the track's key is quantized to the nearest semitone, and to identify what that key is.

Affiliation · Post by **Affiliation** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 3:09 pm

"key is quantized" hmmm, very interesting!

hambone1 · Post by **hambone1** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 4:33 pm

Well.. it's kinda like quantized, but to a pitch rather than a timing grid...

Affiliation · Post by **Affiliation** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 4:39 pm

vinkalmann · Post by **vinkalmann** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 6:48 pm

If you're interested in Key/BPM detection software take a look at Rapid Evolution. It works very well and is FREE!

www.mixshare.com

Read the rest of the page too, LOTS of good harmonic mixing theory.

softserv · Post by **softserv** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 1:14 am

You all rock! All, all, all!

Many thanks. A quick lesson in music theory is always a good thing.

-softserv

Yaca · Post by **Yaca** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 8:25 pm

hambone1 wrote:http://www.mixedinkey.com/HowTo.aspx

http://www.platinumnotes.com/

Has anyone actually tried the Platinum Notes Software. I curious to know how well it works. Most of the tracks i buy now a days have brickwall compression applied during mastering and from the screenshots, they are claiming Platinum Notes will fix this with a click of a button.

RobertX · Post by **RobertX** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 5:10 pm

Yeah, I'm interested in how Platinum Notes works as well, as most mastering engineers these days think it's clever to mash the living hell out of everything. They need to post more examples on their site - the one they have there currently doesn't really show much, IMO.

Key matching songs

Key matching songs

thank you!