Here is a method that may help you organize your music CDs. It’s fun, easy to use, and helps you get into Harmonic Mixing.
Overview
1. Detect the key of every song in your music collection
2. Burn separate CDs for each key. For example, put all your 8A tracks on one CD. Put 9A on another CD.
3. If you burn two copies of every CD, you can mix between songs in the same key. Added benefit: If one CD gets scratched, you can play another copy.
4. Print a CD label with the following information:
- Keycode on top (8 in this case)
- Date the CD was made
- Full track names
Using Color Labels
Add some color on top. This will help you find the right CD because your visual memory will connect “8A” with red.
We use three different colors to label our CDs:
Blue for keycodes 11 to 1
Orange for keycodes 2 to 5
Red for keycodes 6 to 10
Here is an example of 8A:
Here is an example of 4A:
How To Sort Your CDs
We usually put 1A / 1B in the front and 12A / 12B in the back of the CD wallet. Sort your CDs from low numbers to high numbers. This way, you can flip one page forward or one page backward, and see other compatible songs. It makes finding “the next tune to play” very easy.
In Summary
- Burn separate CDs for each key
- Make two copies of every CD
- Sort your CD wallet from low to high numbers
Your CD collection will be easy to browse. I have field-tested this method myself for many years and it has worked great.
A massive shout out to Yakov Vorobyev of harmonic mixing fame for the original post!
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Benny,
a.) Would you recommend new bedroom DJs start following the MixedInKey system while building their music libraries?
b.) Do you use any other software to organize tracks on your computer? E.g. sorting by genre, BPM, key?
Thanks in advance for the input!!!
Hey Ian,
A) I would definitely recommend all new DJs start following the Mixed In Key system, especially in the beginning whilst building their music libraries. Learning how to mix harmoniously is a critical part of becoming a quality DJ in my opinion.
Its not the be all and end all in the beginning but something you would want to seriously consider as you progress in your learning. That said if you start organizing your CD and music collection accordingly from the start then it will save the head ache when the time comes.
B) Another software for organizing tracks well worth checking out is: Mix Meister studio http://www.mixmeister.com/
It gives you the key, the key code and the BPM not to mention an awesome mixing interface… Its what I use myself!
Thanku thanku thanku, this information isn’t available anywhere – it’s priceless, thanku thanku thanku. Appreciated a lot.
Benny,
Before I take the plunge:
How about different music genres (i.e. trance, house, electro, dubstep)? Would you keep them separate or would combine them and burn them on a single CD because they are all on the same key?
Thanks again,
Ian
Hey Ian,
If you are planning to grow a substantial music collection in each of the different genres then I would definitely keep them separate.
If not, and you just like collecting music that you like no matter the genre then as long as you know the tunes ie: which are dubstep and which are electro etc then you should be fine adding them all together.
The key note is to be as organized as possible, so mate do whatever feels most comfortable for you. You may even find you start organizing your CDs one way but end up changing and going a complete different direction.
There is only one way to find out!
I’ve been mixing in key for over 20 years, I now use serato scratch. Mixing in key is a MUST!
This is great! For me I group my EDM by albums like iTunes would do itself, all in my portable disk. I use MixMeister too and its key and tempo detect feature much. In the library, we can sort the tracks by key and bpm so we know which go good together.
Where do you get cd labels like that?
Hey Wib!
Check out the link below for the sticky labels you’re after.
http://www.neato.com/
It is important to have a good order of tracks, placed in a special archive. I save time with good advice from DJ Benny
One step at a time for me… gotta master matching the bars and phrases before I get too excited haha, so much to do! Bookmarked for later, superb information.
hello does anyone know of another software that gives you the tracks key ? need some help
Hi Yoshi,
Check out: http://www.mixmeister.com/
This software gives you both the key and camelot keycode!
B
Hy guys great stuff, I am using key mixing for years, I have another problem though:
Do you guys now a software that could transfer the playlist directly into word format or something like that so I don’t have to hand write or type all songs from iTunes onto Word. It is very time consuming.
@Eddy – I can’t think of anything, I had a bit of a search with no luck… Maybe someone else might have a suggestion?