Automix is a function in DJ.Studio that facilitates smooth and automatic transitions between tracks without the need for manual beat-matching and crossfading.
Within seconds, Automix analyzes millions of possible combinations of mixes and determines the optimal sequence for your playlist by assessing tempo and harmonic consistency.
Automix is a unique tool within DJ.Studio which helps to create the perfect sequence for your playlist, based on your chosen options.
After you’ve filled your playlist with tracks you want to include, simply hit the Automix button to open the Automix dialog.
The most important controls of the Automix feature are:
1. Playlist ordering
Mood or Fuzzy mixing
Mood Mixing looks at harmonic matches (overlapping notes), and additionally at interesting key changes that may favorably affect the overall energy of your mix.
Fuzzy Mixing always prioritises mixes that are likely to work harmonically. It prevents you from going off-tone when mixing two songs where notes are overlapping, but it ignores non-harmonically matched transitions that may have a positive effect on mood.
BPM/Key Slider
This slider sets the balance of the automixing algorithm between Key, BPM, or a mix of both.
Calculation Time
This dropdown lets you choose the amount of time spent analyzing the tracks and creating the perfect order. You can choose 30sec/1min/5min. Longer times can potentially scan through more combinations.
Track Locking
You can lock in the first and last track in your playlist.
This is useful if you know which tracks you want to start and/or finish your mix with.Place songs at the start or end of the playlist, then lock them in from this menu.
2. Transitions
You can set various parameters that determine how transitions are automatically created by the automixer. This includes whether to beat match your tracks, how long to make transition frames and mix in/out points.
3. Re-Automixing
You can re-automix your project at any point. Simply click the automix button again to open the dialog.
Any locked transitions (explained later) will stay in the locked order, and unlocked tracks are free to be rearranged.
Re-automixing is useful if you get halfway through a mix and realize you aren’t quite happy with the order. Also, if you add more tracks into your mix at a later stage and want to check use the automix function again.
How To Use Automix
Follow these steps to use the automix system:
1. Add tracks to your mix - press the '+ Add Tracks' button on the left side of the screen, or drag and drop your selected tracks from your hard drive onto the app/browser.
2. Click, drag, and place the tracks you would like to be first and last in the mix.
3. Press the Automix button, and it will open up the Automix options.
4. Use the slider to decide whether you would like your mix created purely on BPM order, purely on harmonic compatibility, or if you want to get a list that is harmonically ordered, but with a maximum difference of 4 BPM.
Choose the Harmonic Mixing Mode (Mood vs Fuzzy Mixing)
Mood Mixing
Mood follows the Mixed In Key Camelot wheel and uses a song order where the keys follow each other in a way that gives a good vibe to the audience. This is a more traditional version of harmonic mixing.
Fuzzy Mixing
Fuzzy mixing is a new approach to harmonic mixing, where the DJ is not so restricted in what keys they can match. In essence, you can ignore the major/minor letter indicator, and simply focus on the Camelot numbers - and you can mix a few other keys together that wouldn't be suggested by traditional techniques.
5. Tick the boxes if you want to lock your intro or last track.
6. Jump over to the Automix Transitions Tab, and adjust the settings as desired (explained in more detail later in this guide).
7. DJ.Studio will calculate the best possible order for your playlist in a maximum of 30 seconds.
8. Press finish and check out your newly ordered mix.
In the Match column, you will see green, yellow, and blue icons that show you the harmonic compatibility between a track and the previous one.
In essence, green icons are good matches, yellow are close, and blue are further.
See the page on Harmonic Matching Explained for the full details on these icons.
Automix Transition Tab
The transition tab gives you various controls over how the automixer handles transitions.
Transition Style - Select from some of the typical transition presets including crossfades, bass swaps, filtering, echoes, and your user transition presets.
Transition Length - Set the default bar length for transition frames.
Synchronise Tempo - When engaged, DJ.Studio will automatically beat-match your tracks.
In/Out Mix Points - Choose where the transition frames are placed at the start and end of songs.
Solving track-matching issues
If there are any issues with matching any of your selected tracks, you will see a white cross appear in the ‘Match’ column.
Hover over the white cross to reveal the ‘Solve’ button, and click on it.
DJ.Studio will search through your Serato, Mixedinkey or Rekordbox library to find tracks that fit the criteria, and you can add tracks to your mix to solve the matching problem.
Select one of the tracks suggested, and press Add to solve the matching issue.
Your matching issue should now be solved, and you will have a perfectly ordered mix!
Why Aren’t My Automixed Tracks Harmonically Mixed?
Sometimes, after using the automix algorithm, not all of your tracks will be harmonically mixed. There are a couple of reasons and solutions for this issue.
Also, sometimes you will see an ‘X’ in the Match column of the playlist - indicating that the two tracks are not harmonically compatible.
Causes:
You don’t have enough closely harmonically related tracks in your playlist to have a smooth progression through every track in the mix.
One or more of your tracks has no other harmonically compatible tracks in the playlist.
You used the BPM automixing preference.
Solutions
Click on the ‘X’ icon in the Match column of the playlist. DJ.Studio will now scan your music library to find and insert a track that can harmonically bridge the gap between the two tracks.
If you have no other tracks in your music library, you will need to manually find a new track to import. You should easily be able to work out the missing key by clicking on the Key icon and reading the chart.