Mixed in Key Live €58

Embarrassed by theory-blindness? This learned virtual assistant can step in to detail what your music is doing in the theoretical sphere

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While a background in music theory can be a mighty useful foundation for sonic creativity, more often than not we as songwriters and track-builders let our ears – and our feelings – make the all-important chordal and melodic choices. Some of the greatest musicians of all time lacked a theoretical education, including The Beatles, Prince, and Elton John.

That said, unpicking what you’ve created after-the-fact, and noting the keys, chords, melodies, and riffs can be time-consuming. So too can finding those corresponding samples, or instructing other musicians to write around your tracks when you’re trying to get something finished within a pressurized time frame.

Mixed in Key have form in this domain. Originating as DJ-oriented key-detection software back in 2006, the company’s flagship software has been entrusted to detect the key and BPM of tracks and samples played within a plethora of DJ software ecosystems. Now, the company have augmented the very same algorithms to shape a much simpler – and more universally usable – version: Mixed in Key Live.

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Keeping things refreshingly simple, Mixed in Key Live works mainly as a tiny desktop program. It scans incoming audio signals and provides users instantaneously with the key, BPM and per-note information. This small, uncluttered UI – prioritising the speed of communication above all – is an able ally for both songwriting, mixing/ re-mixing and sampling.