Mixed In Key Studio Edition

FL Studio Integration Tutorial

Mixed In Key Studio Edition analyzes your sample collection and enables you to match the perfect one-shot, loop, vocal or any other sample to your music production, remix or mashup.

It will instantly tell you the key, scale and tonality of any audio sample.

With Mixed In Key Studio Edition you can base compositions around a sample with total confidence. You’ll know exactly which notes are already present, giving you a great foundation for composition.

Here is a step-by-step user guide with some pro tips on how to get the most out of Mixed In Key Studio Edition in FL Studio.

1. Add an instance of Mixed In Key Studio Edition as an insert plugin to any audio, VST/AU instrument, sub mix or master buss channel’s insert slot.

After clicking on the insert slot in which you wish to insert Mixed In Key Studio Edition, select ‘More plugins…’.

Choose either AU or VST version of Mixed In Key Studio Edition from the plugin list (Note that AU is Mac only).

If Mixed In Key Studio Edition is not in the list, you will need to go to ‘FL Studio Plugin Manager’ and perform a rescan by pressing ‘Find Plugins’. You should then repeat the steps above.

2. Add an audio file to your audio channel. Alternatively, add a MIDI region to your VST/AU instrument channel or route audio to your sub mix/buss channel.

3. Playback the sound from your audio, VST/AU instrument or sub mix/buss channel.

4. Mixed In Key Studio Edition shows you the key and scale results at the top of the plugin. In the center of the plugin you have the option of seeing key analysis by either note content or key probability. You can toggle between the two at any time.

Pro Tip

You can insert Mixed In Key Studio Edition on audio, VST/AU instrument, send, bus, sub-mix and master channels. This allows you to check the tonality of individual instruments or across the whole of your mix.

5. Audio analysis begins as soon as the plugin is opened. Press the PAUSE button to stop audio analysis but retain the results on screen. To restart analysis, press CAPTURE. To clear all captured data, press CLEAR.

To help Mixed In Key Studio Edition return the most accurate results, allow the sample to play back in its entirety while being captured.

Pro Tip

If you want to determine key and scale or note consistency between a group of samples, try capturing each audio sample consecutively on the same instance of Mixed In Key Studio Edition. You will see trends, common notes and key clashes in real-time.

6. In NOTES mode you view the notes that are being detected by Mixed In Key Studio Edition. The height of the bar above the note demonstrates how present the note being detected is.

These notes can be musical notes (ie from an instrument) or harmonics generated within the audio being played.

Above the notes you will see the key results, which include a root note and accompanying scale. The result of Eb Major 100% means that notes within the Eb Major scale would work well with this audio.

7. Results from Mixed In Key Studio Edition can be viewed in either Flat, Sharp or Camelot notation.

Pro Tip

Viewing the results in Camelot notation helps you to bridge the gap between DJing and music production. Whether organizing loops and one-shots to enhance your sample library, or using on the fly to compose full tracks, Mixed In Key Studio Edition gives you all the data you need to make informed decisions on notes, keys and scales.

Inconclusive results

The key and scale results displayed can vary for a number of reasons. In some cases the key and scale results will appear inconclusive or be a mix of results.

This can be due to audio that is not exactly Major or Minor, or the harmonic content of the audio being analyzed.

If the KEYS results are inconclusive, take a look at the NOTES data and see if the present notes are part of a more exotic scale, like Dorian or Phrygian.

Pro Tip

Mixed In Key Studio Edition is the fastest way to accurately identify your drum pitches. Find the exact pitch of your one-shot kick drums, snares and other percussion to ensure your drums sound perfect with your composition. For drum loops which already contain multiple percussion instruments, finding and matching the key and scale to your project is the best approach.